The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-30
wILLrNGHAM IN SELMA.
Expressman Arrested As He Reaches
 Selma From Akron.

Expressman Arrested As He Reaches Selma From Akron.
 Advertiser Bureau. 1 Selma. July 29. After months of persistent work in trying to locate the source of the leak in the recent state examination papers. H. J. Wnlingham, Secretary of the State Examination Board, this morn ing was successful. As had been ex- pected for some weeks past, the source of the leak of the examination papers came from white man. But though a white man was responsible for the examination papers being sold in every lcounty of the state, be derived only an insignificant sum for the part which he took in the fraud.
 The white man arrested here this lmorning in connection with the school lexamination fraud, and who is the first white man arrested in the case. was George 4. Mayfield Mayfield was employed by the Southern Express ICompany and recently has been messen- ger on the Southern Railway train be- tween Selma and Akron. He was ar rested at the Union passenger station at noon today by Deputy Sheriff Cher ry on warrant sworn out by MT. Will Ilingham upon the arrival of the Akron train.
 Mir. willingham stated that he had a good case against MT. Mayfield and that the evidence was of the most tam gible sort. Mir. Willingham has been working upon the case against May field for the past few days and is proud lof the success which he has met with In the getting at the bottom of the school examination fraud.
 Previous to being employed as a mes lsenger between Selma and Akron, May field was employed as night agent at the office of the Southern Express Com lpany in Selma He was employed as might agent during the time that tho Iexaminatton papers were being sent to different counties from Montgomery. and while employed as night agent, made copies of the papers which were llater so widely distributed throughout 1.-the state.
 The arrest of George A. Mayfleld this lmorning Is the result of the arrest on Monday night of J. A. Walker. a negro ldriyer of a wagon for the Southern Ex- lpress Company. Walker was arrested
 on Monday night as being in some
 manner implicated in the school ex- lamination fraud and after his arrest on being subjected to drilling exami-
 nation said that MayfieId was the source of the leak in the examination lpapers.
 The method of the steal of the ex- animation questions and answers were told this afternoon by Secretary Will Bingham. Mir. Willingham has no doubt but that he Is right in the deductions
 which he has made and his theory is no doubt substantiated by a confess sion which 1t is believed that the negro driver Walker has made.
 Mir. Willingham on being interviewed said: J. A Walker the negro driver or the express wagon always met the Itrain at night on the Western Railway of Alabama from Montgomery, and after loading the wagon with the ex- press in company with the messenger would drive to the express office. where all matter was turned over to Mayfield. the night agent. During the night when school examination papers Icame, Mayfield would open one of the two packages addressed to the proper officials of Dallas County and would make copy of it. This copy he would Iturn over to the negro driver, Walker who would pay him s1o for 1t. Walker Tn turn would deliver the copy to W. R. McCord, negro school teacher and Ipreacher. McCord would then make any number of copies of the questions and answers and sell them to negroes throughout the state who wanted to examination.
 McCord is believed to have had dis. tributing agents in every county fin
 the State to sell the examination na- pers' Tnese agents after taking out
 tneir commissions would forward the remainder of the money to McCord After copying the examination pa. pers the night which he received them. Mayneld would neatly rehx the pack age containing them and the next
 morning they would be turned over
 in proper shape to the agent of tho
 ofice. The records of the ofice shows that these examination papers were delivered bright and early to the off, | tctals to whom they were addressed the morning after they had been re- | ceived.
 Mir. willingham states that he in no | way holds William Roberts, agent of | the Southern Express Company here, or any of the other employees of the ofiee in any way responsible for the | actions of Mayfield and the leakage of the examination papers.
 The negro Walker Is said to hava remarked that Mayfield had threatened | his life if he ever told anyone that he was connected with the steal of | the examination paper. Walker stated that one night when he entered the of- flee that Mayfeld had pulled out pistol from a drawer and tapping 1t l had told him that if any trouble ever arose from his stealing a copy of the | examination papers and he told what part he. Mayfield. had taken in the act that he would kill him with that |
 George A. Mayfield is 6 young man | about 25 years of age. Previous to his arrest to-day. he has been very we'll l thought of by the officials of the ex-
 press company and by those employed 1 in the office of that company here. 1 The charge against him and his ar- rest to-day was a great surprise to his many friends as the young man was we'll liked by all who knew him. He came to Selma about two years | age and his home is believed to be in 1 the northern part of the State. W. R. MeCord. the negro, to whom Mayheld sold the copy of the exami- nation papers, was arrested some | weeks ago or immediately after the l discovery of the fraud by the officials | in Montgomery. At the time of the | arrest of McCord seven or eight other
 negroes were arrested as being impli-
 cated in the examination fraud.
 The cases against all of the negroes
 were set to be heard in the court of
 Justice Gayle several weeks ago but have as yet never been heard. They ] were originally set for Friday after | their arrest. but from one reason and l another have been continued from Fri-
 day to Friday and are now set to be heard during the coming Friday. l When the day arrives, however, they | win probably be continued again. as \ raunfv Enlfeftor R IT. ManR1m ia at