Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-28

having to do with the conferences
between Ittner and McIlhenny.
Mr.. timers affidavit follows:
Harrisburg. Pa, April 81, 1917.
Mr.. A. C. Stamm.
president Board of Education,
Harrisburg, Pa.
Dear Sir. - When / was in Ear-
risburg last week in response to your
request by wire to be advised of what
occurred in an interview 1 was said
to have had with Mr.. McIlhenny
and some statements that may be
L tell you the whole story, 1 made a
verbal statement and later, at your
request, L set out briefly as well as
could remember the circumstances
leading up to my meeting with Mr..
Mcllhenny and the result of such
meeting. Upon going over my state
ment and with time to refresh my
memory, / find some inaccuracies
and soem statements that may be
somewhat ambiguous. To correct
these and also to add something
more, / beg to submit new state
ment which / think does not differ
in any essential way from my form
er one.
TT was on my last visit to Har-
risburg, 1 believe February IS, at
any rate the day upon which the
Board failed to adopt the report of
its subcommittee, that l learned of
Mr. McIlhennys supposed influence
with certain of it's members.
learned further that Mr.. McIlhenny
was credited with being an agent or
employe of the American Book Com
pany and the American Seating Com
pany. l have known 7. NJ. Boyd,
President of the American Seating
Company, for a great number of
years. He and l and our families are
| most intimate friends of long Stand
ing. l determined on my return to
st. Louis to ascertain If what / had
heard was true, and if so to solicit
| the assistance of my friend to get
Mr.. McIlhenny, If possible, to favor
my selection. l accordingly wrote
Mr.. Boyd, giving a brief recital of
the situation at Harrisburg with re-
spect to the selection of the architect
and told him that a Mr.. McIlhenny,
presumably an agent of his company,
was supposed to be endeavoring to
influence some members of the
Board against my appointment, and
if it was true that Mr.. McIlhenny
was one of their agents to let me
know and ] would communicate
with him further regarding the mat
ter. 1t is not a fact that | wrote to
Mr.. Boyd "can you get a line on
him?" as Mr.. McIlhenny stated in a
newspaper interview. / wrote him
just what L have said.
II left st. Louis Immediately there
after for trip to Dallas and Port
Arthur, Texas. On February 23 l
received a wire at Port Arthur from
Mr.. Boyd as follows: Very important
that l talk with you at earliest possi-
bic moment. regarding matter you
wrote me about Shortly after,
about the end of February, think,
stopped off in Chicago, as 1 recall on
my way to Erie for a letting, and
met Mr.. Boyd and Mr.. Petre.
McIIhcnny Subagent
I'm this interview Mr.. Boyd stated
that Mr.. McIlhenny was not one of
their agents, but by inquiry through
the New York office he had found
that their business in Harrisburg was
transacted through Mr.. Stewart,
their Philadelphia agent, and that
Mr.. McIlhenny had assisted Mr..
Stewart in Harrisburg and was III
reality subagent, though not car
ried upon the books of the COM
pany. Neither Mr.. Boyd nor Mr..
Petre had had up to this time any
knowledge of or acquaintance with
him.
Mr.. Boyd stated further that
upon getting my letter he had asked
Mr.. Stewart and Mr.. Petre, the gen.
eral sales manager of the company,
to go to Harrisburg and try to con-
vince Mr.. McIlhenny that if he had
influence with any member or men,
bers of the Board he should use it in
my behalf. Mr.. Petre reported to
me the result of this interview in
Harrisburg with Mr.. McIlhenny. 1t
was very disappointing. | was told
by Mr.. Petre that Mr.. McIlhenny de-
manded certain things in return for
any assistance that he might render.
He (McIlhenny) was particularly
concerned in the selection of a GER
tain site q believe called the Hill
site) which he would expect me to
recommend.
Division of Commission
He was also concerned about
what would be done with respect
to local materials and the awarding
of contracts, something being sug-
gested about collecting commissions;
and ! have an impression, although
it is not clear, that at this time Mr..
Petre told me that Mr.. McIlhenny
said something about division of
my commission.
However, that may not have been
until later. But / hardly think it
was, for it was at this meeting in
Harrisburg Mr.. Petre told me, that
Mr.. McIlhenny told him that it was
customary in Harrisburg for archi-
tects to divide commissions and that
the school building architect had in
the past divided commissions with
him as well as collected commissions
from contractors for him.
I'm reading over Mr.. Petre's state
ment on the train coming out of Chi
cago day before yesterday had
not seen it before-I found he does
not mention this, but l cannot be
mistaken about his having said this
to me; and as a matter of fact Mr..
Petre confirmed this statement to mo
in Chicago the beginning of this
week.
Il was particularly impressed, /
rem member, by the interesting detail
stated by Mr.. Petre as coming from
Mr.. McIlhenny that the architect
put cash in a drawer where Mr.. Me-
Ilhenny could get 1t. OF course, [
could have no dealings with Mr.. Nc
Ihenny on any such basis, and l so
told Mr.. Petre, and left, thinking the
matter was at an end.
The Chicago Meeting
Sometime later, however, | don't
remember how long-Mr. Boyd ad-
vised me tnat he either had ar
ranged, or proposed to arrange, for
Mr.. McIlhenny to come to Chicago
to meet me- j demurred at meeting
MIR. McIlhenny under the circum-
stances, but Mr.. Boyd thought |
ought to. He thought that may be
he was not as baG ais he seemed to be |
from Mr.. Petre's report, and that
may be if he met me and talked to
H. 4