South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-01-29
First Witness Called as Leak
Probe is Resumed Denies
He Had Advance In
formation.
SECRETARY'S NAME NOT
MENTIONED AT MEETING
Firm Has Never Received Any
FaVorS - Held Back on
Various Little Things
He Says.

international News Service:
NEW YORK. Jan. 29-Pliny Fisk
the New York banker. whose name
has been connected with that Of
Sec'y OF the Treasury McAdoo in the
so-calIed peace note leak empha-
tically denied today that he was in
way connected with the presidents
son-in-law. or that he had advance
information of the peace note.
Sherman J.. Whipple read TO the
banker portions of the testimony of
Thomas W. Lawson at Washington,
dealing with "A meeting between Fisk
and Archibald White. another bank
err The gist Of the meeting was.
according to the testimony, that Fisk
Insisted on calling Mr.. McAdoo out
OF bed to show how close he was TO
him.
Now" said Whipple. Mr.. Fisk.
did you ever have such a meeting
as described here?"
Is No Basis For IL.
Mr.. Whipple," replied Fisk lean
ing forward in his chair and looking
al the attorney intently. excuse me,
sir. i cannot state too positively
that such a meeting never took
place. There is no basis for it,
II never had a meeting with Mr..
White in which the name of Sec'y
NcAdoo was mentioned. want 10
state this In the most unequivOcal
lanEuage."
risk said his acquaintance with
Sec'y McAdoo dated back TO his
-f-I,
the construction OF the Hudson
tubesiI
since Mr.. McAdoo became secre-
tary OF the treasury our paths have
seldom crossed declared Fisk
Have YOU ever asked Sec'y Nc
Adoo for this or that since he be
came "A government officer?"
II have not" emphatically. ION
the contrary I have held back ON
various little things"
Have you or your firm ever re-
ceived any favors at the hands of the
secretary of the treasury"
we never have"
Loaned McAdOO S1f2. 900.
Mr. Fisk explained in detail his
mountaineering with Sec'y Nc
Adoo IL dated back ne said TO his
tNcAdoo's) work in the construc-
tion of the Hudson tubes. on
March l. 1918. when Mr.. McAdoo
went into the cabinet. Fisk said his
firm loaned MIR. McAdoo $4,000
FOR which ne put up certain col
lateral This Indebtedness was
uquidated I'm January. 1915, almost
year before Pres't Wilson dis
patched his peace note.
What correspondence have YOU
had with Mr.. McAdoo since ne be-
came secretary OF the treasury 30
asked whipple
None 70 speak Of" replied Fisk
except he added. lin a purely
business way. such as any Wall ST
frm might have with the treasury
department. and the comptroller OF
the currency"
Few Personal Exchanges
NIr. Fisk added that he might
have had few personal exchanges
with NcAdoo but nothing worth
speaking Of and none of which has
been saved.
Whipple questioned him at length
concerning the lease of Fisk:
property in New York for the New
York Office of the federal reserve
hank This. IL has been previously
alleged. was one of the "favors' Sc.
cured from Sec'y AfcAdoo by the
Fisk people.
The banker declared that II wa.
strictly business proposition. that
ne submitted an offer and IL wa.
accepted. The rental was $4,000
for the first year and $4,000 foi
the second. II was a fair price. he
thought.