The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1911-07-07

made from three TO SIX years a. {
go. Mr.. Edwards testified that {
vouchers were taken from all
these items. / have set out at
Length the tesfiomny of Mr. Ed
wards before the committee with
reference 20 the manner in which,
the contingent fund account was
kept ami rhe extreme care Gov
arflor Varsiaman exercised IN
keeping the account properly
for Legislative examination Dir.
Edwards said:
Il wish TO say 10 the chair
man of this committee and to |
| the committee that without the !
| ori ginal stub book and the voneh |
ers TO personally inspect myself
for the purpose of refreshing my-
memory, it is impossible for me
10 make q correct statement OF
tHlS dctsfisili. stsfifit Vi i4tSt items
be gan March LIST. 1904 about six
Il ears have have elapsed, and. OF
course. il Is impossible Tor me
TO keep books IN my head.
wish 10 say further that while
/ was the private secretary OF
Governor Vardaman, that il was
\ uniform custom never varied
from, 50 far as my recollection
| goes now. TO take a receipt for
each warrant and all sums OF
money paid out of the executive
! cont ingent fund Governor Var
iaman was so careful about this
natfer that ne was, 1T seemed
TO me. continually and eteinally
nstructlng me TO be careful a
bout keeping the vouchers, and
tboltt having them all in one
place for the inspection OF the
| .egislat uf. | wish to state 10 the
? committee that vuOcher was at
/ all times taken for expenditures
and field in the Governor of
, | flee. | think that covers pretty
: fully what | wanted to say
But, notwithstanding Mr.. Ed
, | wards care in keeping the vUl-
Ichers for items. for tn following
items ON vouchers were on file
when we began our lnvestiga-
ton: Paid to Col. Street $1,000
for the relief of the Meridian
cyclone sufferers. explained by
/, Col. Street 5 public tatement that
he had received same. 1t is mat
ter of public knowledge that the
remainder of this fund of 5000.
, Or about $1,000 was spent b,
!, | Gov. Vardaman in Meridian the
first day ortwo after the cy-
clone, when he went over to Mei
Idlan I'M person, carrying with
him both convict and free labor
/ understand from Governor
Varaaanan that an itemized ac-
count Of his expenditures ON this
"trip was filed in the office, bnt
shat was also missing. The en-
tire white-cap fund of $500 was
without vouchers, on fiel when
I'VE began our Investigation. with
the exception of $1,000, foi
payable 10 payee. but, Through
: the efforts of Governor Varia-
man. who aided us in this work,
vouchers for 81. 157 SO were secul
ed and placed I'M the form of a
statement from the Pinkerton de
Elective agency.
The testimony OF Mr. Edwards
!. c0nvinees rs that vouchers were
taken for these amounts. Our
| knowledge of the business met
hods of that great agency con-
firm US in the belief that such
vouchers were sent to the Gov
ernors office. We know. as a
matter OF course, that at one
inc these P,nkerton vouchers
were on ..is in the Governor
i ,ffice. They are gone now. af-
ter six wears. Nor does the fact
hat such vouchers are gone. af-
er so long time has elapsed.
brow suspicion on any one, but
they were gone when We began
,nr investigation and the very
best evidence ohtalnable shows
that they were AT one time on
file Is it not then natural then
TO presume that the other voneh
ars missing. amounting in sum
ltctal TO less than the Pinkerton
vouchers, disappeared from the
; Governor 5 office ian the same
manner that the Rinkerton YOU
cheers Disappeared
OF the $2.72l27 for which
the accountants report states
there is no explanation except
oral testimony. 1910. as marked