The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-17

them for the chartered sleepers during the trip. MT. Rountree collected s29 from each of the party which figures up more than $5000
 "A Canadian hotel keeper sent me Q copy of letter he had from MT. Roun- tree asking what commission would be allowed him If he brought the party to his hotel. The owner of the hotel refused to allow him commission and the party went to another hotel"
 MT. Glass stated that he believed that any violations made by other members of the Press association were to be credited MT. Rountree's influence. He said all vio- lations were due primarily to MT. Roun- tree himself
 Bruce Kennedy.
 A. Bruce Kennedy city editor of the Advertiser, said he asked MT. Rountree for lists six or eight times, but that MT. Rountree always put him off. He also said that the proprietor of the King Ed ward hotel in Toronto wrote a letter to the Advertiser, enclosing one from MT. Rountree, in which MT. Rountree asked what commission they would give him to bring the party to the King Edward
 w. F. Yerby said on the stand that if the passes were issued by Captain Falkner to editors themselves and the editors dis posed of them to outside parties: he did not think MT. Rountree should be held re- sponsible. He said he considered it cheap trip
 Frank Creighton, of the Clanton Ban ner, considered that he got his moneys worth. He said he applied for pass for himself and two ladies whose names he did not know, and that he understood two ladies on the train were traveling as his sisters, but that he did not apply for them as sisters
 No Miss Creighton.
 He finally said that he had applied to Captain Falkner for passes for himself and. two Misses Creighton, and that he had done this upon MT. Rountree's re- quest in spite of the fact that there were no such persons as the Misses Creighton.
 Chairman H. s. Doster of the commit tee stated that he took two young ladies with him who were not entitled to go &C., cording to the constitution.
 Mr. Caldwell stated to the committee that as MT. Rountree's representative they would not disclose an itemized ex- pense account of the trip to this commit tee, because if the fact that he made money were reprehensble, 1t made no difference whether the amount was one dollar or more.
 WIT. FIdTTlSs
 H. c. Harris of Birmingham when ex- amined. said that three of his children went on the trip, and that he made the arrangements with MT. Rountree. He said that he paid MT. Rountree $132
 "I made by arrangements solely with Mir. Rountree," he said, "and was very anxious to have the children go, and MT. Rountree treated them mighty nicely on the trip.'
 Captain F'alkner said that he was the servant of the Louisville and Nashville railroad and that MT. Rountree was the servant of the Alabama Press associa- ton. You have a right" he said to demand of him anything you wish in con- nection with the press association. When Mir Rountree did this he was acting for the press association. To use plain lan- guage, MT. Rountree was the man who is responsible for a great fraud having been perpetrated on the Louisville and Nashville railroad"
 As to Itemized Account.
 When Chairman Doster asked point blank if Mir. Rountree refused to produce an itemized account of receipts and dis bursements in connection with the trip. Mr. Caldwell replied that they did posi- lively refuse to furnish such statement to this committee.
 When this matter came up," said MT. Caldwell, MT. Rountree was eager not to have anything brought out that would reflect on the members of the State Press association. Now the investigation has disclosed that there were scores and scores of editors who sold or gave away their transportation. and these editors were in good standing in the association even though they violated it's constitu- tion."
 At this point the session was adjourned
 (continueG on Second Page)