New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-11
| FOlNDEXTER DUNN SAID IT.
TWO AFFIDAvTTS FROM MEN WHO HEARD
Ills BRUTAL REMARK
HE SENT 40 DENIAL TO THE TRIBUNE-GRAND
ARMY VETERANS INDIGNANT AT HIS
REFERENCE TO PENSIONERS.

| lie Iflbun'. "A alf-hearted denial of rhe remark
which he made on Friday afternoon in the pres
encc of Daniel MagOne and Wallace MacFarlanc, of
| the Custom IIou,c Investigating Commission;
Charles s. lanlln and three newspaper men re-
garding tie p h,ioncrs. His brutal remark was
made after he had listened to the reading of the
| tclcgrams from Washington telling Of the Ford's
| Theatre disaster. The words that he used were
" It's too bad. | wouldn't care so much il they
had been pensioners instead of the poor clerks
| the denial which Mr.. Dunn sent to the news
rapcrs in This city. but which he did not send to
| this paper was as follows:
IL have read the article in The Tribune this
| morning. ascrbng to me the statement that L
would not have cared il it had bccn pensioners in
| stead Of the poor clerks who were killed by the
| falling building in Washington To those who
know me no denial is necessary For the benefit
of those who do not know me deny emphaticllly
ever having made the remark or having ever en-
| tcrtained such sentiment. The whole story is
| connected by gross pcrver>ion of an anecdote
told 10y mo Illustrative of the enormous growth
OF the pension business. rendering il n"c,'s>ary TO
hire old condemned buildings TO accommodate the
| clerks -
Mr. Dunns denial it is known, was prepared
after h. knew Nat Tho r Tibun, intended to publish
the statement that he made and to tell the cir
|
truc and thc alldavits given herewith of two of
the newspaper men who present wien he
made his remark printed t. show the public
that what The Tribune published in regard 10
the matter was absolutely correct
AFFIDAVIT Of J. II. SINCLAIR
The affidavit Of j Herbert Sinclair, Of "The
Morning journal, i, as follows:
state u N,v.york tlty and County u NewYorkss.:
j. Herbert sinclair. being duly sworn, deposcs and
that he prc-ont at III" Barge onicc in New.
York tity ninth day u June 1898 in the room
in building which the Fairchid Commission has
been taking testimony. about the hour Of two in
the afternoon Of that day; that Mr.. PoindcNtr Dunn
standing In hc aid a that tm' with his back
10 the window overlooking the park; that Commissioner
Daniel Macone standing T. his loft that Comnis
soncr Wallace MacFarlano SIR. Magone', left and
Just finished reading the account in an evening news
pal~r of the accident In fords old theatre
in Washington d c.; that the said Mactarlane.
after finishing aid article tossed the newsl apr To
Assistant Secretary tho Treasury Charc, :. Ham
lin saving This will nt"rs, you" and that
whilr Mr. Iamn reading tho story in detail
sad roindcAtcr Dunn turncd Charles H. win'ow and
asked the location Of Fords Theatre that aid
wln.ow described II that then sad Dunn made the
remark. Its bad wouldn't have cared 40 much II
they had been pensioners instead OF th" clerks
sad win>low then replied o aid Dunn, That !,
very hard thing 10 ,ay" said Dunn then turned
slightly toward window. winkd at said Winow and
said well haven't said IT,; that th, deponcnt was
only = cw feet distant from said Dunn when he made
these rcmarks and heard distinctly and his
actions that thi> dopoacut the Financial Editor Of
Tho Morning Journal" and that he present the
above this capacity and as newspaper man
IL SINCLAIR.
sworn to before this 10Th day of June 1898
WILLIAM \. McQUAID,
Notary Public $50 So. city and County Of New-York
G. II. wINsLows AFFIDAVIT.
TIN. affidavit Of Charles II. Wnslow, of The
Tribune, is her" given:
STAT Il Now.York. Cty and County Of 'Ncw.York So
Charles H. Wnslow beng duly sworn dcpo>c, and
.a,. ,ha, hc b., a reporter on The Nc~-iork Tribune.
aud that duties Of late have been 70 attend on the
meetings f socalicd Farchd Customfousc Invest
eating oommission of which Mr fond"Ner Dunn i
n.oher and to do that work H. tho once
on the afternoon June .. 1893 and found the Commits
lion IN occt TIA, deponcnt sent hi card to the
Hon Daniel Mogon.. the acting chairman Of the Com.
MI sion aud In nnly war cskd I" wait until the Com
mi sion a mat at the rce"-, depnn'nt with
J. Herbert Sinclair. " The Morning Journal and
David e, Ball!e. Of The Ncw.York World" went into
the meeting room. that dcponent sIw the comni-
,oncr, standing the window opening IN Blttrry
rsA and Commissioner McFarIanc was iding from an
evening psIcr accounts Of hc di~ ter al Ford hfr IN
wa ~hlnston h. ssionc Mlcfaflanc, afic hn>h
iup the reading TUNED to Charles : IIamln. the As
.i.,ont Secretary the Tra and said; This Will
Interest YOU" that said Dunn tnrled to deponent ahd
a.Hd Of the theate ard for what 1t was used
dponont tod him. and therenpon said Dunn remarked
It', too bad. | wouldn't have cared much II they
Ia! pensioners instead Of the poor clerks; that
dcponcnt replied "Congrcsman that Is very hard thing
to -ay' said Dunn then TUNED partly around looked
q, Opponent winked and said We'll haven't said IT,
that dcponcnt worry close 10 sad Dunn and heard dis
tlnctly Everything that he said. and saw plainly his
actions, CHARLES H. WINsLOW.
sworn to before this 10th day OF June 1898.
WILLIAM A. McoUAID. Notary Public,
no. s6) City and County OF y. Y.
THE THREE REPORTERS NOTES AGREED
tb. ,rl, had bcer
made by Mr. Dunn the three newspaper men pres
cnt compared their notes as to what had been said
by him, and they found that they agreed perfectly.
David G.. Iailc, the reporter of " The New-lork
World, who was present declared then and there
that he would confirm AT any time the statement
of the affair as The Tribune published it. The
reporter of The Tribune took special care TO
that he was entirely correct in his notes of what
Mr. Dunn had said, because from the remark
that the on Congressman made, when the reporter
told him that what he had said was very
hard thing To say" tho reporter believed that
Mr. Dunn had prepared himself to make denial
Mr.. Dunn's reply to the reporters suggestion
that he had said hard thing was:
well, | haven't said it,.
The issuance by Mr.. Dunn of the typewriter
denial TO all of the newspapers in this city except
The Tribune shows that the precautions which
were taken 70 verify the correctness of the brutal
and uncallcd for words were timely.
WIDESPREAD INTEREST IN THE AFFAIR.
Mr. Dunn's words regarding the pensioners
attracted great attention. Ii was almost the
sole topic Of conversation in Grand Army circles
and many Of the friends Of President Cleveland
regretted that a man who would express his
sentiments so outrageously had been recognized
by the appointment to the position that he now
holds-a memlcr Of the Custom House Invest
eating Commission. The public has been cdu-
Gated however. TO expect uttcrances of this
turc from Commissioner Dunn. 1t has learned
Of the Indecent and insulting manner with which
he treated a voluntary witness th" Appraiser Of
the Port Of Ncw-york. when he appeared before
the commission and cndcavor'sl 10 make its mem
bcrs understand the details of the work at the