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BID WELL FAILS TO APPEAR KENTUCKY RACING COMMISSION CHOOSES J. PELHAM JOHNSTON AS SECRETARY. Opinion Entertained that Missing- Secretary Has Met with Misfortune and Is Dead Examination Shows Financial Accounts Straight. Lexington, Ky., August 23. The Kentucky State Racing Commission, with all five of Its members present, met at noon today here to investigate the mysterious absence of Secretary W. E. Bidwell. to declare the office vacant and elect his successor. Chairman E. F. Clay opened the meeting with a statement to J. N. Camden, F. A. Daingerfield, Milton Young and George J. Long to the effect that he had no tidings of or about Secretary Bidwell since he left the Havlin Hotel in Cincinnati Juue 14, saying that he was going to Canada to do some work in the Interest of the Kentucky Endurance Stakes. None oC the other members had heard anything later concerning the missing secretary. They had before them a statement of the condition of the eommisisons bank account furnished by the cashier of the Lexington City National Bank, showing that the account is practically intact and that if anything is missing It wns a small amount that may have been collected, by Mr. Bidwell in tho shape of fees for jockeys and trainers licenses. It was the sense of the commission that Mr. Bid-well had been overtaken somewhere by some misfortune and they seemed to bo unanimous in the opinion that the young man is dead. Tho situntion demanded that the office Iks declared vacant and J. Pelham Johnston, a young lawyer and son of Maj. P. P. Johnston, adjutant general for Kentucky and president of the National Trotting Association, wan elected secretary. He is well qualified and will make a competent official. The first thing the commission did on having the locksmith open the secretarys desk was to open one hundred or more letters that had acumulatert there since June 5. the date of the last meeting at which Secretary Bidwell was present, and go through them in order to get a list of the subscribers to tho Kentucky Endurance Stakes of four miles to b ran at Louisville October 7 and the lianles of the. horses that had been nominated by subscribers, tho subscriptions having closed Juno 1 and nominations July 15. The following were found to have been taken subscriptions in proper order: August Belmont. II. G. Bedwell. J. N. Camden. E. B. Cassatt, R. F. Carman, Mrs. N. B. Davis. John Dyment, J. G, Greener, Henderson and Hogan. S. C. Hildreth, W. 0. Jopliu, George J. Long. Mrs. May Lutz, Thomas Monahan, W. E. Nunn, George M. Odom, John W. Schorr. R. N. Smith and Co., and W. I. Weaver and Co. There was memoranda which indicated that Barney Schreiber and Wade McLemore may have taken subscriptions, so the commission, giving them the benefit of the doubt, instructed Secretary Johnston to make Inquiry of them by telegraph. The following nominations wero found to havo been made: August Belmont Watervale, Flint Rock and Trap Rock. . J. N. Camden Chester Krum, Cherryola and John Furlong. E. B. Cassatt Cintrella and Heatherbroom. Mrs. X. B. Davis Bad News II., School inarm and Wnterlako. John Dyment Chief Kee. Henderson and Hogan John Louis. Cisko and Ben Uncas. S. C. Hildreth Fitz Herbert, Zeus and Montgomery. George J. Long" Exemplar. Mrs. May Lutz Messenger Boy. Thomas Monahan Textile, Patou and Rockfield. W. Ev Nunn Royal Report. George M. Odom Fireman and Nimbus. John W. Schorr Ayluior, Star Charter and John Rcardon. R. N. Smith and Co. Governor Gray. W. I. Weaver and Co. Mark ie M. No nominations for the subscriptions of IT. G. Bed-well, R. F. Carman. J. G. Greener and W. O. Joplin were found, but the commission is satisfied that they may have been made and misplaced and inquiries have been sent to the subscribers with the expectation that answers will be received by Saturday.
