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June 13, 1913

Felder Says He Will Be Produced at the Proper Time. Notary Declares Affidavit Is Genuine.

Miss Jeannette Henning, the notary public whose official seal was attached to the affidavit made recently by George Gentry, has informed The Constitution that she took the document from him last Monday, and that although it is genuine, she does not know its contents. She states that she had never met Gentry prior to the time he made the affidavit.

Chief Beavers, who has for the past several days been attending the convention of national police chiefs in Washington, is conducting a search of that city for the young stenographer. He is assisted by a number of detectives put at his command by Major Sylvester, head of the Washington police department.

Beavers was requested by Detective Chief Lanford to find Gentry, and to ascertain positively whether or not the youth had attested to the startling affidavit. Thursday noon, Lanford received a message from the chief saying that he was unable to locate his man, but that the search would continue as long as Beavers remained in Washington.

Squad of Sleuths at Work.

Lanford is apparently worried over his inability to locate the stenographer. While Beavers is scouring Washington, the detective head has detailed a squad of detectives to try and find Gentry through some local source. While this search is being promoted, Colonel Felder and others concerned in Gentry's repudiation of the dictagraph reports, said Thursday that Gentry could be brought back to Atlanta at any time they desired.

He will remain in Washington for ten more days, it is said. He was given a position as stenographer with a business firm which would last for 30 days, after which he intended returning to Atlanta and resume his connection with the General Fire Extinguisher company, with whom he has been employed for considerable time.

His residence in Washington, it is stated, is obscure. He is passing under an assumed name so as to avoid newspaper reporters and notoriety. He is seen but very little on the streets, detectives aver who have talked with him, and each afternoon upon leaving his place of work, he walks hurriedly to his boarding place, remaining therein throughout the night.

Located by Burns.

Before he was located in Washington, every agency of the Burns detective agency on the continent was flooded with descriptions of him in the effort to apprehend him and verify the statement that the dictagraph reports were "padded." Less than two weeks ago a Burns operative of the Washington office, who had studied the missing stenographer's picture, saw and recognized young Gentry as he walked home on the way from work.

He was shadowed to his address.
Transcript
00:00Beavers trying to find Gentry. The Atlanta Constitution. June 13, 1913. Felder says he
00:06will be produced at the proper time. Notary declares affidavit is genuine. Miss Jeanette
00:11Henning, the notary public whose official seal was attached to the affidavit made recently by
00:15George Gentry, has informed the Constitution that she took the document from him last Monday
00:20and that although it is genuine, she does not know its contents. She states that she had never met
00:26Gentry prior to the time he made the affidavit. Chief Beavers, who has for the past several days
00:31been attending the Convention of National Police Chiefs in Washington, is conducting a search of
00:36that city for the young stenographer. He is assisted by a number of detectives put at his command by
00:42Major Sylvester, head of the Washington Police Department. Beavers was requested by Detective
00:47Chief Lanford to find Gentry and to ascertain positively whether or not the youth had attested
00:52to the startling affidavit. Thursday noon, Lanford received a message from the chief saying that he
00:58was unable to locate his man, but that the search would continue as long as Beavers remained in
01:03Washington. Squad of sleuths at work. Lanford is apparently worried over his inability to locate
01:09the stenographer. While Beavers is scouring Washington, the detective head has detailed a
01:14squad of detectives to try and find Gentry through some local source. While this search is being
01:19promoted, Colonel Felder and others concerned in Gentry's repudiation of the dictograph reports,
01:25said Thursday that Gentry could be brought back to Atlanta at any time they desired.
01:29He will remain in Washington for ten more days, it is said. He was given a position as stenographer
01:35with a business firm which would last for thirty days, after which he intended returning to Atlanta
01:40and resume his connection with the General Fire Extinguisher Company, with whom he has been
01:44employed for considerable time. His residence in Washington, it is stated, is obscure. He is
01:50passing under an assumed name so as to avoid newspaper reporters and notoriety. He has seen
01:55but very little on the streets, detectives Aver who have talked with him, and each afternoon upon
02:01leaving his place of work, he walks hurriedly to his boarding place, remaining therein throughout the
02:06night, located by Burns. Before he was located in Washington, every agency of the Burns detective agency
02:13on the Continent was flooded with descriptions of him in the effort to apprehend him and verify the
02:18statement that the dictograph reports were padded. Less than two weeks ago, a Burns operative of the
02:24Washington office, who had studied the missing stenographer's picture, saw and recognized young
02:29Gentry as he walked home on the way from work. He was shadowed to his address. The operative wired Atlanta.
02:36Detective Miles, who is at the head of the Miles Investigating Bureau,
02:39an Atlanta concern, was sent immediately to Washington, with the result that he found
02:45Gentry at the boarding place, managed an interview with the youth, and obtained the affidavit which
02:50created a city-wide sensation following its exclusive publication Wednesday morning in the Constitution.
02:56Unusual interest is being centered in arrangements being made by the Fulton Grand Jury to investigate
03:02the affidavit and charges frames up from both sides, the detective department and the men who claim
03:07they were victimized by the dictograph plot. Immediate action is assured by officials promoting
03:12the investigation, as is the assurance that the probe will be deep and thorough. Beaver's doubts
03:17affidavit. Even without evidence of the records made with aid of the dictograph, Chief Beaver's told a
03:23Constitution reporter in Washington Thursday afternoon, we have the testimony of Secretary February,
03:29who was in the same room with the men during the famous conversations. The chief appeared to doubt the
03:34affidavit's genuineness. He declined to express any opinion about its authenticity, or whether or not
03:40Gentry Badd signed it. Also, he seemed in doubt that the George M. Gentry, whose name was signed to the
03:46document, was the young stenographer who noted the dictograph incident. A humorous incident relative to
03:51the chief's connection with the dictograph episode occurred Thursday afternoon, when the chief, in company
03:57with the Constitution's reporter, walked past the Raleigh Hotel, in which the national chiefs are holding
04:03their annual convention. The chief was with a genial party of friends. As they hove into view of the
04:08hotel, one of the group chanced to remark, You're considerably in the limelight this day and time,
04:14chief. Won a centipede race, disrupted a tender lion, and became the South's chief promoter of civic
04:20morals. This little instrument also contributed much to your fame, didn't it? With which the chief's
04:26companion laughingly pointed to a sign conspicuously displayed in a window of the fashionable hotel,
04:32be sure to see the dictograph test within. Miss Henning, who took Gentry's affidavit when seen
04:38by the Constitution's Washington representative Thursday, explained her connection with this
04:42sensational document. She told of having been called over the telephone Monday and being asked
04:48to come to room 802, Westery Building, which is occupied by the Louisville and Nashville railway
04:53offices. She was wanted to witness a legal paper.
04:56I met two men in room 802, she said, and after going through the usual formalities,
05:02attached my seal to the document a Mr. Gentry signed in my presence. I accepted the usual fee
05:08of 25 cents, although the men wanted to give me 50. I did not know the man, Mr. Gentry. Neither
05:13did I
05:14know the contents of the affidavit. I did not have time to read it. Immediately after affixing my seal,
05:19I left the party in room 802. They seemed pretty well acquainted all round. Had I known at the time
05:25that the paper was as important as it has proved to be, I would have taken time to read it
05:30thoroughly.
05:31Miss Henning is a law clerk.
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