OOBE’S B13BAL NEW-YORKER 
Iftits of the ®cejt. 
DOMESTIC NEWS. 
New York City and Vicinity* 
SOME Wall hi r<-ct dealers in gold arc peti¬ 
tioning the President to prevent the locking 
up of money_The American Institute Fair is 
in a backward condition_Hon. 8. S. Cox has 
been nominated for Congress, and accepts. 
Wot weather ha* prevailed for two weeks. 
Bishop Janes has been very 111 at his New Jer¬ 
sey residence.. The new Normal College has 
just been completed at a cost of $.400,000 Two 
new steamships are being built In Brooklyn 
Two large new banking houses arc going up on 
Wall street An excursion of tipper-clans En¬ 
glishmen to Kansas has taken place Tha 
Mennonll.es who are arriving are very wealthy. 
The next'national rifle Pontcsl at. Crectlmoor 
will take place Oct. 8th.An Italian padrone 
has becDjt'ul on trial for enslaving Italian chil¬ 
dren. ..Tne punch crop w r htoh usually comes to 
New York Is light and poor The Cuban League 
has been rc-organized.Two New York jour- 
nalistEi Geo. T. Keillor and Geo. i\ itowe. both 
voting men, were drowned on the 19th in tho 
surf off Lung Island... Prospects for fall trade 
are good. On the 23d a house at .121 West 
Eleventh street, fell, killing 8 men and wound¬ 
ing 11 who were at work upon it. on the same 
day one Michael C. Broderick of HI Car nine Kt, 
stabbed hi* two -ous t o death, aged 23 and 18. 
Rum did it_The funeral ol ltev. Dr. .Spring 
took place on the 23d .. The Agricultural edit¬ 
ors have returned from their excursion ... Most 
of the theatres have opened'for the fall season. 
Home New*. 
There Is nothing new about ( he Chief Jus¬ 
ticeship_11. M. troops have killed 14 Indians 
of the Apache tribe io Arizona_ There was a 
terrible railway disaster on the 19th near Lo¬ 
rn out, III.; a freight train collided with an ex¬ 
press passenger train; 11 persons were killed 
and 25 injured . ..Pennsylvania teachers have 
held a meeting at Pittsburgh . .There Is much 
indignation In Illinois over tha recent railway 
disaster; Major ,i W. Smith and .1. W. Floury 
of Springfield are the latest victims; the deaths 
now number 18. A man named Keller killed 
bis wife, si-t- r, and two children iu Lynn Co., 
Kan.,on Dm Dili; nehas been arrested_Prof. 
Watson of Ann Arbor has discovered a new 
planet.t ine B. Maynard has shot Mr. D. W. 
Grant at Sait Rake City_The steamship Ala¬ 
bama of the State Line, on the .1t.ii ran down the 
bark Ahearo, out at sea ; 8 of the crew were lost 
_There has been a great gathering of Confed¬ 
erate officers at Montgomery .Springs, Vn„to 
attend tho Southern Historical Convention. ... 
The Yellowstone Expedition has had a very 
successful search.Hon. John A. Bingham 
has sailed for Japan... Lowenstein, the Albany 
murderer, has been arrested in tit. Catherines, 
Canada . ..Ohio has got a new political party.. 
The Farmers' Movemeut ha» reached Massachu¬ 
setts_Odd Fellows have hold a convention at 
Albany ...A treaty has been made with tho 
Crow Indians ....A Farmers’ Grange lias been 
organized In Boston.It is denied that any 
public documents are missing from the War 
Office_The President, has visited Burlington, 
Vt., Lake George and Saratoga On the 30th 
a mob in Los Cygnes, Kan., hung the murderer, 
Keller .The American Science Association 
has been in session in Portland, Mo. Now York 
Republicans will hold a convention at Gtloa on 
the 24th prox The Ohinose shoemakers at N. 
Adams, Mass., refuse to strike—The Republi¬ 
cans of Texas have renominated Gov. Davie.... 
The Cincinnati Exposition has had to enlarge 
its Art Hall ,.Gen. But ler is making a. great 
tight for the. Governorship of Massachusetts. 
The great storm which commenced on the 12th 
continued until the 33d in the vicinity of New 
Y r ork ami over a large extent of territory. An 
immense amount oj water fell In tho Atlantic 
States, and much darn age was done. The Gov¬ 
ernment is preparing for the transit of Venus - 
The Prohibitionists of Ohio will make an active 
canvass. . There has been a large Colored State 
Convention in Ohio... .Tne Muilocs will not be 
pardoned by the President... The California 
Democrats have divided into two factions. 
