- 2 days ago
Wednesday, June 11th, 1913
Detective E. O. Miles Gives Out Affidavit From Young Stenographer Repudiating Transcript He Swore to
AFFIDAVIT OBTAINED IN WASHINGTON D. C.
G. C. Febuary Gives Out a Statement, Telling How Notes Were Transcribed and Affidavits Made
The accuracy of the now famous pictograph records of alleged conversations between Thomas B. Felder, Mayor Woodward, C. C. Jones, E. O. Miles, G. C. Febuary and A. S. Colyar is attacked in an affidavit which E. O. Miles has turned over to Mayor Woodward and which he says he obtained from George M. Gentry, the young stenographer who took down the dictograph conversations.
This affidavit was made in Washington D. C., where Miles, one of the dictographed parties, who is a private detective, says he found Gentry. According to this affidavit, Gentry swears that a number of changes were made in the pictograph records after they were transcribed by him. The only specific change set out in the affdavit, however, is that the names of Police Chief Beavers and Detective Chief N. A. Lanford were written into the record of Mayor Woodward's conversation by some one other than the stenographer.
In this affidavit Gentry explains his disappearance from the city by declaring that when he compared the published records with his stenographic notes he realized that he had been duped and did not care to face the humiliation which he anticipated would follow.
These dictographed records, duly sworn to by young Gentry and others, were published in The Journal, which declined to print these documents unless they were attested before a notary public. These records and affidavits are still in the possession of The Journal, and this paper has no knowledge concerning the alleged changes.
GENTRY READ PROOFS.
Young Gentry was permitted to use one of The Journal's typewriters to transcribe his pictograph notes. He and Febuary were left alone in the news department Wednesday night, May 21, to do this work. They left a copy of the records in a desk drawer for The Journal. Early on the morning of May 23 Gentry furnished The Journal with an affidavit attesting the correctness of the records. Later he came to The Journal office with his notebook and read the proofs which compared with this shorthand notes, and in one or two places he made minor changes, as he said, to better conform to the original notes.
He was advised to preserve his notes so that in the event any question was raised as to their accuracy, he would have the stenographic record from which to make answer.
The Journal does not undertake to say whether there are or are not discrepancies in the transcribed records compared to the shorthand notes. It has simply relied upon the sworn records and statements furnished by Gentry and others, which records and statements, as stated above, are still in the possession of The Journal and in exactly the same condition as they were when turned over to this paper by Gentry, February and others.
Detective E. O. Miles Gives Out Affidavit From Young Stenographer Repudiating Transcript He Swore to
AFFIDAVIT OBTAINED IN WASHINGTON D. C.
G. C. Febuary Gives Out a Statement, Telling How Notes Were Transcribed and Affidavits Made
The accuracy of the now famous pictograph records of alleged conversations between Thomas B. Felder, Mayor Woodward, C. C. Jones, E. O. Miles, G. C. Febuary and A. S. Colyar is attacked in an affidavit which E. O. Miles has turned over to Mayor Woodward and which he says he obtained from George M. Gentry, the young stenographer who took down the dictograph conversations.
This affidavit was made in Washington D. C., where Miles, one of the dictographed parties, who is a private detective, says he found Gentry. According to this affidavit, Gentry swears that a number of changes were made in the pictograph records after they were transcribed by him. The only specific change set out in the affdavit, however, is that the names of Police Chief Beavers and Detective Chief N. A. Lanford were written into the record of Mayor Woodward's conversation by some one other than the stenographer.
In this affidavit Gentry explains his disappearance from the city by declaring that when he compared the published records with his stenographic notes he realized that he had been duped and did not care to face the humiliation which he anticipated would follow.
These dictographed records, duly sworn to by young Gentry and others, were published in The Journal, which declined to print these documents unless they were attested before a notary public. These records and affidavits are still in the possession of The Journal, and this paper has no knowledge concerning the alleged changes.
GENTRY READ PROOFS.
Young Gentry was permitted to use one of The Journal's typewriters to transcribe his pictograph notes. He and Febuary were left alone in the news department Wednesday night, May 21, to do this work. They left a copy of the records in a desk drawer for The Journal. Early on the morning of May 23 Gentry furnished The Journal with an affidavit attesting the correctness of the records. Later he came to The Journal office with his notebook and read the proofs which compared with this shorthand notes, and in one or two places he made minor changes, as he said, to better conform to the original notes.
