The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-16

receipts at the gates after c D. nn., a settlement had to bo made at D. ru. and again at the close about midnight. At these settlements. Mir. Blskey came along and took up the cash and all un- used tickets, and I took up the tickets that had been used. taking them out of the boxes as each gate. and placing them in packages. marking thereon the name of gate, and from what hour to the hour of taking up--for instance. from opening in the morning to p. m. and from ?. m. to close.
 Made Detailed Report.
 "After the Fair was over, Mir. Van diver requested me to count these used tickets which I had taken up, and make detailed report, which I d;d. After this report was filed. Mir. Biakey, as soon as he had finished his report, gave me 8 copy and filed the report with Mr. Vandiver. there being very little difference between what cash Mir Blakey had and the used tickets which had taken up each day--that is. the cash turned over. and the amount Of cash which the used tickets called for, were about the same.
 Mir. Biakey. to the best of my recol- lection. had four or five dollars more money than had tickets. Some of the tickets. in the rush at the gates, were badly torn, so I only eoNnted the num-
 
 the same, I asked Mir. Vandiver if I must so over and count the tickets again. He said the amount was so close. and as the money received was in excess of tickets on hand there would be no need of recounting. It took me several weeks after the Fair to count these tickets. as I could, only give them my time at night, my wife and mother=fn-law helping me.
 The auditor is charging the ticket department with the invoice of tickets as billed out by the printer. I receiv- ed two boxes of tickets, to the best of my recollection, and they were opened in Vandiver & Co.'S office and kept un- der lock and key until after the Fair was over. Those unsued were then placed in boxes and nailed up. These tickets came in rolls of one thousand to the roll. As we changed color of tickets each day, I would bring the unbroken rolls back each night and left them at home under lock, going by Vandiver 6 Co,e the next morning and getting a different color for the new day's business. These tickets were kept under lock and key in Mir. vandivers office until after the close of the Fair. asked several times, who was to get the leftover tickets, and Mir. vandiver said. Just hold them; that they would be turned over when called for
 '''At the beginning of the ensuing Fair --the Fair of 1S07---the leftover tickets in the boxes at vandiver & Co.'s store were turned over to Mir. Cole; also, Mir. Vandiver sent Mir. Black tip to his house where I had kept the unbroken rolls of tickets left over from each day. and he got what was left there. had taken no record of the tickets that were left there. for the reason that as I made my report, and 1t checked cor rect with Mir Blakey's, never thought more of 1t. and was very much sur prised when I received joint letter addressed to the President and all of- icerB of the Fair, calling attention to the report of the auditor. then called tor my report, which MT, Black tMr. Vandiver's secretary) says was deliv- cred to Mir. Hewlett, who was then in charge of affairs, but same has not yet come to light. This report of mine. with the one aled by Mir. Blalxey. will give everything in detail.
 Handled No Money.
 T did not handle one cent of the gate receipts. neither did I have any ing to do with making settlements with ticket-selleFs. My duty was to issue the new tickets every morning and take out of the boxes'at night the tickets that had been used. No broken rolls from tha day before were used the next day as we used different color of ticket each day
 Had I known that the auditor wanted these tickets, or would want them. he could have had the unused tickets turned over long ago. when would have been able to check them over. Now, at this late date. the audi tor calls for them. after fifteen months have escaped. and after his company has received what. I had left over from the ones I had received, getting them just before the last Fair. when had no opportunity to count them.
 The portion of the unsold tickets taken up by Mir. Blakey (being the broken rollsl were never turned over to me. as I had no use for them and did not think 1t my duty to bother with them further.
 '%rhe foregoing shows all that had to do with the matter. shall be glad to aid the committee all that I can in making an investigation of all these transactions with which I had any connection. Yours truly,
 "I4 E. Whitfield"
 Mir. BIakey's Reply.
 "Editor The Advertiser:
 +I humbly request you will do me the justice to give the following lines space in your valuable paper, as I know your usual fairness will prompt you to grant my request.
 '1 read with considerable mortifica- tion an article contained in your issue of the 18th. bearing on the conduct of