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BID WELL SHORTAGE IS ,203. Kentucky State Racing Commission Delves Into Missing Secretarys Accounts. Lexington, Ky., September 5. The Kentucky State Racing Commission, at a meeting today, with Chairman E. F. Clay. Vice-chairman Milton Young and Maj. F. A. Daingerfield present, found that the missing former secretary. W. E. Bidwell. is short ,203. The following statement, signed by Secretary J. P. Johnston, was given to the press: "The Kentucky State Racing Commission, at its meeting today, took up W. E. Bidwells account as secretary of the commission and from the report of the auditing committee and from the bank books, cash book, license stud books and other data in tho office, found there was a shortage in Mr. Bidwells accounts of ,203. At the time Mr. Bidwell was elected secretary ho was directed by the commission to give bond in the sum of ,000 for the faithful performance of his duties. Mr. Bidwell applied to a bonding company for the bond and so advised the commission. He put the commission off several times by reporting that he had boon delayed lit some way in securing the bond. There Is correspondence In the office which shows Mr. Bidwell did make efforts to obtain the bond and this correspondence extends over several months. Mr. Bidwell finally reported that on June 15. 1911., that he waa going cast and would at that time procure a bond with personal security, which, however, was not done, as Mr. Bidwell has not been scon or heard from since June 14, 1911." Chairman Clay supplemented this statement br explaining that Bidwells shortage consists in tho main of moneys collected from trainers and jockeys for licenses. "We found." said Chairman Clay, "bv checking up tho applications for licenses against the stubs in the license books that ,300 had been received by Mr. Bidwell from this source and that ho had failed to deposit In the bank ,003 of it. Tho other CO of the shortage was from the payments made as subscription fees to the Kentucky Endurance Stakes. This also Mr. Bidwell had failed; to deposit. Ho was short no money that had been put into the bank, since ho was not able to draw from the bank without having the check countersigned by the chairman. At our last meeting wo had not cheeked up the stub books and we had no idea that the shortage was as large as it Is. t presumed at that time that we owed him in salary a little over 30 and that this amount would cover it, but we now find that there was no salary duo him. he having duplicated his pay for three months. In looking Into the correspondence relative to tho bond that was not given. I find that the bonding company to which Mr. Bidwell had applied was not able to get satisfactory information of his life back of the five years he had leen in Kentucky." Chairman Clay appointed Messrs. Yomig and Daingerfield a committee to select the ,000 gold cup for tho Kentucky Endurance, Stakes. The next meeting of the commission will be held Thursday. September 14, the opening day of the fall meeting here,