He was advised to preserve his notes so that in the event any question was raised as to their accuracy, he would have the stenographic record from which to make answer.
The Journal does not undertake to say whether there are or are not discrepancies in the transcribed records compared to the shorthand notes. It has simply relied upon the sworn records and statements furnished by Gentry and others, which records and statements, as stated above, are still in the possession of The Journal and in exactly the same condition as they were when turned over to this paper by Gentry, February and others.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Gentry now says dictograph record was tampered with. Atlanta Journal, Wednesday, June 11, 1913.
00:06Detective E.O. Miles gives out affidavit from young stenographer repudiating transcript.
00:11He swore to affidavit obtained in Washington, D.C.G.C., February, gives out a statement,
00:16telling how notes were transcribed and affidavits made. The accuracy of the now-famous
00:21pictograph records of alleged conversations between Thomas B. Felder, Mayor Woodward,
00:26C.C. Jones, E.O. Miles, G.C. February, and as Collier is attacked in an affidavit which E.O.
00:33Miles has
00:33turned over to Mayor Woodward, and which he says he obtained from George M. Gentry, the young stenographer
00:39who took down the dictograph conversations. This affidavit was made in Washington, D.C., where
00:44Miles, one of the dictograph parties who is a private detective, says he found Gentry. According to this
00:50affidavit, Gentry swears that a number of changes were made in the pictograph records after they
00:54were transcribed by him. The only specific change set out in the affidavit, however, is that the
01:00names of Police Chief Beavers and Detective Chief N.A. Lanford were written into the record of Mayor
01:05Woodward's conversation by someone other than the stenographer. In this affidavit, Gentry explains
01:11his disappearance from the city by declaring that when he compared the published records with his
01:15stenographic notes, he realized that he had been duped and did not care to face the humiliation which
01:21he anticipated would follow. These dictographed records, duly sworn to by Young Gentry and others,
01:27were published in the journal, which declined to print these documents unless they were attested
01:32before a notary public. These records and affidavits are still in the possession of the journal,
01:37and this paper has no knowledge concerning the alleged changes. Gentry read proofs. Young Gentry was
01:44permitted to use one of the journal's typewriters to transcribe his pictograph notes. He and February were
01:49left alone in the news department Wednesday night, May 21st, to do this work. They left a copy of the
01:55records in a desk drawer for the journal. Early on the morning of May 23rd, Gentry furnished the
02:01journal with an affidavit attesting the correctness of the records. Later he came to the journal office
02:06with his notebook and read the proofs which compared with this shorthand notes, and in one or two places
02:11he made minor changes, as he said, to better conform to the original notes. He was advised to preserve his
02:17notes so that in the event any question was raised as to their accuracy, he would have the stenographic
02:23record from which to make answer. The journal does not undertake to say whether there are or are not
02:28discrepancies in the transcribed records compared to the shorthand notes. It has simply relied upon
02:33the sworn records and statements furnished by Gentry and others, which records and statements,
02:38as stated above, are still in the possession of the journal, and in exactly the same condition
02:43as they were when turned over to this paper by Gentry, February, and others.
02:47February makes statement.
02:49G.C. February, Secretary to Detective Chief N.A. Lanford, who was a party to some of the
02:54dictographed conversations and who was with Gentry, the stenographer, when some of the
02:58pictographed notes were transcribed, has furnished the journal with the following statement.
03:02The dictographed conversations between As Collier, T.B. Felder, and myself were transcribed on a
03:08typewriter in the news department of the Atlanta Journal by George M. Gentry, the stenographer
03:13who took the conversations down in a shorthand as he heard them through a dictograph.
03:17John Paschal and Harley Branch of the Atlanta Journal were present for about an hour and a half,
03:22and As Collier was present for about half an hour. Gentry began transcribing the dictographed
03:27record about 10 p.m. Wednesday, May 21st. When Mr. Paschal and Mr. Branch found Gentry would
03:33not be able to complete the work as soon as expected, they left and directed that the copy intended
03:38for the journal be left in a designated desk drawer. Collier had been gone for about an hour
03:43when they left. The record was completed about four o'clock the next morning, and a copy was left
03:48in the desk drawer for the journal. Neither Mr. Paschal nor Mr. Branch made any suggestions as to
03:54the contents of the record. They were only waiting to get a copy for the journal. Both of these
03:59gentlemen advised Gentry that if there was anything in his notes which he could not read, he should
04:04indicate this fact in the record, and not to put anything in the record not contained in his notes.
