The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-25
DAY
 FOR BIRMINGHAM
 MEN AT CAPITAL
CONTINUED FROM PAGE D

CONTINUED FROM PAGE D The invoice price on the same which the city paid was s12.50 per ton. I looked up the voucher in question and found also that the weight was padded. as compared with the weights shipped, which Mir. Guerry gave me. I at once sought an audience with Mayor Exum and brought MT. Guerry before him and the facts were related to him. The voucher for this hay had passed through the entire channel for payment and had been approved by all authorities, with the exception that the difference between the invoice weight and the actual weight plus l per cent of the invoice weight had been deducted by me. Mir. Loner- gan was sent for by the Mayor and he put the entire blame on MT. Dean. MT Guerry took the matter up with MT. W. c. Agee, former grain dealer of Bir- mingham and former president of the --irmingham Grain Exchange, and Mir Agee, with members of the Grain EX- change, had a conference with the Mayor, the details of which these gentlemen will furnish.
 "I immediately looked into all the transactions between MT. Dean and the city and obtained list of discrepan- cies in weights and MT. Exum was ad vised of the facts relating to the short ages by MT. E. Wilkerson.
 The warrant for the car shipped by Guerry. together with warrants for two other cars. all three having been authorized for payment, had not been delivered. and about a week after the first mentioned conference I brought all the vouchers pertaining to all bus mess transacted between the said Hen ry Dean and the city of Birmingham into the mayors office. asking him if anything had been done in the Dean matter, to which he replied. You let me handle that. will you
 "On account of the financial condi- ton of the city of Birmingham. I was at that time under the mayors orders not to pay any bills and the said three warrants were under that ban. Sub sequently the mayor requested me to furnish him a list in writing of all past due warrants up to and includ- ing December business that had been withheld This list was furnished him and included the said warrants and a few days afterward he instructed me to pay them.
 Upon making up the list of dis crepancies in the Dean transactions, I took steps to put myself in communi- cation with the shippers of all these cars, and succeeded in obtaining in formation enough to write the mayor the following letter:
 "'February IT, 1911. Hon. c. Exum. Mayor. City.
 "'Dear Sir-In the matter of the bus ines stransactions between Henry T. Dean in the name of the American Trust and Savings bank and the city of Birmingham. I am now in position to state that the city has been system- atically robbed.
 ,+e, you instructed me to pay some days ago included three for above party, . now respectfully recommend that you instruct me to withhold same pend ing a full investigation in the prem ises by the courts. Yours very truly,
 "'C. s. PETERSEN.
 "'City Auditor
 T received his reply thereto as fol- lows:
 "'February 20, 1911. ".C. S. Petersen, City Auditor.
 "Dear Sir--I have yours of Febru- ary 17 in re Henry T. Dean and the American Trust and Savings bank.
 "'You are hereby directed to fur nish me in writing in person any and all informa tion you have to substan- tiate the charges you make. and do this at once. C. EAUM,
 "'Mayor.'
 "In response to this letter delivered to him the following:
 February 20, 1911. Hon. c. Exum, Mayor, City:
 Dear Sir-In re my charges that Henry T. Dean has been systematically robbing the city of Birmingham, the vouchers, etc., pertaining thereto being in the name of the American Trust and Savings bank. Immediately upon receipt of yours Of even date, I set myself in motion to ob- tain such evidence as I based my charges on but same is not now obtainable, as 1t has temporarily passed out of my hands in further investigation of this unfortu- nate business.
 T will have all the evidence gained up to the present time with further accumu- lations in few days and will then lay d copy thereof before you Yours very respectfully, "C. s. PETERSEN, "City Auditor"
 '1he Mayor censured me vigorously for having made this investigation and said to me I might as well talk plain to you; you have got to line up or hand me your resignation He then dismissed me, tell ing me that he would give me time to take my choice between those two alter natives He instructed me that must bring all other irregular matters before him and not confer with any one else. On February 22 I laid before Mir. Exurn information that I had learned that one of the cars of hay bought from Mr. Dean was of lower and cheaper grade than shown by the invoice rendered, which had already been paid. The Mayor then directed me to go ahead and pay i-.e three warrants above mentioned. Again on February p the following letter was handed Mayor Exum: T February 21. 1911. Hon. c. Exum Mayor, City:
 Dear Sir-1n pursuance of your f in structions to bring all irregular matters to you first, l beg to advise you as fol- lows:
 Tn October. 1908. the City Council of Birmingham elected city clerk, city