The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-11-20
AN ACCOUNTING DEMANDED OF
FUNDS HE HANDLED WHILE
GOVERNOR.
LARGE AMOUNT IS CLAIMED
Defunct Mississippi Bank G. Trust
Co. is Made Party to the Suit. Con-
tingent Fund viii be Chief Point of
The Attack
The Attack.

Suit was filed in the Kinds county
chancery court Saturday afternoon by
Attorney General S. S. Hudson to com
pei an accounting for the various trust
funds placed in the keeping of ex-Gov.
!. K. Vardaman during his term of .
office from 1903 to 1908, inclusive.
The bill alleges that when ex-Goy. |
Vardaman retired from office he left
various funds, amounting to several |
thousand dollars. unaccouuted For, and |
demands that he como into oout and
give a businoss-li1-a accounting for
same.
The Mississippi Han', & Trust com
pany now dcfunct, the institution in
which Mr.. Vardaman kept his per
sonal and official deposits while GOV
ernor, is made co-defendant in the
case.
Attorney General S. s., Hudson has
associated with him in the prosecu-
tion Judge L. Brame, a prominent
member of the Jackson bar.
The various fund for which ac-
counting Is demanded are the contin.
gent fund, the Spanish-American war
fund, the Meridian cyclone relief fund,
and a deposit of s2.O9S45 with the
Mississippi Bank e Trust company
and $1,7f0.33 with the Merchants Bank
&, Trust Company, interest on back
dated bonds.
It is also alleged that Mr. Vardaman
made numerous over-charges and
double-charges in rendering expense
accounts for visits to state institutions.
that he mixed mp public moneys with
his private bank accounts. and is in
debted to the state of Mississippi in a
large sum Of money for which he
should be required to make payment
into the state treasury.
The bill of complaint is a lengthy
document, consisting of over thirty
typewriter pages, and goes thorough
ly into the history of the various funds
which, it is alleged We're misused. mis-
applied or unaccounted for by Mr..
Vardaman during his term as COVER
nor.
The filing of the suit took place
shortly after o'clock. Under the
Mississippi statutes an institution in
the hands OF receiver cannot be sued
without the consent OF the court On
presentation Of the general averment,
Chancellor Lyell signed an order per
mitting the State of Mississippi to
make the receivers OF the Mississippi
Bank e. Trust company co-defendants
in the case.
The bill AYERS on information and
belief that the state, through its leg
islative committees and through State
Accountant c. !. Moore, has made re-
peated efforts to secure an accounting
from Mr.. Vardaman and has wholly
failed.
The alleged Irregularities in con
nection with the battleship silver
service fund, which were freely dis
cussed during the recent political cam
paign, are not mentioned in the bill
because of the fact that the fund in
question was not, strictly speaking, a
state account being in the nature OF
! private contributions for a patriotic
purpose.
1t is averred that the books of the
Mississippi Bank &c Trust company
t now in the hands of receivers, contain
| certain important evidence on behal
: of the state: that the state accountan
: has been refused access to these
$ books, and it is vital that they b'
: brought into court.
e Discussing the case Judge Brame
D who drew the bill said:
n "The suit is brought in the Chano
n CONTINUED on page four.)
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