04:10He was informed repeatedly that he would be expected to swear to the accuracy of the record.
04:15How affidavit was made.
04:17After leaving the journal office, Gentry and I spent the balance of the night together.
04:21We ate breakfast together, after which Gentry went to his work at the General Fire Extinguisher Company,
04:27and later in the morning I went to the journal office and got the copy of the record that had
04:31been
04:31left there. I took this copy down to Gentry and he went before Charles H. Tranao, a notary public,
04:37and made an affidavit attesting the accuracy of the contents of the record, no one being present
04:42but Gentry, Mr. Transo, and myself. A short time later I took the record and accompanied by A.S.
04:48Collier went before W.W. Brown, a notary public. Both Collier and myself made affidavit as to the
04:54correctness of the record. The record covering the conversations between Mayor James G. Woodward,
05:00E.O. Miles, as Collier and myself was transcribed by Gentry at his office and on his own typewriter.
05:06I was present but a part of the time while he was doing this work. This record, like that between
05:11T.B. Felder, as Collier and myself, was sworn to by Gentry before Charles S. Transo and Collier and
05:17I attested it before W.W. Brown. To the best of my recollection and knowledge, Gentry transcribed the
05:23record covering the conversation between C.C. Jones, E.O. Miles, and A.S. Collier on the day he
05:29transcribed the record of the conversation between Mayor Woodward, E.O. Miles, as Collier and myself.
05:35The records are published in the Atlanta Journal, so the best of my knowledge and beliefs were identical
05:40trans of the records Gentry himself transcribed, swore to, and turned over to me. Gentry's latest
05:47affidavit. Following is a copy of the Gentry affidavit furnished Mayor Woodward by E.O. Miles.
05:53District of Columbia, City of Washington personally appeared before me, the undersigned, a notary public
05:58of the District of Columbia, George M. Gentry, who on oath states that, on Wednesday, May 21st, 1913,
06:06at or about 10 o'clock in the morning, Mr. Gacy February called me over the teleph tone and desired
06:12to know if I would do some stenographic work for him. I told him I would, but that I couldn't
06:16get off
06:17until noon. He said that they were in a hurry for it, and he would like for me to come
06:20at once,
06:21so I arranged to get off and went down to his office, and the chief told me he wanted me
06:25to
06:25take down some testimony, and he asked me if I could write very fast. Mr. February ass read Chief
06:32Lanford that I was a good stenographer and could do the work all right. The chief then told me that
06:36the work he wanted done required somebody that could be trusted all right, and I assured him that
06:41I always treated all stenographic work I did as confidential. Chief Lanford told me then,
06:47that what he wanted me to do was to take down a conversation that would take place in a hotel,
06:51and he asked me if I thought I could take it over a dictaphone. Mr. Searles coming in at that
06:56time
06:56with a satchel, which he opened and which contained wires and other paraphernalia in connection with a
07:01dictagraph outfit. After a few minutes, during which time Mr. February was absent, we went over to the
07:08Williams House No. 2 on North Forsyth Street, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, Mr. February and I,
07:14and I was instructed to go into room No. 21 of this hotel. Mr. Searles and Mr. Collier were there,
07:20and they probably had to make arrangements for adjoining rooms, as Mr. Searles commented to me
07:25that they hadn't decided just what to do with the dictagraphs. After a time, Collier came in and
07:30instructed Searles to follow him, and gave me instructions to await his wishes. Later on, Mr.