Obituary. 
Hon. W.m. M. Meredith died in Philadel¬ 
phian the 17th, aged 77.Rev. Dr. Gardiner 
Spring in New York on the 18th, aged 89. He 
was pastor of the Brick Church for 63 years. He 
was born in Newburyport, Feb. 24tb, 1785. Ho 
was one of tho founders of tho A, U. C. F. M. 
and of the A ndover Theological Seminary. 
Mrs. Peter G. Sluyvesaut in New York on the 
16th. She was a granddaughter of Lewis Mor¬ 
ris, a signor of tho Declaration of Independence 
_Gen. A. B. Warlord, at onetime President 
of the Northern Pacific Railroad, died at Harris¬ 
burg, Pa., on tho 161 h . The Hon. Garnett An¬ 
drews died on the llth inst. at Washington, 
Wilkes Co., Ga Duke Charles Frederick Au¬ 
gust William of Brunswick is dead of apoplexy, 
at the age of 69 years. The will of the late Duke 
leaves tho whole of his landed and personal es¬ 
tate to the City of Geneva.Dr. G.P. Judd 
died in Honolulu on the 13th of July. He was 
a Cabinet Minister,. . Prof. Win. Russell, a cel¬ 
ebrated elocutionist, died in Lancaster, Mass., 
on the 16th. He was a Scotchman, 75 years old. 
FOREIGN NEWS. 
Miscellaneous Foreign News. 
M. Thiers has visited Belfast and been re¬ 
ceived witn greul demonstrations of welcome 
.. .The United States gets £6 medals and 2 dip¬ 
lomas of honor in the Machinery Department 
at Vienna. The CarUsts are said not to exceed 
26,000 in Spain. Jn Cartagena 1,800 convicts have 
been released bv the rebels Next December 
the Russian imperial family will assemble to 
welcome the Duke of Edinburgh — The Empe¬ 
ror of Germany has received a delegation of 
New York Methodists.. ..There are large coal 
strikes in Leicestershire. The Mexican Con¬ 
gress is opposed to granting concessions to 
Americans Incendiaries have been condemned 
to death for Bring Sevilla D is denied that, 
the Carlisls have capiuroilTiergu. ..France 16 
making preparations Jo recognize the Oarlists . 
The Bank of England forgers are now on trial.. 
The King of the Sandwich Island* favors the 
cession of Tearl Harbor to the 1. luted States.. 
20 Republican newspapers has u been suppressed 
in France Vienna gives America the highest 
medal for leat her, as well as 4 others and e dip¬ 
lomas .. There were hut 3,000people present at 
the Vienna distribution of prizes. ..The Carlisle 
have entered Este’.la'. The Republicans have 
been defeated near Berga with a loss of 200.... 
A general revolt of Malays is feared, and the 
tiuTtan of Atcbeen ask- for closer relations 
with the United States — A revolution is feared 
in Panama. President Nlrra is unpopular — 
There has been a fearful land-slide in Peru, 
which dammed up a river; a flood is feared.... 
The city of Valparaiso has had a$600.000 fire — 
The Holyhead breakw ater In England has been 
finished .The iron-mast er of MHiiehester.huve 
determined to lock out one-tenth of t.ncir men. 
All t he iron workers may strike. The engineers, 
with a capital of $ 500 , 000 . will tielp the strikers 
_Castclar will visit the European capit al*, to 
urge a recognition of the Republic....Commun¬ 
ist exiles have attempted to lynch M. Roche¬ 
fort .. .There have been great floods in India, 
with a loss of 3,500 house* The Japanese town 
of Limmoski is to be opened to the commerce 
of all nations.The Mexican Congress /meet* 
on the 16th of September.The Bourbons of 
France cannot agree upon a flag The Carltsts 
have 35 strong battalions. Insnrgent prisoner.* 
will be sent- to Cuba. Individual rights arc to 
be suspended in 8pain. The Republicans* have 
gained a great victory at IJerga. ...Franco will 
collect differential duties on grain until the 1st 
of October . The leading counsel for the de¬ 
fence In the Tichborne trial concluded ids 
speech on t he 21*t; he began on the 22d of July 
.Japan will permit the export of rice Italy 
has destroyed a noted band of robbers at Sal< r- 
iuo —A cable is being laid from Lisbon to Rio 
do Janeiro American* have commenced a 
system of forest tree planting in Palestine 
A steamship has been wrecked in the Red Sea 
and many lost; the survivors arc held prison¬ 
ers by a Mohammedan tribe....An attempt has 
been made on flu* life of Don Alphonse. Gen. 
