Bisbee daily review., 1918-05-16
BORCLUN MAKES \ DENIAL OF CHARGE
CRv Review Leased Wlrel


 WASHINGTON, May 15.-Gutzon Borglum sent to Senator Brandegee of Connecticut tonight part of the evidence he desires raced in the senate record in answer to the charge that he sought to form a private air plane corporation to take government contracts while he was Investigating aircraft production at the invitation of President Wilson. It was in the form of a long letter reiterating and simplifying his denial of the charge accompanied by affidavits from Hugo c. Gibson, an employe of the British war mission at New York, and Ben jamin Harris.
 Gibson. named as associated with the sculptor in the proposed private corporation, swore in his affidavit that in December Bcrglum had intended to engage with him in a commercial enterprise, but that after receiving authority from the president tc make an investigation Borglum withdrew and they had no further negotiations. Harris, said to have been selected to represent Borglum in the proposed corporation, denied that Borelum ever had asked him to become interested in an aeronautic company, either on his own behalf or as a representative. In his letter the sculptor declared every effort was being made to pre- vent him from getting affidavits; that several of his witnesses had been "summarily shipped away from Wash ington" and others were pleading with him not to investigate and in- volve them for business reasons.
 Discussing the telegrams put into the senate record with the statement Of Kenyon W. Mix, of the Dodge Man ufacturing company, accusing him of negotiating with Mix for the organiza- tiOn of the airplane company, Borg lum said the first message was sent five or six days before he had any intimation that the president desired his services. The others. he asserted, had no connection with the first and were written for the purpose of learn ing more from Mix about his troubles with the aircraft board.
 He said when he came to Washing ton Mix began his tale of woe" and nothing else was talked about.
 Mix had stated" said the sculptor that he had been bitterly disappoint- ed at the inactivity of the aircraft board and placed before me a lengthy typed statement criticising the depart ment in the extreme. His document was, in fact, the first sweeping writ ten statement that was placed before me when l took up the investigation in Washington"
 At this interview, Borglum said, | Mix gave a record of his experience with the aircraft board, and asserted !, that he had in the past pulled off , two crooked deals" for Colonel Deeds of the signal corps. The letter con tinued:
 Mix, being interested in laminated wood for airplanes and in Washington for the purpose of seeking a contract. had an appointment on the following morning with Colonel Deeds. That afternoon he returned in a very diff ferent mood, nervous, excited and yet apparently pleased. lie said he wished the return of his. statement on the gound that there were some dates in it that he wanted to correct, that he would return it to Suplee and that Suplee would return it to me. He did net return it. Meantime Mix told me that now the government had given i him enough to occupy his entire ca pacity With this I was very much delighted and so stated that 1 en- dorsed laminated wood construction | for its durability, simplicity and speed ] in construction.
 q shall give no more time now to ! this red herring they have dragged