The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-06-23
PLAYING PENSION AGENT
NEGRO PREACHER CONVICTED IN
 FEDERAL COURT.
He Traded Upon nltterncy and super- stftfon of Four Ex-sIaves, Aided by ~voodOo Doctor',--Indfan
 Passed Had Money.

DOC Blalock alias Reverend Parks, negro, who was convicted of imper sonating government pension agen and swindling ex-slaves. revealed remarkable story of negro illiterac.
 and negro depravity.
 students of the race problem nigh
 have found food for reflection in thu testimony of four hoary headed. simple
 minded, venerable negroes that Bla
 centuries ahead of them in intelligenc, and shrewdness, had traded upon theil
 ignorance and had done it in man. ner that showed his knqwledge .S S iiliterate of his people;
 Again. it was developed' that hart sy Montgomery with all G1 It's prSS ptS .'voodoo doctor" relic of African bar upon the illiteracy of those .selfsam.
 The chief witnesses against Blalocl was Sim Fuller, Peyton Henry, Burwei typical ante beii1m negroes with all of the humility. all of the devotion tc their old masters that characterize tho type. Their ages were from sixty-five to eighty-five years. Old man Fulle, testified in fact that he had no way of keeping the record of his age.
 T spec Tse gwine on sixty" said the old negro. Tt were put down in ole missus Bible but ole missus she done udtu ibHS tllUt.
 Briefly the story told by the fout negroes-and each corroborated tho other-was that Blalock had appeared in their community, near Kennadyville about four miles north of Montgomery and had proposed to get them pensions from the government. Blalock made a deep impression upon their minds by wearing a soldiers campaign hat with crossed guns upon 1t. He reached the community few days after the aO1a fr1 prn cry and told the negroes that he had been left here by the Boer war. with four others, to act as agents of "old man Sam" to get pensions for all of the old people of the black race. He said he came here from 'the White House" and he would send the pension along in fifteen days if the old men would give him fifty cents each. It appeared that the poor old negroes came near falling over themselves to get to Bialock with their money, all except old man West who had only twenty-five cents. Blalock took this saying that he would not get his pen sion as soon as the others.
 Peyton Henley, Burweli West and Perry Shuler. who is very deaf and about eighty-fivc years old testified that they lived on the place of Mollie Johnson or Doctor Mollie," as she fig ured in the testimony. They said that Doctor Mollie" told fortunes on sun shine days" and that she was patron ized by many of the white people; in fact, they said her house was often crowded with visitors on "sunshiny days" They also told how Doctor Mollie" went into the woods to hunt for roots and yarbs."
 Blalock appeared at the home of the fortune teller one day in March. and, according to old man Burwell, he hung erroun' dar all day" His &C., tions became so suspicious that fin ally the old man said he told his com panion, old man Peyton Henry: Bet ter watch dat nigger Peyton, he's been dodgin' erroun' here all day an he's sho'ly up to something"
 Peyton Henry testified that when the evening came Blalock unfolded his scheme. He told the old men that he had been sent by "old man Sam" this section to look after the old peopls and get them pensions
 Doctor Mollie" performed some in- ,antations and said it was true.
 Did he say he had been sent by President Roosevelt?" asked the Dis trict Attorney.
 shaking his head dubiously.
 You know who President Roosevelt Is, don't your -e
 Nav sah-naw sah" again shaking
 He said he came from the White House didn't he?'
 ''Yaas sah."
 Well, do you know what the White House is?"
 T thought it was erbout lack de court house down here; I tole Burweil, 1t were a place of great authority. whar white gemen 'cided yer cases"
 And you gave this man 50 cents for ! pension?"
 ''Yaas sah' a broad smile breaking over his face. Oats 1t boss, dats It; I gin him de money cause he said he
 Did you get the pension?"
 The old negro broke into loud guffaw. instantly catching his sides az If struck with a twinge of rheumatism.
 Nav sah, you know l did mt git nuthin' ceppin what 1 git for comin' down here ter tell erbout it.
 Perry Shule was the most illiterate witness of the quartette. He asked permission to specify mahsef Tn his own way and when he left the witness stand the court, the lawyers and the jury knew little more of the transaction than they did before except that the old man had paid 30 cents to BIalock for a pension he did not get.
 Sim Fuller did not live with the 'voodoo doctor.' Ills home was about two miles distant from her place. He testified that he wouldn't buy a pension, put when Blalock produced a bottle buy erbout CT quarters wuth of it," which he did. Just after this transac- ton Deputy Sheriff Wilson came along and Blalock found himself in limbo.
 Blalock testified that he had a farm between Matthews and Cecil and had lived there twentytwo years. It took the jury just ten minutes to re- urn a verdict of guilty and Blalock will be sentenced today He has been n jail since he was arrested early in March.
 The trial of Blalock consumed all If the morning and at the afternoon session of the court Mort Longsight, Choctaw Indian, arrested on March 1S Or passing counterfeit money was rled and convicted
 Longsight passed a silver 50 cents piece on Dennis Williams, negro restaurant keeper on Bell Street. and mother on Grace Hartwell a negress who conducts a restaurant in West End. He was captured by Patrolmen and Wells.
 The Indian tried to prove an alibi. He aid he was reared In the Indian Ter
 tory, but being brick mason he lad come to Montgomery in January eeking employment. He will be sen enced today.
 The only case on the docket of the Inited States Court today is that of ohn C. BOwdoin, a farmer of Coffee 'ounty, charged with holding Ray lond Rhoda, young white man. in d ondition of servitude.