The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-05
T.J. cORNwELL's COMPANY
Through Lovejoy Vigorous
 Denial is Entered.
Alleged That Assistant Examiner Rutledge's Report Was an Ef-
 fort to Injure the Warrior
 Coal and Land Company.

Birmingham July 4-(Special. )-An in- vestigation of the charges by the Assis- tant Examiner of Public Accounts. T. J. Rutledge. on the subject of alleged efforts to seize certain school lands. the accusa- tion being that numerous fraudulent and hctictious deeds to lands in Jefferson County and elsewhere were manipulated and transferred from one person to another, composing a gang of adventurers the property finally being conveyed to the Warrior River Coal and Land Com pany. reveals more startling a scheme than at first narrated.
 Engineers and surveying corps are already in the field and more will be sent out immediately to run lines and locate property not only for the schools which have valuable lands, but for several cor porauons.
 The report of the Assistant Examiner accounts for 2,24O acres of land belonging to the State University, 800 acres belong ing to the Alabama Girls Industrial School. other State schools, 1920 acres. private corporations $500 acres.
 Many Deeds Filed.
 The records in the court house here 
 deeds conveying property to the Warrior River Coal and Land Company, and in many instances the witnesses to the deeds. describing former transfers are the same.
 It develops that several of the larger corporations of this county are interested in this investigation and the following number of acres are already accounted for: Alabama State Land Company, 4,s40; Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, 5000; Pratt Coal and Coke . Company, 1,200; Tutwefler Coal and Coke Company 22O0Sand others Something like 23,OO0 or 24, 900 acres of IaAd ts. figured on in the transactions complained of.
 Former County Commissioner Nall will be In charge of corps of surveyors who win run lines for the State University and for the Alabama Giris' Industrial school The corporations named will have out efficient surveyors and ine-men in order to protect their holdings and steps will be taken to prevent dlckering in property which Is claimed fg these cor porations.
 It is claimed that one suit started some time ago iu this contention, the Alabama State Land Company being interested. The Warrior River Coal and Land Com pany was also a party to the suit in- directly. and before 1t went to trial It was dropped. One thousand acres were in- cluded in this suit, 60 1t Is stated, and from that time there has been more or less an investigation made.
 Captain A. B. McEachln of Tuscaloosa was given information on the deal and he in turn reported the matter at a meeting of the Board Of Trustees several weeks ago. Then the special examiner came on the scene.
 No criminal proceedings can be taken in the matter. 1t is understood. but the Gov ernor will probably be urged to take some stand looking to the investigation of the Warrior River Coal and Land Company by the Legislature.
 Lovejoy's Side of It.
 Professor c. M. Ilovejoy. president of the Warrior River Coal and Land Com pany this morning gave out a ststement in which he makes a sweeping denial of the charges and accuses the special ex- aminer of the State of being in line with rival corporations with the Warrior Com pany. He denies positively the asser- tions as to fictictious and fraudulent deeds and sets up the claim that the Warrior River Coal and Land Company is perfectly honest. reliable and fair He pleads that great injustice has been done the company through the statements given out.
 of The Birmingham News and is as fol lows
 Card from Lovejoy.
 "Bessemer Ala, July f. 1903. "Sir-In The Birmingham News of July appeared an extract from The Mont romery Advertiser in regard to an at tempt to 'gobble school lands. and 1T The Birmingham News of July 8, ap peared another article headed: It Is de veloping into sensation on the same sub feet. and in The Daily Constitution of At ianta, of July B. appeared another arti cle. with large head lines. as follows nho n wholesale fraud made against an Ala hama company All of these false re ports seem to have been made or circu lated on the statement of T. J. Rutledge Assistant Examiner of Public Accounts for Alabama.
 ''That Rutledge has made these defam atory statements on the statements O other parties and not upon investigations of the matter, is very evident from thu statements in the aforesaid papers whicl perhaps accounts for the sensational re ports filed with the Governor.
 "In The Birmingham News of the 3rd and The Atlanta Constitution of the sam' date Rutledge gives the amount of lanC involved as follows:
 ''Irniversity of Alabama. 2.24O acres Alabama Girls Industrial School. 60 acres; other State schools, 1920 acres private corporations. $500 acres.
 Rutledge's Figures Disputed.
 This makes a total of 13.26O acres ac eording to Mir. Rutledge. not figure O which is correct. Rutledge is quoted al saying in his report given in The Bir mingham News of July 3: A number O persons have been engaged in procuring numerous fraudulent and fictitious deeds and others manipulating and transferring by deed from one person to another com posing this gang of adventurers, the prop rrty so anticipated to be conveyed woult he finally transferred to the said Warrio River Coal and Land Company. Many 0 these bogus deeds were obtained iron ignorant and irresponsible persons. ant others from outlaws. criminals and mel of criminal reputation. both white am black The foregoing is very sensationa hut on its face bears the earmarks 0 falsehood.
 we defy MT. Rutledge and his gang to prove one statement of the foregoln quotation The deeds to the Warrior Riv - (oat anA Tand Touonauv xtsra mad