07:36February came in and I told him that if I had to wait much longer by myself, I was going
07:41back to the
07:41office. Saw dictagraphs installed. I was then allowed to come into the room where they were
07:46installing the dictagraphs, one on each end of the bottom board of the bureau, just under the bottom
07:52drawer on the back of the board, and the wires being run through the keyhole of the door between
07:57room 31 and room 32. The bureau was then screwed against the door facing. At about 12.30, I started
08:03getting accustomed to Febuary's and Collier's voices. At first, I could not hear at all, but gradually,
08:09I was able to hear more distinctly, and after an hour or two of diligent practices, I was able to
08:14use the dictagraph and to distinguish voices very clearly. Right at the beginning, I found that I
08:19would not be able to hear anything with the windows up. When they were closed, it became rather stuffy,
08:24and this, coupled with the strain I was under, added to the distraction. I stopped particing at 2.45 that
08:30afternoon, and went downstairs to the office of the hotel, where I awaited Mr. Felder's arrival.
08:36saw Felder arrive. I saw him cross Forsyth Street, and after he, February, and Collier went upstairs,
08:43or were just about at the top of the stairs, I started up and saw the three enter room 31
08:47of the
08:48Williams house, located as mentioned previously. I then immediately went into room 32 and closed the
08:54door, partly, but did not lock it. The windows were down, and so I went directly to the table and
09:00placed
09:00the receiver over my head and started writing what I heard. I took down all the conferences that took
09:05place. At somewhere around 5 that afternoon, I left the hotel, and went to Mr. R.B. Bliss's house, and
09:11took
09:11some dictation. From there, I went home and changed my collar. I returned to the office of the General
09:17Fire Extinguisher Company, 376 Marietta Street, where I wrote the dictation he had given me, signed his
09:23letters, and then met Mr. Feebury there at the office. We went to the Candler restaurant to supper, and from
09:28there,
09:29we returned to the Williams house to keep an appointment with Collier at about 7.30. At about
09:348 o'clock, Mr. Miles and Mr. C.C. Jones and Collier went up to the conference room, and Mr.
09:39February and
09:40I to the information reception room. I placed the retriever over my head, and in order to be sure that
09:45I would hear everything, Mr. February stood behind me and held them pressed tightly to my ears. This
09:51conference lasted about 30 minutes. Between 8.30 and 9.15, Wednesday night, Mr. February loafed about town,
09:59as we had an appointment with Mr. Branch and Mr. Paschal at 9.30 at the Williams house,
10:04and as they were not in the Journal office, we had to kill time until they showed up.
10:08I left Mr. February and Mr. Collier at the Journal office at 9.15, and went over to the Williams
10:15house
10:15to wait for the arrival of the Journal reporters mentioned above. They came in shortly, and we went
10:20over to the Journal office, and all of us—Collier, February, Branch, Paschal, and myself—went up to the
10:26editorial department, where a machine was selected, and I then went to work transcribing what I had
10:31heard. Says changes were made. Right at the start, I made Collier angry because when I did not hear
10:36what was said, I put dashes, and so I allowed him to dictate several answers and questions which do
10:41not appear in my notebook and which I am not positive that I heard. I did not hear Mayor Woodward
10:46mention Chief Beavers or Chief Lanford during the whole conversation, nor did I write it in the
10:51transcription of my notes, these names being evidently added by other parties. At 4.30 Thursday
10:57morning, May 22nd, I finished transcribing my notes and turned the papers over to Mr. February.
11:03Later on, during the morning, he came down to the office, bringing an affidavit which I had written
11:07for me to sign before a notary public. He told me that they had made only a few minor changes
11:12in the
11:13transcription, and that all I had to do was to sign the affidavit which I did. However, I noticed that
11:19some interlineations had been made in my copy, or rather in Chief Lanford's copy, as I had no copy.
11:25Collier and the reporters, just before I started to transcribe my notes, argued as to the number of
11:30copies that should be made. They agreed that one copy should be made for the Chief, one for Collier and
11:35one for the journal, and that no more should be made. This kept me from having a copy. I had
11:41my notebook,
11:41however, and it was the comparison on my notes with the published articles that lead to my discovery
11:46that in addition to the several answers and questions which Collier had personally dictated,
11:51other changes had been made, namely that insertion of the names of Chief Beavers and Chief Lanford
11:56in the conference with Mayor Woodward. Also, many other variations occurred, changing the sense of
12:02the statement, and since they had my affidavit attached to the papers, I felt that I had been duped.
