The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-29
"a. Assembled at Order of the Governor. INVESTIGATE ACCOUNTS OF
 HE SECOND REGIMEN Picturesque Military Sitting fos the Hearing. Examiner Breeke Alleges Vouchers shsw Exbesaissr. ef Money for Many sssseella.esus Item. Not Necessary.
 

Assembled at the order of Governor Conner the court ofinaniry for the inc vestigation composed of Gen. Louis V. Clark, brigade commander, Gen Rob- ert F. LiEon. Inspector General of slss State, and Col. ". H. Mckleroy of Anniston. Colonel of the ard Regiment, convened Thursday morning at t0:4k o'clock in the Senate Chamber of the State Capitol to begin work.
 Preliminary to the placing ef witt nesses on the stand. the court after the selection of . recorder. Major A. C.. Sexton of the brigade staff. L. S. Green and John croweii. of the Mont- gomefy Blues as orderlies, the court adjourned to an afternoon session be- ginning at ! o'clock in order that the members might familiarize themselves with the substance of the report of H. Y. Brooke, assistant State Examiner of Public Accounts. It is on the basis of thIs report that Col. c. R. Bricken of the 2nd Regiment, A. N. G.. re~ qnested Governor Conner to call court of inquiry --k
 :. The members Of the court are In full dress uniform with their side arms. and present brilliant appearance. The recorder Ia also in full uniform a1 are the ordsriies. Major Ben F. Noble ck the cavalry squadron and Capt '. Hunt Taylor, coFnmlsenry of the 2nd Regiment. are In attendance in full uniform. Colonel Bricken sat In the room with the court. Adjutant cen- eral Bibb Graves is also an interested spectafor.
 >s6. Reieefed Vouchers.
 In his report, Assistant State Exam iner Brooke rejects vouchers for leoe or. making a total of ei,le1.55 whieh he declares were expended for wnih- key, beer. floral designs, carriage hi.e, printing programs for a ball. and oth- CT items which he says are not proper eharres arainst the states military ap- negotiations. The examiner says that these expenses were incurred while tho regiment was at Selma. Mir. BFooke holds that Col. e. R.. BFicken is due Che State on these accounts el.1tp.sx. Tn addition 10 the Selma ifsms tne exa1ainer critieisea azpendisures by coSoaeE Bffckdn while in eusnanafd of inc rife rapRe at pAr rllse, tAp relecks fafNk f6f Seer wtilHiE&f and ba thing suits. and charges colonel srseksn Fith
 1t is also charged By the examinsr that vouchers amounting to ssoe Tor armory rent on account of the cons pany et Luverne were notsproperly ex-' m reply to the charges of Examiner Rrooite. Coionei Brfcken In letter to 5overnorl Conner states that in lsee ne received in two remittanees the sum of 93.S78.ss and that the amount paa1 a out for expenses of the camp of 1906 Amounted to S3,sTs12, sls7.2e more than whs received from the State and which was paid from a private sourea. FnFfher. that the account Of the lSve Ancampment was examined, audited and approved by former adminiHtra- tion. A.. ther states that the amount received from the state appropriation Tor tne srramng1ent of 1907 was e3,S0a.ss. and that the total amount paid out by the regiment was ss.e93.5e. $Sss.eS more than was received. This excess was also naid by private purse. and covers the principal items obJectca 10 ih "t; Rrooke,s statement. ..... S.or inc rifle practice at Daphne during August. 1901, sLoee was 5S caived from the State, and sl,f4S.ss yaia out, the differences being paid bv the Adjutant General out Of the Federal fund.
 Colonel Briekep states most empnAt- icaiIy in hIs letter to Governor Cotoet: CT deasre 10 add that at no time anu r,,,ar no conditions has any of the ststea funds been expended by me or my stan for spirituuus. vinousp or mais II0uors. The amounts 30 expenoea rave aiUrays been paid from c private 1,,nd and these Items should not have haer itciuded in the statement which ,wasg flied in the Adjutant Generaks offlce. and ask leave that ali items which were pald by funds from pri- vate sources and not by the state be stricken from the account or tn1t yve shall be permitted to withdraw inc game and file another account Eliminating them, Every expenditure tbat was made for my regiment. d. most without exception, was made Dy
 oV, stan, and I have their assurance tnat. there has never been dollar of the states money expended for the. purpose of spirituous. vinous or malt liquors.
 The Petsus FunernL
 "In conclusion, desire to state vy,tb reference to. Mir. Brooke,s state- U,ent about the two days pay amount ing to Nl,2l0.3e, that he surely was not serious in making the assertion; Colonel Bricken is due the state on voucher No. 4l200, the, sum of Sl,- 2fo.32.' For the facts are, that my regiment was ordered into service for two days by the commander n chief for the purpose of attending the fun eral of General Pettus. and for per- fecttnR ourselves in drtll. and for Een~ eraI encampment purposes"
 The letter further states that t cannot be seriously stated that Col onel Bricken owes the State tue amount that was paid to the regi. nent in pursuance to the orders of superior officers.
 Report veIumin09a.
 The report of Examiner Brooke covers expenditures of the 1st and End regiments and It is a yoiuminous docu- ment. covering. as t does, twenty eight closely written pages tof types. The report, however, is competed chiefly of exhibits and afiidayite.
 While the report says in the begin ming that 1t showing of the expen-' Iltures by tho Alabama National Guard from October l. 1905. to Jan uary 1 1908. no reference whatever is made Co the srd Regimsnt of infantry, which Is commanded by Col ". IT.. McSferoy, of Anniston.
 Examiner Brooke shows that Guar termasteF General B. l.. Holt, Of Montgomery, is due the state ei6s 37 for Vouchers drawn without warrant of law! He says General Holt ex- pended this money In payment Of It. al