The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-13
MIR. POSTERS REPLY
 TO J. A. RoUNTREE.
Prattville. Nov. Il. 1O0a.

Prattville, Nov. Il, 10O8. Having returned from a weeks ab-
 sence from the State, my attention has been called to the charge of J. A. Roun- tree, the deposed Secretary of the Ala
 bama Press Association, that I imposed upon the railroads in securing transporta-
 tton on account of the recent Canadian excursion. Until he re-iteraterd this
 false charge last Sunday 1t was not my
 intention to reply to it as 1 have always
 tried to make it a rule of my life not to
 kick a fellow who is already down, no
 matter how heinous may be the crime
 by which he has fallen. And then again.
 l have always been a strong personal
 friend of Rountree, and my sympat thies
 went out to him. and especially when one
 of his prominent Birmingham friends ap-
 peared before the Executive Committee,
 and urged as much leniency towards him
 as the case would admit on the ground
 of his insanity. But it is now the opinion
 of many members of the press
 that this fellow is more d knave than q
 fool.
 I wish to deny most emphatically that
 imposed upon the railroads in securing
 transportation on account of the recent
 Canadian excursion, and 1 defy Rountree
 to name a single railroad official who will
 endorse his statement. The three young
 ladies to whom Rountree referred in his
 charge were well known to Colo
 mel Falkner personally. This trans portation was issued not so much on my account, but as a personal favor
 to the young ladies, and Colonel Falkner
 so stated his entire satisfaction be- fore the Investigation Committee, as Rountree well knows.
 1 have been on seven consecutive press | excursions, and I have never made a cent out of any transportation, or other wise, on account of these excursions. On the other hand, I estimate that l have paid Rountree about $150 more than the actual expenses, and which money went
 into his pocket. I consider this money just about as honorably obtained as if he had taken it from me without my knowledge. have been a regular mem Der of these cxcuJ sions and no one more than can realize the depth to which this fellow has sunk in his greed for money. He has always taken the best of every thing on these excursions, ignoring the president and all the other officers. He has been the whole thing.
 Rountree knew that l suspected that he made money out of these excursions, and at the Executive Committee meeting in April I asked him the plain question where all this expense money would go.
 He replied that all all pllsn m2ney Cgr was co for pany, railroads. and steamhoats on the | St. Lawrence River. Upon that state ment. which he knew was false at the
 time of making it, ne ooCaihed my $9. | From moral standpoint, at least, he is | guilty of violation of Section 4729 of the Criminal Code which says; Any per 1 son. who, by any false pretense or token, and with the intent to injure or defraud | obtains from another any money, or other | personal property. must, on conviction,
 he punished as if he had stolen 1t. He | has made many false statements hefo.e inc Executive Committee which consider | ed him a man of honor and trusted him to arrange the details of the press eX-
 cursions. Ii has almost shaken my faith in humanity to know that a fellow being could be so interruptions and utterly de-
 void of all moral sensibilities.
 ! 1 regret very much to be forced to make