12:06As to the remuneration of my services, we'll say that the journal reporters, Branch and Pascal,
12:11agreed to pay me $5 to get the work written Wednesday night, so it could be published in
12:17Thursday's paper. Saturday morning, after the appearance of the article in Friday's journal,
12:22the Georgian's reporter came to the office and offered me either $1.25 or $1.45, I do not
12:28recollect which, for a copy of the conference with Mayor Woodward, February, Miles and Collier,
12:33and Miles, Jones and Collier's conference. I declined the offer. I then went to see the journal's
12:39reporters and told them that the Georgian had offered me money for a copy of the conference,
12:44and they agreed to pay me $50 to hold my notebook from Saturday until Monday. I turned my notebook
12:49over to Mr. Bryce, who gave it to his stenographer to keep until Monday. Later during the day,
12:55the reporters told me that the Georgian had gotten a copy, and so I was too late. Locked up notebook.
13:00I then went down to Mr. Bryce's office and asked Ms. M., Mr. Bryce's stenographer,
13:05for my notebook, and I took it home and locked it up. Monday, when I went up to see Major
13:10Cohen about
13:11the $1.50, he went down to look for Mr. Bryce, whom he was unable to find. Later, we went
13:16back
13:16upstairs together, and Branch and Paschal explained to him their promise to pay me $1.50 for allowing
13:22the journal to retain my notebook. However, some argument arose over the fact that I took my notebook
13:27out of the journal's office Saturday night. I told them that they had agreed to give me $1.50
13:32not to make a copy for the Georgian, and that I had not made the copy for the Georgian, and
13:37had,
13:37therefore, carried out my part of the compact. They then told me to come back later on and see
13:43Mr. Bryce about it. I returned after a while. I believe it was around one o'clock, and Mr. Bryce
13:49paid me the amount in currency and took my receipt. Chief Lanford has not as yet paid me for my
13:54services
13:55from the fact that I have not rendered a bill. Saturday morning, before the publication of the
14:00Woodward Conference, held at four o'clock Wednesday, May 21st, as previously mentioned, and the Jones
14:06Conference, held at eight o'clock the same night, I went to the editorial department of the journal
14:12and requested a proof of what they were going to print. Collier, who had one reading it, declined to
14:18allow me to have a proof, and so I left the journal building suspicious. Saturday afternoon, I went down to
14:24the office carrying with me my original notebook and a copy of Friday's and Saturday's journal. I
14:29compared them all the way through, and upon seeing the many variations in what was printed and what I
14:35had in my notes, I realized that my transcriptions had been tampered with, and that I had just cause
14:40for the suspicions which were aroused by their refusal to allow me to read the proof Saturday morning.
14:46Becomes very nervous. Having signed the affidavits at Mr. February's request, in which I swore to what I
14:53had heard, and seeing something entirely different published, I became very nervous and uneasy.
14:59Saturday night, when I went home, a reporter called up and said he was one of the journal
15:03reporters and wanted to see me a few minutes. I told him to come over. He came in and introduced
15:08himself to me as Mr. Starr, the journal. My other and aunt recognized his voice as that of a reporter
15:14who had called shortly before I came home and said he was from the Georgian. They both rushed into the
15:19sitting room and told me that he was not with the journal, but was the same fellow that came a
15:23few minutes ago and said he was from the Georgian. He denied that he had said he was from the
15:27journal,
15:28although he had told both myself and my grandfather, who went to answer the doorbell,
15:32that he was from the journal. Just before he left, he informed me that a warrant had been sworn out
15:37for February's, Collier's, and my arrest, and upon my directing him as to where the door out could be
15:43found, he departed, saying that he had got the information he wanted. Sunday afternoon at the office,
15:48someone called me up and informed me that I would probably be arrested Monday. I did not recognize
15:53the voice, and so am unable to say who it was. They also informed me that I would have to
15:58make
15:58bond in order to be released. I asked who it was, and they hung up or were cut off. Brother
16:03has notebook.
16:04Monday morning, Collier requested that I turn my notebook over to the journal and said he would
16:09give me five dollars if I would show him a receipt from the journal for the notebook. I came near
16:13allowing
16:14the journal to have the notebook, but instead gave it to my brother to take home and instructed him
16:18to allow no one to have it. Developments later showed me the character of some of the people
16:23connected with this transaction, and it made me so ashamed of my connection with it that I was afraid
16:28I could not face the humiliation that I thought would naturally on-site, and also the fact that
16:33they had changed my transcription showed to me very clearly that I was mixed up with a bunch of crooks.
