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Show ! - x. - . - - .. . ; ' J ' ' j . J -- J w v - -- -J . .. .... NEW YORK. March' 16. Former Judge William. B. Hornblower last night defended his original approval of the Beers pension plan and which was assailed by Andrew Hamilton when the latter, appeared before Jhe legislative committee at Albany ye3terday. " v In the course of his remarks In whjch lie declared that his transactions with the late John A. McCall were sanctioned sanc-tioned by the. trustees of the New York L4fe Insurance company, Mr. Hamilton, took occasion to criticise the author of the Beers pension plan to whom he Referred Re-ferred as '"the Pecksniff of three administrations, ad-ministrations, who thinks that he is the Talleyrand of the present one u the confidant con-fidant of the Beers 'candal." He did not mention any names in this connection: connec-tion: V, . - .. ; ,;,( The' matter of the Beers pension was this: . : .... .. .. . , "When Beers retired as head of the company, back '.in the early '90s the board of trustees voted him a pension, said to have been something like $30,000 a year. A question as to whether the pension was legal was referred to Mr. Hornblower and other eminent -counsel. After reading Mr. Hamilton's speech In full last night. Mr. Hornblower dictated the following statement: . n "Bo far as Juflre Hamilton states or implies that I disbursed any legislative funds during the Beers administration, his statement or implication is absolutely abso-lutely untrue. My professional relation to the Beers administration was entirely entire-ly confined to litigation and legal advice. ad-vice. .1 never even appeared before a legislative committee but once, so far as I can-, recollect, and then simply to make an argument before the insurance committee in opposition to a pending bllL Not a. dollar of the company's money ever passed through my hands for legislative or any other purposes? -"So far as Judge Hamilton states or Implies that I was aware of his disbursing dis-bursing moneys for .the company, or receiving re-ceiving moneys not accounted for as found by the Fowler committee, such statements or Implications are absolute- ly untrue. , . - "I decline to discuss at the present time the merits or demerits pf the so-called so-called Beers pension plan., I was a member of the board of trustees when It was adopted, and advised and concurred in It. -1 believed at - the time It would be a Just, honest and legal contract. ' "That he bad received moneys for so-called so-called real estate, account, legislative matters and other matters for which he never accounted, I had no knowledge 'whatever. - , ' , "I do ' not propose to discuss With Judge Hamilton or his offensive epithets. epi-thets. I do not feel It necessary to defend de-fend myself against mere abuse." i Augustus G. Paine, a mesnber of the auditing committee of the New York Life, last night said: "The auditing committee f never knew that there was such a man as Andrew Hamilton living until the Armstrong Arm-strong committee ' unearthed him and I think this Is true of many other trustees. trus-tees. As to the 'Paris fee account' no trustee ever heard of It until the Fowler Fow-ler committee discovered It Then It waa found that payments had been, made to Hamilton by the order ot John A. McCall. The auditing committee commit-tee never had his accounts and his name never appeared on our books so far as I, myself, personally know. ,. "I do not see how any credit can be given to these utterances. You may say for me. positively, that I never knew of the existence of this man Hamilton until un-til the Investigation. What he says should carry no weight. , His very words discredit him." ; . , When asked If the suit against the estate of John A. McCall would be dropped he replied: y . "I am not now In a position to answer." an-swer." . Hiram R. Steele of the auditing- committee, com-mittee, said: . - "Whether the trustees were aware of the things that . Hamilton talks about I am not at all sure. That the trustees can tell for themselves. The auditing committee reported on the facts as tt found, them, and the whole thing Is now in the hands of the attorney selected se-lected (to adjust-Hamilton's affairs for the company. . I must ear that I den't exactly see what Mr. Hamilton is driving driv-ing at. As I am not a trustee, however, j don't feel calledupon to venture an opinion." |