The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-16
GENERAL FERGUSON AN IMPORTAN--- WITNESS


 witness yesterday and while he occu- pied practically all the day in giv- ing testimony, he Was not the only individual subjected to the probe of the committed
 The first witness was Gen. Fred s. Ferguson of Birmingham, member Of the state pension board. The interest ing part of his testimony concerned the work of the committee in clearing the pension rolls of those who were nndeserving. He stated that from the rolls had been eliminated the names of 567 dead pensioners and that it was estimated that to these dead pension CTS the state had paid the sum of $200,000. He said, too that more than 600 deserters had been spotted and charges against them sustained. All other significant statement by tRe wit ness was to the effect that there were almost as many pensioners in Alabama today as Lee had soldiers at the Ap- pomattox surrender.
 The second witness was Frank ". Evans, former examiner of pubic ac- counts, who offered as evidence re- rorts made by him during his service of examinations into the office of c. H. Billingsley, former pure food and drug clerk, in whose books alleged dis crepancies have recently been un earthed.
 <AllOlllef Wll1eSS was w afQen llen1- ents of the Aldrich mines, who gave testimony regarding the treatment Of oonvicts leased by the state to indus trial corporations.
 The days session in detail eollows:
 The First Witnesses
 s. D. Weakley appeared before the committee with an invitation for the members to visit the home for delin- quent girls and the Boys Industrial school. The invitation was accepted.
 The first witness called was Gen. Fred s. Ferguson, member of the board of pension examiners. The witness testi- fled that he was appointed by Governor O'Neal, and was paid a salary of $200 per month out of the contingent fund. He testified that he was appointed by the board a committee of one to in- quire into fraudulent pension claims and was given a clerk, Miss Mary Bruce Moore, a schoolgirl. She was paid he said, s75, while her father, W. B. Moore, pension warrant clerk, was paid $100 per month. The witness swore that he thought pension warrant clerk a necessity. He outlined the duties of such clerk
 The Work Abandoned
 The witness tes Aied that Governor Henderson had recently instructed him to abandon the work of Investigating the records of Confederate veteihns and that 12 counties had not been eX- amined. He promised later to report tc the committee the number of pension CTS recently stricken from the rolls. He swore that as a result of his investi- gation, more than 567 names of dead pensioners, one of whom had beeen dead for 15 years, had been eliminated. He decalred that Judging from his investi- gations the south was whipped through the desertion of its unfaithful. He stated that from reports chich had reached him, the greatest fraud in pro- curing pensions was due to the activity of candidates for county offices wha wished to ingratiale themselves with certain elements of people
 Paying the Dead
 The witness testified that in his opin- ion a person, or persons, should bs constantly in charge of the pension trust fund, rather than the present board which sits for periods of only 15 days.
 He swore later that in his opinion the state had paid to pensioners who are dead about s200000 in four years also that cos deserters had been de- tected and charges against them sus- tained.
 He testified in conclusion that there are in Alabama now almost as many pensioners as Lee had soldiers at Ap- pomattox.
 Evans Takes Stand
 Capt. Frank V. Evans was the next witness. He testified that he was paic while examiner of public accounts 5, and expenses per day. He testified that he found the books at Spelgnel out of accord with the books at tht convict bureau office at the capitol.
 'I found" he said. "a shortage ol s26.000."
 MT. Evans then read to the commit tee a certified copy of report h, made to Governor O'Neal regarding the pure food department t191i-1e), ; report in which he found salaries illeg ally paid In the sum of $700o, an' made a recommendation that d checl be put upon the head of the depart nent in regard to procuring stamp. of various denominations.
 Too Much Money Found
 He made public another repori fl which he had found an oyerplu'