Brcgna has entered Bilboa with a Republican 
army of l2,ooo.Prince Napoleon has been 
made President of tho Council-General of Cor¬ 
sica_A life of Washington in 44 volumes is to 
be published in Japan. 
“WHO PAYS,” INDEED 1 
To the Editor of the Rural New- Yorker. 
Mr. Kmzitr Wrioht, a Consulting Actuary of 
Boston, under the caption, “ Who Pay*'!” enters 
the lists in the controversy Mr. Sheppard Ho¬ 
mans is endeavoring to keep alive against The 
Mutual Life Insurance Company, and reit er¬ 
ates the charge that Mr. Homans became dis- 
' connected from t he Company by reason of bis 
refusal to audit certain accounts he could not 
approve, it is now time that this question 
should be settled upon its merits, and the fol¬ 
lowing facts, of long record, trill afford the pub¬ 
lic the means of doing it: 
1. The account which Mr. Homans refused to 
audit, was presented to the Board November 
17th, 186!’. 
Mr. Homans continued Actuary of the Com¬ 
pany until the 18th day of January, 1871, four¬ 
teen months after the refusal for which, he al¬ 
leges, ho was removed.* 
On the latter date, having resigned his posi¬ 
tion as Actuary, he was appointed Consulting 
Actuary at half his previous salary, and contin¬ 
ued to hold that position until his resignation 
thereof under the following circumstances: 
On the 16t,h day of October, 1872. tho Board 
unanimously abolished tho office of Consulting 
Actuary, to take effect on the Slat day of De¬ 
cember, atul Mr. Homans was immediately in¬ 
formed thereof. On the 4th of December, 1872, 
the Intervening time having been largely spent 
by him in fruitless endeavors by letter and per¬ 
sonal Interviews with members of the Board to 
Obtain a reconsideration of its action, Mr. Ho¬ 
mans, coincidently with the first meeting of 
the representatives of Companies, held at his 
private office, to oppose the reduction of rates 
then in contemplation by the Trustees, sent in 
ids resignation. He omitted to draw bis salary 
for the first, four days of December, until last, 
March, when, on his written application, the 
omission was rectified by this Company. 
It will thus be seen that Mr. Homans was con¬ 
tinued as Actuary or Consulting Actuary for 
three years after the occurrence which lie al¬ 
leges was the cause ol his removal, and that his 
censure of the President and Trustees was only 
made public after his pay was stopped, and 
after he had openly enlisted in the service of 
companies united in active opposition to Thu 
Mutual Like. 
So much for his assertion that he was re¬ 
moved for refusing to audit a false account. It 
was.apure after-thought, and is without a sha¬ 
dow of truth. 
The Unaudited Account. 
2. Early in the year 1869, a discussion was had 
among the officers respecting what was known 
as post-mortem dividends. The executive offi¬ 
cers contended that Mr. Homan's method of 
calculating these credits was wrong in princi¬ 
ple, and contrary to the charter of the Compa¬ 
ny ; and by their direction the payment, of Hie 
credits so calculated was suspended, pending 
examination of the question, and by necessary 
consequence the Company’s accounts contained 
only such payments for post-mortem dividends 
as were not suspended under the ruling 
adopted. 
This was the objection and the only objection 
made by Mr. - Homans to the correctness of the 
Company’s accounts, and it was the Statement 
for the Quarter ending November, 1869, which 
he declined to audit, and for that reason only. 
The question at issue relative to such account 
was purely a technical one. It involved no ben¬ 
efit or hope of benefit to any officer of the Com¬ 
pany, and to charge that such account was a 
fraud upon policy-holder* is wild and wicked. 
Moreover, Mr. Homans did not hesitate to 
append the customary audit to five subsequent 
accounts which contained the identioal items 
objected to, entered in precisely the same man¬ 
ner; and the Annual Statement of the Compa¬ 
ny, which includes the quarterly statement 
which was unaudited, bears the following cer¬ 
tificate i 
“ December 31st, 1869. 
“I have carefully examined the foregoing 
statement, and find the same correct. 
“ Hhepparp Homans, Actuary” 
It may be added that the principle contended 
for by the Executive officers was sustained by 
the Counsel of the Company, by actuarial ex¬ 
perts. and by the Board of Trustees. 
Real Cause of Mr. Homan's Removal. 
3. In December, 1870, more than u year after 
t he incident relative to auditing the account, 
an advertisement, was widely published in the 
newspapers by the St,. Louis Mutual Life In¬ 
surance Company, containing a letter of in¬ 
dorsement from Mr. Homans, in which the fol¬ 
lowing passage occurs: 
“ From the high rate of Interest to be derived 
from flrst-olaca investments in the West, the 
advantages offered by their local companies, if 
well managed, are very great, so much so that I 
have myself taken a policy of ten 'thousand 
dollars in the St. Louis Mutual. 
