The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-03
T. J. coRNwELL IN 1T
Transactions in Fictitious
 Deeds to Property.
Bessemer Citizens Organized Com pany Which Manipulated and Transferred Deeds--Rigid
 Inquiry to Be Made
 Into the Matter.

Sensational disclosures are made by Assistant State Examiner of Public Ac- counts T. J. Rutledge in a special report filed yesterday with Governor Jelks touching depredations upon lands in the mineral district owned by the State Uni yersity and other institutions. by "noto- rious adventurers.
 This report, immediately following the announcement from Tuscaloosa published by The Advertiser yesterday morning that President Abercrombie of the State University was advised Of plan to steal University lands Is of far reaching interest to the people of the State.
 A Systematic Conspiracy.
 Examiner Rutledge says that num- Der of persons have been systematically engaged in securing fictitious and fraudu- lent deeds to school lands and conveying them to other persons. He declares that a conspiracy was formed to defraud the schools of property. significant statement by the Exam finer is that T. J. Cornwell, defaulting president of the Bessemer Savings Bank. was a stockhlder in a company which appears to have made business of trad ing in these lands.
 The Examiner recommends thorough investigation of the situation and recom' mends that the charter of the company In which Cornwell was interested shall be revoked if it is found that there were fraudulent practices.
 Reports of Examiner.
 The report of Examiner Rutledge is as follows:
 His Excellency. W. D. Jelks, Governor,
 Montgomery, Ala:
 'sir-In a recent report on the coal lands of the State University 1t was not ed that serious depredatiens were being made on tlresestafftz by timber and cross tie men. The folfowifsg facts on this sub ject have recently been developed.
 ''The Warrior River Coal and Land Company was incorporated under the general law in Jefferson County in Feb ruary 1903, by G. M. LoveJoy. w. A. McWhorter, J. c. Burgin. T. J. Corn well, V. Ferguson and W. F. Porter, all of Bessemer Alabama. The capital stock of this concern was placed at $30,0O0 and they were authorized to buy, sell and de- velop coal lands, etc, etc. Soon after the organization of this company. a series of systematic frauds commenced in the re- zion around Bessemer and Adger which has included large quantity of valuable coal land belonging to the State Univer- sity. the Alabama Girls Industrial School and a number of private corporations.
 "A number of persons have been en- gagged in procuring numerous fraudulent and fictitious deeds to lands in this vicin- ity and after manipulating and transferr- ing by deeds from one person to another composing this gang of adventurers. the property so attempted to be conveyed would be finally transferred to the said Warrior River Coal and Land Company. Many of these bogus deeds were obtained from ignorant and irresponsible persons and others from outlaws and men of criminal reputation, both white and black. In some eases the same persons would make deeds to eight or ten diff ferent parcels of lands and in many cases the witnesses to these deeds would appear in ten or a dozen cases to be the same identical persons.
 By this system of manipulation a large number of fraudulent deeds have been procured from squatters and others and placed on record covering valuable lands as follows.
 University of Alabama. 2,240 acres.
 Alabama Girls Industrial School, 600 acres.
 "Other State schools, 1920 acres.
 Private corporations, $500 acres.
 Tt is believed that much larger quan- tity than above stated has been conveyed by these fraudulent deeds list of sev- enteen different persons is in the pos- session Of the Land Commissioner of the State University who have conveyed lands belonging to the two State institu- tions above named by these fraudulent and fictitious deeds to the Warrior River Land and Coal Company.
 Operated a Saw Mill.
 "One F. NJ. Hogg has a saw mill in operation on lands of the State Univer- eity in Jefferson County, Alabama. and is cutting and shipping a large quantity of lumber daily. When he heard that the Land Commissioner of the University was after him. he pretended to rent and transfer this mill to a firm known as the -ho ,-f ble but he continues to run the mill as manager The University Land Commits sioner is in possession of these facts and will prosecute all of these criminal ad- venturers and is now taking active steps to that end,
 Tt will be noted that the President of the late defunct Bessemer Bank is a stockholder in the Warrior River Coal and Land Company. G. M. Lovejoy of Ressemer. is President of said last named company, and some of these depredators on State land claim to have deeds from him. This corporation is a crea ture of the State and if 1t has heen engaged in or aided and abetted other criminal per- sons in attempting to defraud these State institutions and other citizens and cor porations of this State the matter should be fully inquired into. and if found to be true the proper legal steps should be taken to vacate and annul its charter.
 The protection of property belonging to private persons and corporations in the mineral district as well as the val uable land grants of our worthy State institutions alike demand that criminal conspiracies organized for plunder by mo- torious adventuFers should be prevented and the persons who engage in such fraud punished to the full extent of the law and the Legislature should provide adequate statutes for this purLSse if they do not already exist.
 Respectfully submitted,
 TT. J. Rutledge. Assistant Examiner of Public Accounts" '" It is -1id tNqt the situation Is even worse than is reported by Examiner Rut- ledge.
 Intimation' was made at the State