Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-13
WIN. JENNINGS
IS INDICATED
lContinued from First Page.l
graph to-day the following letter
vindicating Mr.. jennings.

New Bloomfield. Pa. September IL.
1918.
To the Editor of the Telegraph:
Sir:
The matter of the shipment of
carload of coal to Mr.. William
Jennings at Duncannon has re-
ceived much undesirable pub
licity. l have made a thorough
investigation of the transaction
and brought the witnesses, face
to face. The facts are as follows:
Early in the spring of 1915 Mr.:
Jennings ordered a carload of
buckwheat coal from a wholesale
firm. The quantity ordered was
within his reasonable require
quirements and carried no ssug-
of the order this grade of coal
was subject to no Federal Fuel
Administration ruling as TO price.
but Mr.. Jennings was advised by
the coal company's representative
that the company would prefer to
local dealer. The representative
himself secured Duncannon
dealers consent to receive the
shipment and deliver it to Mr..
Jennings. All this was prior to
the Fuel Administration order OF
May % requiring that all ship
ments of coal be made through a
dealer. The coal company shipped
the coal in June. after the order.
Whether the shipment was actu-
ally made through the local dealer
or direct to Mr.. Jennings is in dis
pute. The Goal companys repre-
sentative claims that the coal was
shipped in care of the dealer; the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company's
record shows the shipment direct
to the consumer.
Mr.. jennings received the coal
without knowledge of the re-
quirements of the order OF May
29. and without knowledge that
the coal had not been shipped
through the local coal man, as he
had been assured it would be. He
is entirely without blame in the
transaction. Whatever fault
there may be lies with the coal
company. il in fact it shipped the
coal directly to a private con-
sumner in violation of the order OF
May 20.
The published statement that
l officially approved the order be-
fore the shipment was made Is
until long after the coal had been
delivered. This statement, made
by the coal company's representa-
tive, says that l was assured by
him that the order would be
shipped in the regulation manner.
IN care OF lOCaI coal uSdlSi: Il
it was so shipped, as Mr.. Jennings
was told it would be and as the
coal company's representative
claims it was, no regulation was
violated.
l am sending an identical letter
to the Harrisburg Patriot, and
hope that this explanation may be
given the same degree of publicity
that was accorded the original
tangle. -.
D. H. NECK.
Fuel Administrator for Perry
To MFR. Jennings
Mr.. Meek at the same time sen
D Mr.. Jennings the following state
lent completely vindicating him o
he charges spread broadcast by tn
'atriot:
l beg to advise you that
have made a complete investiga-
tion OF the shipment to you by
the NJ A. Hanna Coal Company
of a carload of buckwheat coal,
delivered at Duncannon in June
last, and find you are entirely
without fault in the transaction.
Herbert Plimpton, assistant in tn
ffice of State Fuel Administrato
otter. in Philadelphia, who was act
lg for Mr.. Potter during Potter
bsence, says that while his letter t
Ir. Neck of September . led th'
Jerry county administrator to believ'
here might have been a violation
n September II, he speci1call.
tated that there is no regulation OF
he sale of No. buckwheat coal
his first letter was & slip" on hi
art, he admits, and adds: M
at present cover the sal
r purchase 70 No. , buckwheat, bar
~ or culm." He erred in his lette
, Mr.. Neck and Meek erred in max
lg the letter public before the com
letion of his investigation. Neck
.tter was published at the solici
ation of the Patriot, which was no
n the trail of Mr.. Jennings and ap
arently intent upon proving him
Iacker.
AS verifying the stand taken b!
'uel Administrator Hickok that Il
a patriotic service to use No.
uckwheat coal" H. F. Quickel, o
mis- city, representing the Spence
feater Company, the apparatus o
Yhich burns this kind of fuel, ha
eceived a letter from headquarter
aying: The Fuel Administrator
I Washington are very anxious t
ave as nlLch buckwheat coal a
ossible used for domestic purposes
D prevent shortage of domesti,
Izes," and urging all Spencer user
, lay i'll laIse supplies early, it hav
lg a license to ship buckwheat t.
ny vicinity for owners of this styl'
{ furnace. This letter is accom-
anied hy another from A. S. Lear
yd, director of anthracite distribu
on. at Washington. saying: No
Buckwheat is not charged agains
ne allotment of any state"
Today the Patriot, faced will
acts it could not dodge, crawled ou
/ its untenable position with wha
race it could and was forced t
Omit Mr.. Jennings entirely blame.
.ss in the purchase of his winter
Oai supply.
fANY PRISONERS