16:38I am prepared to read my notes whenever it becomes necessary. These notes will show exactly what I
16:44heard. The foregoing affidavit is made by me voluntarily, unsolicited, and no money or the
16:50promise of any remuneration whatever was offered to me for making it, my sole motive being to give
16:54the straight history of my connection with the now infamous dictograph affair, George M. Gentry.
17:00Jeanette Henning, Notary Public, District of Columbia.
17:03Lanford declares he does not know about any changes.
17:06Detective Chief N. A. Lanford Wednesday morning declared that he knew absolutely nothing concerning
17:11the alleged tampering with the dictograph records. The records were typewritten and sworn to when
17:16they were brought to me, said the Chief. I still have them in my possession, and no changes have
17:21been made in them since they were turned over to me. Personally, I do not believe that they were
17:26ever tampered with or doctored. According to Gentry's latest affidavit, he still has his notes.
17:31It would be quite a simple matter for him to take these notes and point out the alleged changes,
17:36all I want is the truth about the affair. Chief Lanford, upon reading the alleged affidavit,
17:42sent the following telegram to Police Chief James L. Beavers, who is in Washington attending the
17:47convention of the National Police Chiefs Association, Atlanta, Georgia, June 11, 1913,
17:53J. L. Beavers, CARE Convention Chiefs Police, Washington, D.C.
17:58I understand that George M. Gentry is in Washington and that he made affidavit before
18:02Jeanette Henning, Notary Public, District of Columbia, to the effect that his notes made
18:07in dictograph of Collier and Felder matter were padded. Please have him located and ascertain
18:12if this is true, and if so, under what conditions this affidavit was made, and advise.
18:17N. A. Lanford, Chief of Detectives.
18:20My vindication complete, declares Thomas B. Felder. Thomas B. Felder, commenting upon the
18:26affidavit of George M. Gentry, says, Gentry's affidavit is a complete vindication. It bears
18:31out my statement that the whole thing was a frame-up on the part of Newport Lanford and
18:35his hirelings. Everyone agrees with me now that I was the innocent victim of a dirty, contemptible
18:41plot. The notebook is not in the hands of Gentry's brother. It was at the time he left Atlanta,
18:45but it is now in a safe deposit vault, and I have the key. I have given Mayor Woodward
18:50a copy of the affidavit, and I expect he will ask the grand jury to look into the matter.
18:55So far as I am personally concerned, the incident is closed with this vindication. Gentry will
19:00return to Atlanta within the next week or ten days, and he may have something additional
19:04to say. Says police board ought to investigate, other than to say the police board ought to make
19:10a thorough investigation of the detective department.
19:13Mayor Woodward, Wednesday morning, made no statement in reference to the Gentry affidavit.
19:18This young man's affidavit certainly is enough to convince me that Lanford and his aggregation
19:23of so-called detectives are not very careful as to the methods they employ. To say the least
19:28of it, said the mayor. It is time for the police board to give the detective department
19:32a thorough airing, and I'm not so sure about what the city would be better off if the whole
19:36detective crew were kicked out and new ones elected. We certainly couldn't get much worse
19:41than we've got now. It was the mayor's first intention Wednesday to give out a written statement
19:46in reference to the Gentry affidavit, but later he changed his mind. In this connection,
19:51he said, there was nothing in the dictograph record, even as the detectives gave it out,
19:56that worried me. There was nothing in it that I was ashamed of or cared to explain.
20:00The Gentry affidavit was not gotten at my instigation. I cared nothing about the dictograph.
20:04I knew nothing about the Gentry affidavit until it was handed to me by Ed Miles about nine o'clock
20:10Tuesday night. Miles will not divulge young Gentry's address. E.O. Miles, the private detective
20:16who figured in the dictograph conversations and who brought back from Washington the alleged
20:20affidavit from Gentry charging that the dictograph records had been padded, refuses to tell whether
20:26Gentry can be found. He will not say whether he is withholding this information at Gentry's request.
20:31Mr. Miles says he went to Washington after the affidavit in the interest of those who had
20:36been dictographed. Further than this, he would not talk.
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