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Show Sensational Testimony brought Out by Attorney Hughes Before Committee Investigating the Life Insurance Business; Bus-iness; Lawyer Nichols on Stand. XEW YORK, Nov. 21. United States Senator Thomas C. Piatt testified as a witness before the insurance investigating eominittee to-JAay. to-JAay. Senator Piatt said that the Equitable society contributed $10,--)00 a year to the Republican State. campaign fund. Senator Piatt the contributions were in cash and were sent by messenger to iis office and he turned them over to the S(ate committee. They were unsolicited, he said TORK. Nov. 21. John A. Nith-olsa Nith-olsa lawyer and quarantine commissioner commis-sioner of the Port of New York from 18Srto'lS9I who wrote the letters to -Sena tor Chauncey M.-Depew In behalf of his "friend who usually gets around at this time of the year" and who, he . -wrote, was getting "rambunctious" and Tieeded help, was the first witness before be-fore the' Insurance investigating committee com-mittee today. Much interest had been aroused by the reading of Nichols letters let-ters to Senator Depew on Friday. The Senator was not able to remem-rrr remem-rrr who . Mr. Nichols" friend .was. As sliown by vouchers under observation by the committee on Friday. Mr. Nichols Nich-ols received retainers from the Equitable Equita-ble Life Insurance society. Xmployad for Many Years. ."When he went -before. the committee " 'today he testified that he had been emtio) em-tio) edjy the Equitably ocY.JsS., " twenty td"twe'fitj-nve -years under an EiinuiU retainer of $1000, and eald he is still under that retainer. Recently he was employed toy the Mutual Life company. com-pany. He was consulted by the officers tf the Equitable society on matters not connected with the Legislature in WO. One of the matters intrusted to h?m was that of W. 8. Manning of Albany. Witness said that Manning, who had bc-en an actuary, was employed by certain cer-tain people to bring, charges against the y Equitable that the reserve was not to large as it ought to be. Manning was ' paid $450, Mr. Nichols said, "so that he would be favorable to the company."' Payments Made Long Time. Witness later said that this was paid to keep Manning from being employed against the company. He thought these payments ' had been made for over a period of fifteen years. Sometimes the Iayment reached $50. Other payments were made ' to a man named Kerr, a . correspondent of a New York paper, nowd?ad. Kerr was paid certain sums fortwo or three years, but the sums wete not mentioned' by the witness, letter to Depew. . TTrhe letter of the witness to Senator Ifpew. dated December, 1896, relative . tdl"our friend who gets around at this time of the year" was read to "the wit-nebs, wit-nebs, and he said it referred to Mr. Manning. He wrote to Senator Depew because the Senator was on the financial finan-cial committee of the Equitable Boclety and that he expected the Senator to turn the letter over to the executive officers. The letter of December 4, 102, relative to "our rambunctious friend from up the river," witness also said, referred to Mr. Manning. Mr. Manning, he said, wsnted to- know whether the arrangement arrange-ment of. yearly payments by the Equitable Equi-table society was to be continued. Witness Wit-ness said Manning 'went Into this arrangement ar-rangement under hla (Nichols) persuasion. persua-sion. Mr. Nichols said he Induced Manning to give up his business as an actuary because Manning had been antagonistic. an-tagonistic. ' Investigated Companies. i Witness thought Mr. Manning - was connected with the investigation el Insurance In-surance companies In lST7bwfhe did. rt-txoTtrT?riiTiiV capacity. H"eal r.ot terfJil that Har.nlng threatened to pub-, pub-, lish renulti! of that investigation that harl b?en mudo public. Manning, according to Mr. Hughes, claimed that ee had information or that !r.v.-!st'g-tlori which, if published, would sorioasiy affect the Kq::'.tab!o society ar.d Mr. Hughex akd Mr. N'icho's if that was rot the reaon this money was psid to Manning. Witness said he l"ad no recollection of this poir.t. Got Their Taxes Heduoed. Thomas Comar.s, who said he looked after real estate and city complaints for the Equitable society, was next called. Mr. Com an s said he is a member mem-ber of Tammany UaJl. He said he looked e.fter getting the tax assessments assess-ments or the officers of the Equitable society reduced. Among these he said, tawere Hrr.ry K. Hyde, James H. Hyde and Gage E. Tarbell. At this point Senator Thomas C. Piatt nrrlved snd Mr. Comans was temporarily ex.msed. Sena' or r;wt entrance created a stir in the committee-room. He walked slow!;.- on the arm of Robert C. Morris, his cour.se 1. ar.d leaned heavily on a cane. Senator Piatt had been carried up the stalrsf of the city hall to the door of the committee-room In a chair. When he v.a tested and sworn. Mr. Morris said tlint the Senator would answer an-swer ail questions freely and frankly. Equitable Life Contributed. In reply to questions by Mr. Hughes. Senator Piatt said that he had received contributions more paitlcularlv from the Equitable Life Assurance society for the &tie campaign fund a::d during dur-ing a r""'0! f least the last ten years. Th contributions were of $10.r 000 each. The Xew York Life Insurance, he said, also contributed but not nearly near-ly so much. Senator Piatt said he was expected. In return for the contributions, to influence influ-ence legislation when any measures were hostile to the Insurance companies. com-panies. Senator Platt said also that he had received frequent contributions of $10,000 each from the Mutual Life Insurance In-surance company. |