The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-08
WHO SENT TELEGRAM?
MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE RECE-
 WED IN LUvERNE.
Editor McLendon Declares Advice ts Burn His Docket from His Enemy, Editor Brooke
 of Critic.
"Sprague Junction, August 5. T. C. McLendon. Luverne. Ala: 'Burn your docket.
 ss(sha rIia 's

-4 4s
 The receipt of this mysterious telegram in Luverne last Monday, just before the arrival there of T. J. Rutledge, Assistant State Examiner of Public Accounts. has aroused considerable interest in Cren- shaw County among the adherents of two political factions.
 Who sent this telegram?' is the ques- ton uppermost in the minds of citizens of Crenshaw County.
 J. c. McLendon, Justice of the Peace and Editor of The Luverne Journal, had been charged by A. Y. Brooke. editor of The Crenshaw County Critic and candi- date for Tax Collector, with having made false entries In his court docket. and Gov ernor Jelks had sent Examiner Rutiedge to Luverne to investigate these charges.
 The telegram was sent from Sprague Junction by passenger on the south bound train about 5 p. m. Examiner Rut- ledge was on this train. He reached Lu- verne few minutes after MT. McLendon received the telegram.
 Friends of Mir. Brooke say the telegram was sent by Charles R. Bricken, Solici- tor of the Second Judicial Circuit, who Is owner of The Luverne Journal and a per sonal friend of it's editor MT. McLendon. Mir. Bricken and MT. McLenion are sol diers of the National Guard. and are in camp with the 2nd Infantry at Pickett Springs. MT. Bricken is a Major, and Mir. McIksndon is First Sergeant of the Luverne company.
 Both MT. Bricken and MT. --sLendon declare that the telegram was, sent by Mir. Brooke who was a passenger on the train which passed Sprague Junction Mon day afternoon. Mr. .Bricken says he was not on this train. He says he has been In farOp afx, In0 rH,i1.a rR..n declare that MT. Brooke sent the telegfam to injure MT. McLendon.
 Examiner Rutledge completed his ex. animation of Mr. McLendon's office and returned to Montgomery yesterday morn Ing His report will be filed with Cover. nor Jelks today. He positively refused tc discuss the nature of his s'report or to talk about the telegram which was received by MT. McLendon. It Is said by friends of Mir. McLendon that his docket was delivered to Exam tner Rutledge and was examine by him MT. McLendon came to Montgomery yesterday morning with Examiner Rut. ledge and joined his company at Camr du Mont. Seen by representative of The Advertiser, he displayed the original copy of the telegram sent to him from Sprague Junction, which. he said. he had secured from the telegraph operator there. He declared that the hand writing was that of MT. Brooke. Three reputable wit nesses, he said, would swear that MT Brooke went into the telegraph office sat aDrague Junction Monday afternoon and sent the telegram. One of thees wit. nesses. he said, was Sheriff s. D. May oi Crenshaw County. He said further that the operator at Sprague Junction would swear that the telegram was filed by Mr Brooke.
 Mir Bricken was interviewed concern ing the mysterious message. He said he came to Montgomery Friday and had not been out of the city since that time: As soon as MT. McLendon advised him by mail that such a telegram had been sent purporting to have come from nim. he said he went to the office of the Western Union Telegraph Company here and de manded the original copy. The operator at Sprague Junction was instructed. hC said, to deliver the copy to MT. McLen' don. This course was adopted, MT. Brick en said, so as to keep the sender of ths telegram from recovering it.
 Mir Bricken declared that Mr. Brooke would be arrested and prosecuted fol sending the telegram.
 Interest in the report of Examiner Rut ledge will be. heightened by the contro versy between the Luverne editors, whc have been using unparliamentary Ian guage concerning each other in the col umns of their newspapers.