The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-14
LEAK DISCOVERED
IN EXAMINATIONS
Big Rumpus Is Raised With
State Board of Health
QUESTIONS SOLD ON SIDE
Investigation Will Be Made of the
Matter as Several Persons Are
Aware of the Main Facts
In the Case.

! Jackson, Miss, May 1s-(special)-A
real live sensation was sprung on the
state board of health yesterday when 1t
became known that there had been a leak
somewhere and that the questions being
used on the examinations for applicants
to practice medicine in this state were In
the hands of many OF the applicants sew
eral hours in advance of the time in
| tended
| The consequence was that all questions
previously submitted by the board-those
| used on Tuesday as well as those intended
! for Wedne sday-were declared off and by
1 p. m. in the afternoon a new set of
81 questions had been submitted and tina
applicants put to work again.
1t was reported that several of the
| applicants refused to take the second
examination, but while a few did leave
the hall there was nothing like general
refusal to try on another set of questions.
1t soon became rumored about the cap
itol that DR.. w. w. Hickmon of Nox-
| upator, a member of the board, had let
out the information and when it came
up before the board he stated that he
had coached his brother, who was an
applicant, and it so happened that he
had put to him questions similar to those
propounded by the board on the examina-
| ton and he was very roundly censured.
The board of examiners had been in
formed that the questions had been
hawked about the city and offered for
sale at so per set-most of them being
Identical with the questions prepared by
h.
| lions.
On Tuesday night about u o'clock one
of the applicants, DIR. j. C. Johnson of
Meridian, called at the residence Of Dr.
S. E. McLain, secretary of the board, and
told him that the questions were being
offered for sale and he thought the board
should know it. DR.. McLain was loath
to believe the story and requested the
young man to present the evidence. Bright
and early next morning Dr. Johnson re-
turned to DR.. McLains home with a set
OF the questions and told where he got
them.
When the board had assembled at the
capitol at o'clock ready for the sec
ond day of the examination, the matter
was reported by Dr.. McLain and there
was very free discussion. Dr. Johnson
made a statement in the senate cham
| Der and In the house, declaring among
other things that he would not have a
license at the hands of the Mississippi
board of health on such an examination
| unless it could be had on a fair test.
| 1t developed that there was a good
| deal of feeling over the matter. The
young men who had secured the ques-
| tons and had intended to make use of
the knowledge thus acquired were wrathy
| and in the afternoon DR.. Johnson read
to the board and the student body a
kind of "black hand" letter he had Just
| received by special delivery and which
| was signed zone Hundred Applicants
| In that letter he was told he had bet
| ter get out of Jackson and quick at
| that. But the young doctor was not
| so easily frightened and stated to the
assembly that he was going from the
hall to his boarding house after adjourn
ment, that he would be there until this
| examination shall have been ended, and
that he would be the happiest man in
| the world to see them one at a time, or IN
| droves.
| Dr. Dickerson of Meridian. a member of
| the board of examiners here informed
| the young men who had sent the anony
| nous letter that the state board of health
was behind DR.. Johnson and President
! Coleman spoke up saying, yes and the
| state of Mississippi is behind the board
| Of health
| DR.. Coleman was seen by the reporter
| and asked what action, IL any, had been
| taken by the board in regard to the
matter. He stated that nothing had been
| done as yet but that something would
| be done they could not afford to let
such a matter go unrebuked. AS soon
| as the board got over their rush work
| they would take up the matter and try
| to sift it to the bottom.
| There is an impression in the minds
| of some that DR. Hickman did not give
| out all the information the young men
| had come in possession of and that there
| is probably another leak not yet fixed
| upon
| 1t is stated that crowd of young men
| had made up a pool of $500 to buy the
| questions and that they were getting their
| money back seliingasets of the questions
| at $40 each. There does not seem to
| be any doubt that the questions were
| offered for sale and that scores of the
] applicants were expecting to get the ben
| eft Of the information thus surrepti-
| tiously obtained when it came to answer
ing the questions given them on the writ
ter examination,
| The result of the investigation of this
| disgraeeful affair will be awaited with
| very keen interest
|
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