New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-25

going to call up Fourteenth street and
| find ont about this"
/ In the two campaigns of 1911 and 1872
! the eight contractors who testified yes
| terday contributed total Of S5,OI0, all
| Of which was directly traceable 10 the
collection tours" of Everett T. Fowler,
the Kingston man. now under indictment
for extortion.
| Each of them had beer summoned TO
| the Syracuse meeting for which William
r. Kelley. the Democratic boss Of Onon-
daga. acted as advance agent. and their
stories OF what happened there followed
pretty much the same lines.
Taken together their tales disclosed
moving picture Of Fowlers activities that
was convincing In its details. They were
gathered in the outer room OF the head
quarters Of Kelley's organization I'm SYRIA
cuse.
Ever and anon Fowler's head would APP
pear in the door frame of the entrance
into an inner room. and the contractor
next in line would be heckoned silently
by the "baGman."
"Shearing" Pen in Syracuse.
When. the "shearing" was over the con-
tractor would be let out by another door
so the soon to- be-v victims were never
| frightened by the "shorn' appearance OF
their predecessors No one talked in that
outer room. and no one joked; everybody
felt too serious.
he cie testified
yesterday. the evidence given by Harold
V owens Of Utica. is believed TO be the
most important potcntiall.. because il
has in il the essence OF another possible
charge against Fowler. owens testified
that ne is the secretary OF the
Dale Engineering Company. corpora
ton which obtained two road contracts IN
1912. The contracts aggregated about
$4,000 Owens said that Fowler. whom
| he had met first at the Syracuse conven-
ton when Sulzer was nominated. came
to Utica TO see him later, at time when
he was out Of the city.
owens will be summoned again to tes-
tify before the grard jury. where 1t is
expected that the District Attorney viii
bring out fatty the point that was only
touched upon YESTERDAY that the Dale
Engineering Company is Il corporation.
duly registered as such in the Office Of the
Secretary Of state. and ar such an or
ganization from which it is misde-
meanor To solicit a political contribution.
Threat to Return Small Gifts.
Isidor H. Falk. OF the firm Of FAX &
Menzies. Of Buffalo, testified that his firm
had five or six road contracts, amounting
10 about $4,000 He was summoned 10
the Fowler meeting IN Kolleys office. In
Syracuse in 1911, but did not go, and later |
met Fowler at the Hampton Hotel. in
Albany.
Fowler said that he hadn't got any |
contribution from mo" said Falk. and |
that all the other contractors had come |
across and he thought ! ought TO give
81 90. He said II ] sent any less than 800
he'd send it back. and / told him ii would
he welcome II il came back. Subsequent |
~ / sent him q check-l think II was to
his order-for $50
Did YOU get IL back asked Assistant
District Attorney John Kirkland Clark. |
who was examining Falk
Il should say not" FAX snapped.
Falk swore that in January or February |
Of this year Fowler came into his ONCE
I'm Buffalo, and announcing himself IA
a deputy fire marshal served on him |
list Of improvements that would be re-
du,red on a building that the firm was
Interested in.
Il explained to him that We had just
spent about $3.50 on improvements in |
t..tt .lIy,A
him il we could take little time about |
his order He told me that ! wasn't very |
liberal I'm the way ! had treated him in |
nv contribution and he didn't see any |
reason why he should be liberal with me. !
and that if / didn't fix things up in ten |
DAYS he'd start an action and get $50 |
day penalty pastered on MS. Then | |
told him to go ahead and start his action |
right away and not even wait for the ten |
days but he didn't do it.
The next time Falk met Fowler was
lust before the Democratic National Con-
vention in Baltimore. That meeting also |
was I'm Albany. and Fowler told him he'd |
resigned from the fire marshal's Office
HE said he'd give me a tip. and that |
was that the order he had issued didn't
have TO be Obeyed. | told MN we q nXcd |
the thing up as he'd ordered. Then he
asked me for a contribution to help out
on the expenses of the boys who were /
going to Baltimore and ! told him to
forget il.
$500 Check to "Bagman."
Later that year. 1912 | met him again
i'm the office of the division engineer Of
the Highways Department in Albany and
he said he had me down for $3.50 that
wear | told him | wouldn't give him a
bean. but he said ! had lot Of con-
tracts. and subsequently | made n con-
tribution Of $500 ! sent the check to
Arthur A. Mclean, at the office of the
Democratic state Committee In New York
,,i,,, 90 Fowler had directed"