The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-14
EXPERTS ON STAND
 IN 0ILCASE
Say Stock Commissions Of Walker Oil To-
 tailed $692,784
POSTAL INSPECTOR
 ON WITNESS STAND
Repeated Demand For
 Audit Of Books Was Denied

Sensations came last III IeueIai court Saturday as the governments evidence against A. w. Walker, liar old Walker, Sidney Menasco and Hudmon Hopson, officers of the bankrupt Walker Consolidated Pe- troleum company, on trial. for al legged misuse of the mails in stock sales of $3,000,000, continued to unfold.
 NJ. K. Tull, an expert accountant testified that commissions on stock sales of the company tota1ed $692, 7S3.29 or A63 per cent, and that the company on March 31. 1921, faced a deficit oi S1 9JO.3 .353. which mounted monthly and reached S4,549,744 on April 30, 1922 Throughout this period, he said, the sale of stock continued.
 M. E. Stevens testified that the $l'- S1O.0 in added values placed on the company's books in 1921 covered land which in reality was worth only few thousand dollars.
 W. B. Davis, an attorney wpo saio he represented stockholders with share' which cost them $25O,OOO,r testlfied ht made repeated demands for an auoit ol | the company Ilhahclal cohu | were flatly refused.
 Inspector On Stand George Kline, veteran postal inspector who checked up on the companys oper | ations throughout the country, testlflet thai A. w. Walker and Hndmon hop con admitted to him they bought block of stock At S75 a share with the inten t;on of selling it at $150 share ant "pocketing the Hooper cent profit. Kline also told of investment com nanies organized in several states by the defendants ito conduct the stoct sales. and declared A. ". Walker agreed to pay Msnasco $25.OOO Tn casi if Menasco would take him to New York and introduce him to financia, firms that would help put through the merger of the Texhoma Oil com many with Walker Consolidated.
 "yarious other deals were brewing from time to time," Kline testified ''and my investigation, which was DC, gun in 1923, revealed that the case Haul many puzzling ramificahons'
 To all of this testimony, defense at torneys repeatedly interposed strenuous obiections, which usually were overruled by Judge Grubb. District Attorney Kennamer and Assistant Dlstrlct AL torney Jim c. Smith expect to rest the goyernment's case Monday afternoon, n sfter which the defense will put up 70 or more witnesses.
 Stockholders Testify
 More holders of the company's stocK, which they said was worthless, told their stories to the jury at Satufday session-the sixth day of the trial.
 Dr. W. T. Berry said he first invest cd S2OOO. Then he went to the com pany's fields and investigated :,
 "it looked like a gold mine to me; me, the doctor said, "so I invested Sl''ooo' I still have the stock
 | P. Burchfield told of buying stock to tbe extent of $29,000 "when every body I met on the street said IL was as good as gold"
 Gen. Louis V. Clarks testimony was to the effect that it was difficult to get A line on the condition of the com pany. despite it's published statements that it's stock was better than Dank stock"
 "Hudmon Hopson told me-" said Gen eral Clark. that there was nothing speculative about the companys stock: I offered to swap real estate valued at S25O .OOO for stock, provided he would let me name three men to go to Iexas and investigate the company, and that he would name three men to investigate my property. l could never get an in yestigation of the oil company started but Hopson finally offered to allow me S15OOOO in stock for my realty, which offer I declined"
 Statement Sought
 Fred Jackson testified he purchased S3.OOO of stock and later told A. w.: Walker he would invest an additional S5OOOO Eff he would show me a de- tailed financial statement" According to Jackson, he never got the state ment.
 Postal Inspector Kline and Auditor Tull, in their testimony, went fully into the alleged "high finance" methods em- ployed by the defendants. Full said when the deficit reached more than $4.OO0, 900, the defendants began to talk of floating bond issue, but were un- able to make headway.
 The case may go to the jury by next Saturday night, court officials said.