“Sheppard Homans, Actuary.” 
At that t ime, after fifteen years of service, 
the only policy hold by Mr. Homans on his life 
in the Mutual Life was a. survivorship annuity 
of five hundred dollars. 
On the 21st of December, 1870, the President, 
after considering the effect such an endorse¬ 
ment might, have upon the insurance business 
of this Company generally, called the attention 
of the Committee on Finance to t he letter re¬ 
ferred to, and the same was, after discussion, 
referred to the Board for action. 
At, tho regular meeting of the Board, on the 
same day, si committee, consisting of Messrs. 
Oliver II. Palmer, Richard Patrick, Samuel D. 
Babcock, Alexander H. Rice, and John Wads¬ 
worth, was appointed t.o communicate with 
Mr. Homans, examine Into the facts, and report 
thoreon to the Board. 
At a meeting of the Finance Committee, held 
on the 28t h of December, 1870, another adver¬ 
tisement was presented, containing a similar 
letter in favor of the Life Associat ion of Amer¬ 
ica, and in commendation of a certain plan of 
that, company which Mr. Homans, the Actuary 
of tills Company, pronounced “ a reform greatly 
needed in the practice ol Life Insurance.” A 
letter was also presented from an influential 
policy-holder In the Company, addressed to the 
Board, and strenuously protesting against this 
action of Mr. Homan as tending to build up 
other companies at. the expense of the one he 
was paid to serve, and demanding the applica¬ 
tion of a romody for what was characterized as 
a great injury to the policy-holders. The sec¬ 
ond advertisement and the above letter were 
referred to the Committee appointed by the 
Board. 
Letters were also receiyed from nearly all the 
General Agents of the Company, strongly con¬ 
demning the course of the Actuary, and com¬ 
plaining of it as an injury to the Company and 
to their business. 
The Committee proceeded to Investigate the 
subjects committed to it. It appeared that in 
August, 1864, Mr. Homans had addressed a 
formal application to the Board requesting per¬ 
mission to employ his leisure as mathematical 
counsel for other Life Insurance Companies. 
On the 17th of August in that year the Board 
considered l»is request and denied the permis¬ 
sion sought . It also appeared that under date 
of May 2d, 1865, apparently forgetting hi* pre¬ 
vious allusion to “ leisure,” he had, when urg¬ 
ing an Increase of hi* salary, written that his 
“ duties involved an amount of labor, research, 
experience and responsibility not exceeded by 
those of the second officer of any Company, Ma¬ 
rine, Fire or Life, in the Country-" But not¬ 
withstanding the refusal by the Board to per¬ 
mit him to employ Ids " leisure” in the service 
of other companies, and his subsequent descrip¬ 
tion of the nature of bis duties as so engrossing 
as to leave him no leisure, if they were properly 
performed, it was ascert .-lined, and when press¬ 
ed by the Committee, admitted by Mr. Homans, 
that while in the pay and presumably in the ex¬ 
clusive service of this Compauy, he had acted 
as Consulting Actuary Tor pay for the following 
companies: 
Universal Life Insurance Company. 
Washington Life Insurance Company. 
Widows' and Orphans' Benefit Life Insurance 
Company. 
National Life Insurance Company of the Unit¬ 
ed States. 
Standard Life Insurance Company. 
Equitable Life Assurance Society of the Unit¬ 
ed States. 
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Com¬ 
pany. 
New York Life Insurance Company. 
Home Life Insurance Company of Brooklyn, 
and for some of these companies he was em¬ 
ployed on a regular annual salary. 
For but one of these companies had the Board 
ever granted Mr. Hnmar.3 permission to act. 
If these facts do not prove duplicity, insubor¬ 
dination and unfaithfulness, I do not under¬ 
stand the meaning of the words. Mr. Homan's 
assertion that he was “ unfaithful to the Com¬ 
pany never,” are on a par, for veracity, with the 
calumnies which make up the greater part of 
Ills card. 
