Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-04-19
The Battle of the Logs.
BOOM BOOM

The following piece of evidence by
Representative Petroff, of the Legisla-
ture of this State, relative to the pas
sage of the Boom bill in the Lower
House explains itself:
On Friday, March, 81, between the
hours of eight and niue in the morning,
met Skinner, the Journal Clerk of the
House. We walked together towards
the keystone House. Skinner first
opened the subject to me by saying that
the boom bill would likely be reached
on Tuesday, and that he would like to
see the Philsdelphians Z" fixed ;" that
the lunbermen would deal with them if
they could. / told him l thought they
could be dealt with. By that time we
had reached the Keystone, and he said
he would see me again, and left me.
That morning, while in the House,
Skinner came to me and asked me
whether l could get ten men out of the
Philadelphia delegation from both sides
of the House for FIVE hundred dollars
each l said certainly. He said that
Embick had told Beck it would be ne
cessary to get ten men out Of the Phil
adelphia delegation to carry the bill,
and be would let me know further about
it on Monday night. That afternoon,
as was going to the depot, In COM
pany with 0'Neill and Patterson, /
stopped at the Lochiel Hotel and while
there met Skinner. He called ne aside
and said that Embick had gone to VIII
Transport TO make arrangements with
the lnmbermen and would let me know
what they would do on Monday night.
So Skinner left me. After he had gone
it occurred to ne that | had paired of
with Mr.. Nissley on this bill aud l had
important business in Philadelphia that
would likely detain me over Tuesday,
so | wrote a note and left it with the
clerk of the hotel for Skinner, in which
stated that in case he heard from the
lumbernen before Monday to telegraph
the same to me, so L would see the
Philadelphia members while in the city.
did no, hear from him.
On Monday | came up, as the busi-
ness l expected did not occur, and
while in the House Skinner came to me
and said that the lumbermen had agreed
to give FIVE thousand dollars for ten
men out o: the Philadelphia delegation,
and that they we're willing to put the
money up in my hands or in any body's
hand whom we might suggest satisfac-
tory to them. | SAID, 81 AMI satisfied
| will see the rest of them and let you
know Tomorrow" On Tuesday morn
ing told Skinner they were satisfied
for him to hold the money. He said,
I" Give me the ten names, with four
others you can get in case they are
needed" | said, 50 How about the
money % He said, "If you meet me
in the clerks room at 2 ID o'clock this
afternoon we will settle that" | said,
"All right" So | met Skinner at the
time named. We went into the Office
together and had not been there three
minutes before Mr.. Embick appeared.
He seemed to have key of the door,
as it was locked and he came in without
it being opened for him, and he said
that he wanted the ten names. Skin
ner said to me that he wanted the ten
names to see if there was any among
them that they had already got. gave
Skinner ten names, which he wrote
down upon paper and then handed
them TO Embick He took them and
examined them. Then he took a GER
ti6cate of deposit out of his pocket,
indorsed it upon the back with his name
aud payable to the order of Skinner,
and handed it to Skinner, who started
to say something to him, when Embick
interrupted him by saying that he did
not want anything further to say; that
we could settle it between US, and then
walked out of the room. Skinner hand
ed the certificate to me, saying, ''Look
az it Yourself" | took it, saw Dough-
erty Bros signature on the face of it
and Embick's on the back, payable to
the order of Skinner, and it was for
seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars.
That was the first intimation | bad
that they wanted fourteen men. SKIN
ner said, " You will have to get four
more men that will make FIVE hundred
each and FIVE hundred for INC. To sat-
isfy you that this is all right, l want
you to get two or three of them to 60
with us to Dougherty Bros, and l will
satisfy you that it is all right. l will
meet you on the corner of Third and
Market Streets" ] said, "All right"
l started out to get somebody, as no
one knew what | had done in this mat
ter but Harry O'Neill. went towards
the Keystone when l reached Third
street saw O'Neill, and told him what
had transpired between Skinner, EN-
bick and l, and asked him to come
along. He refused. l told him it was
necessary for some one else to take part
in this matter in order to give it bona
fide appearance. He then consented to
20 as far as Third and Market streets.
On our way down Third street we met
Skinner. He said to us: You walk
down, and l will follow" When We
reached Market street O'Neill left me
and walked over towards the Lochiel.