The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-16
WIDOWS AND OLD SOLDIERS
 ROBBED BY PROBATE JUDGE
Former Probate Judge Whatley of Clay Accused of Systematic Robbery by Examiner Sedberry.
 $4OO Reward Offered for His Arrest.

M. w. whatley, former Judge of Pro- bate of Clay County. officially charged with the despicable crime of robbing wid- ows and Confederate soldiers, is a fugi- tive from justice with a reward of $4OO offered by the State of Alabama for his arrest.
 In a report submitted to the Governor yesterday Assistant Examiner of Public Accounts George F. Sedberry declares
 that the fugitive Probate Judge, taking
 advantage of his official position, system atically robbed the State on one hand
 and poor and helpless pensioners on the
 other. He has, the report states, with
 held from the State officials knowledge
 of the death of pensioners of Clay Coun- ty, regularly collecting pensions for men who had been dead two or three years. A worse offense than that he is charged
 with in that he withheld the pension
 money of crippled Confederate soldiers and helpless widows, appropriating the
 money to his own use.
 He is charged with taking a total of 2,039. .5S in pension frauds. He is accused
 of resorting to forgery to accomplish his frauds.
 Several warrants have been sworn out against him in Clay County. In these
 warrants he is acused of embezzlement, anu JULIET lTduOS. Wudtlcy HUB been missing more than three weeks. When Examiner Sedberry filed his re- port yesterday Governor Jelks imme- diately offered a reward of $400 for his ar rest and delivery to the sheriff of Clay County. Judge Whatley left his home two days before Examiner Sedberry reached Clay County to investigate his
 books. At the time he disappeared he | sent his resignation to Governor Jelks. It
 was accepted and his successor was ap- pointed.
 The Examiners report is a damning | arraignment of Whatley. The Examiner declares that Whatley's conduct of his office was so outrageously bad that he had difficulty in finding language to fit- tingly describe it. He charges the former Probate Judge with systematic robbery, wrongful conversion and fra grant violation of the law.
 These frauds were committed upon the
 most helpless and deserving residents of
 the State. Alabama is able to pay pen
 sions only to the most needy. The Con-
 federate soldier who draws a pension,
 must be indigent and in need. He must
 have no other source of income, before
 his name is placed upon the pension roll. The widow of Confederate soldier must
 be in want before she can receive the
 slight assistance from the State. She must De utterly Qependent.
 These are the people whom Judge
 Whatley is accused of cooly and system atically robbfng. They are the helpless
 wards of the State, whose gratitude is
 shown them for their services and the services of their loved ones in the bloody times of the great war. These old sol diers and their widows receive but a pit tance, usually $1S.60 each year. And Judge Whatley Is charged with stealing enough of these pittances to amount to more than &, 900.
 He is charged with purposely suppress
 ing the death of pensioners, and forging their names to the warrants. One of the pensioners of Clay County was a paralitic,
 who wrote his name in tremulous lines In the Treasurers office they have a pen sion warrant intended for this old par alitic which he never received yet the
 warrant bears his tremulous signature
 cunningly forged.
 The picture the report of the Examiner draws is a pathetic one. It shows crip-
 pied old soldiers travelling many weary miles to the Probate office of Clay to col lect the small pitance due them from the State. They are told there that their warrants have not come. Again the weary journey is made with its fruitless result. The old soldiers, the widows are told by AzAe Probate Judge that their names must have been left oh the list in some gay. At that time the warrants
 have been paid and the money has been
 received by Judge Whatley.
 The Examiners report is as follows: Office State Examiner of Public Accounts, Montgomery, Ala, July 5, 1903. Hon. William D. Jelks, Governor: Dear Sir-In obedience to instructions received from the Chief Executive office, l have examined the books accounts and vouchers of M. w. Whatley, former
 Judge of Probate for Clay County, with special reference to the manner in which he has handled the pension warrants
 sent him by the State Auditor for de- livery to the persons entitled to receive
 them. and in whose favor they were : drawn. and bg leave to submit the, fol- lowing report:
 In making this investigation I had to summon before me and examine many witnesses and in many instances take down in writing their sworn statements The testimony of these witnesses reveals
 a state of affairs so outrageously bad,
 that I have difficulty in finding language
 to fitly describe it. Notwithstanding
 Judge Whatley's claim of having done
 more for the ex-Confederate soldier than any other man or set Of men in Clav