The President of the Company also addressed 
a letter to the Committee, charging, in sub¬ 
stance, that the service of other companies 
above alluded to was secret, in known and wil¬ 
ful defiance of the express action of the Board 
which had year.-, before refused Mr. Homans 
permission so to act when solicited by him, and 
injurious to the interests of the Company; that 
Mr. Homans was idle and inattentive to his du¬ 
ties, devoted to pleasure .and selfish pursuits 
and speculations; that his sympathies were ac¬ 
tively with those who had already begun t.o 
harass and annoy the Company; that he was 
deficient in skill, learning and tact, disingenu¬ 
ous and unreliable. Mr. Winston gave many 
specifications and concluded his letter as fol¬ 
lows : 
“It may be asked, If all these grievances have 
existed so long, why are we now for the first 
time apprised of them? Unhappily, my want 
of confidence in the Actuary for some time 
past, has been no secret. Efforts to harmonize 
increasing difficulties have been repeatedly 
made. Reluctance to injure tbe pecuniary and 
professional prospects of an associate, uniess 
under the overpowering pressure of a sense of 
duty, lists been constantly operative to prevent 
exposure. Self-respect, had 1 no other reason, 
has led me to refrain from privately visiting our 
Trustees, to instill my own views into their 
minds, and to undermine thoir confidence. In 
one with whom 1 was officially connected. 
“ No personal considerations, or anything less 
potential than peril to the interests and pros¬ 
perity of this Company, would have led me to 
take the unwelcome measure of writing thus of 
a fellow officer. These and kindred reasons 
have led me to refrain from official action till 
moved thereto by my positive convictions of 
duty. 
“ In conclusion, I have to say that, it is my 
deliberate judgment that Mr. Homan’s inter¬ 
ests anil feelings are alienated from tho Com¬ 
pany and the present, management to such an 
extent as to mak« It impossible that he should 
again work in harmony with either. 
“ Very respectfully your obedient servant, 
“ F. ti. Winston. President.” 
The Oaminiti.ee had this matter in charge for 
about thirty days. They met on Saturday, Jan¬ 
uary 14th, 1871, adjourned to Tuesday, January 
17th, and on Wednesday, January 18th, when the 
Board inot, Mr. Homans, by advice of the Com¬ 
mittee, sent in his resignation. 
Willing to extend every consideration to Mr. 
Homans which could with propriety he shown 
in view of his long connection with the Com¬ 
pany, a temporary arrangement was made t,o 
the end that he might be enabled to build up a 
now business for himself, and hla professional 
reputation might not be irretrievably damaged. 
He was appointed Consulting Actuary during 
the pleasure of the Board at half his previous 
salary. No service having boon required of him 
in that capacity, and there being no prospect of 
his service* being ever again required, he was 
dropped as above stated. 
Mr. Homans now depends for professional 
employment on the good will of companies, 
some of which are active competitors of The 
Mutual Like, and one at least actively hostile. 
He has made common cause with t he enemie 
of the Institution which took him, a mere lad, 
into its service, elevated him by successive de¬ 
grees to a position of high trust, remuneration 
and honor, but which, although forced to re¬ 
move him by reason of hi.-, own misconduct, 
still treated him with adegreeof consideration 
and liberality his subsequent acta prove to have 
been ill-bestowed. Mr. Eli/ur Wright, rushes 
rashly to his defense, and by the reiteration of 
a charge as false as it is base, compels the reve¬ 
lation of a history which otherwise might have 
remained hidden under tho cover of a general 
denial. 
Mr. Wright asks “Who Pays" for the publica¬ 
tion of facts necessary to disabuse the public 
mind of Mr. Homans’ groundless slanders? His 
“card," and Mr. Wright’s letter, are “going 
through the leading newspapers from one end 
of the country to the other,” The question 
arises, *’ Who Pays" for these ? Does any Intel¬ 
ligent person suppose that Mr. Homans and 
Mr. Wright pay this expense from their own 
pockets? I repeat Mr. Wright’s caption— Who 
Pays? Respectfully, 
John M. Stuart, 
Secretary. 
New York, August 21st, 1873. 
-♦♦♦ 
A GRAND MEDAL FOR CLEVELAND. 
The Wilsou Sewing Machine Take* the 
Grand Prize at Vienna. 
Three separate dispatches from Vienna com¬ 
bine to dispel all doubt as to what sewing ma¬ 
chine has won the first honors of the great 
Exposition. The first was a special to the New 
York press on Monday, and was as follows: 
Vienna, August 15, 1873. 
The Wilson shuttle sewing machine was 
awarded the grand prize at t,he Vienna Exposi¬ 
tion for being the best sewing machine. 
The second was the regular Associated Press 
report, compiled from a long special to the New 
York Herald, in which the “Wilson Sewing- 
Machine of Cleveland, Ohio,” was named as 
among the exhibitors which received “ medals 
for merit,” the highest class of premiums 
awarded at the Exposition. All other sewing- 
machines will receive singly an award for pro- 
Qreas. 
The third was a private cable telegram re- 
