The Washington herald., 1913-12-28
Objected to Having Talk with
Him Printed, but Finally
Yielded to Appeals Made
to Him by the Author.
BY JAMES b. MORROW,

Shown into the ofice and into the
presence Of Henry NJ. FlagIer, 2S Broad
way, New York, several years ago, /
said: THE only time 1 ever inter-
viewed you was in Cleveland 1 was
sent to your house at / o'clock in the
morning on some news matter pertain
ing to the Standard Oil Company. I was
a new reporter and felt that the city
editors order to get you out of bed was
an outrage on you as well as on my
self
You came downstairs in your night
clothes" 1 went on to say. opened the
door and answered my questions in a
very benevolent manner. have thought
OF you since as one of the finest old
democrats in the United States. l might
have been a burglar, for all you knew
or an independent oil operator from
Western Pennsylvania
There was no guile in my remarks
Nor were they accurate. ! had uncon-
sciously confused Mr.. FlagIer with an
other Standard Oil millionaire named
Hardness. So introduced, / was re-
ceived with much friendliness
Mr.. Flagler talked for two hours. CIV
ing me the details of his remarkable
life and speaking with surprising and
delicious frankness about his associates
and the oil business. 1t was, perhaps, the
only personal or familiar interview he
ever gave to a newspaper writer: More
over, he knew ! meant to print what he
said. In great joy I returned to WASH
ington.
Early next day, however. Mr.. Flagler
began telegraphing. DO not publish the
interview; have written" he said in the
first message. There were things in his
talk which 1 meant to forget, but there
were three columns of safe and intense
ly interesting matter which would not
have hurt him or anyone else.
How FIaEIer Edited the story.
The letter which came was almost
pathetic. It was agreed finally that I
should write the interview out and send
it in manuscript to Florida, where Mr..
Flagler had gone for the winter, that he
might see what l proposed to print.
The interview came back with a red
line carefully ruled through every sent
ence except three. and those Mr. Flagler |
had changed somewhat. All that re- |
manned of the article was contained in |
these words: I'm 1867, Henry NJ Flagler |
went into the oil business with John d. |
Rockefeller. William Rockefeller, and |
Samuel Andrews and is now conspicuous |
in the small group of money kings whose |
possessions amaze the world and terrify |
the social reformers. But he would have
won in cotton. wheat or iron-in any
thing, at any time or anywhere. Ones
success. notably in the matter of wealth.
Mr.. Flagler is free to say. is often as
surprising to himself as it is to his
friends -
My arguments by letter were acknowl-
edged but they had no effect upon the
mind Of Mr.. Flagler. The interview,
therefore. was put away in brine against
the day when consent, possibly, might
be obtained. a year passed. Again I
sent my card to Mr.. Flagler. He greeted
me cordially. II want to ask a question"
/ said. He looked at me curiously and
told me to go ahead /,
Let US suppose" / went on realizing
beforehand that my logic would limp
that you bought an oil re-
finery. one of the largest and best IN the
and had bought II on terms
You had wanted the refinery for a long
time. And now at last you had it. Then
suppose that some man should thrust
his unwelcomed hand into the transa ction
and say: The refinery is your property,
but ] have the power to close it down
and that is what / intend to do How I
would you feel about it. MIR. Flagler?' ,
I'D go TO law" Mr.. FlagIer answered
We'll" l continued, Il can't go to law.
The interview you gave me is as big in
my eyes as a modern refinery would be
in your own eyes" r
Il see the point" he interrupted in the .
best Of humor. Print it. have moth
ng more to say
And your Photograph asked. I
If it is necessary, yes" =
The photograph was two feet long by 4
eighteen inches wide. He wrote his
name on it and tied ii up himself The 4
interview was printed just as written and :
vas the basis for most of the obituary Z
notices published at his death. Here 1,
s one of the stories l omitted from the v
Interview
John (meaning the elder RockefelIer)l O
las recently said that a good many able n
business men were doubtful of the sue h
,ess OF the Standard. That is true
While we were yet a S1.OOO.OOO corporation n
induced William II. Vanderbilt to buy Il