St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-11-01
Communicated.
A REMARKABLE VERDICT.

During the years 1880 and 1881
the School Board of st. Tammany
parish received various complaints
from parties holding warrants on
j. o. Poole, Treasurer of the Par
ish School funds. The Board, to
investigate the matter, appointed
several committees. to demand
statements OF Mr.. Poole, in accord
ance with law, with reference to
the cause Of the complaints above
mentioned. He refused TO allow
the committees to examine his
books, and failed to make the
statements required.
The Grand Jury of the Parish,
after considerable trouble, obtain
ed Mr.. Poole's books, and an exam
ination of them showed over $l10U
due the school fund and unac-
counted for. The law requires the
Treasurer to keep these funds on
hand, and makes it q felony for
him to appropriate. loan, or even
to deposit them. The Grand Jury
then asked Mr.. Poole for an ex.
hibit of the money. and he stated
that it was deposited with his COM
mission merchant, MIR. Buckner, of
New Orleans. They requested him
to get the money and make an ex-
hibit, which he refused to do. The
Grand jury then wrote to Mr..
Buckner, to ascertain what amount
MIR. Poole had entrusted to him.
In reply. Mr.. Buckner stated. mot
one cent Mr.. Poole was then in
dicted for embezzlement. The Gov
ernor suspended him from office,
and apo nted Mr.. W. G. Warren
as his successor. MIR. Warren de-
manded tue books and funds of
MIR. Poole. but they We're refused
him.
During the first succeeding term
of Court, Mr.. Poole obtained u con
tinuance of his case, on his own at
tidavit of the absence of witnesses.
At II meeting of the School Board,
Mr.. Poole acknowledged defalcu-
ton of $133S 81, and costs, and
promised payment in installments.
When tue next jury term of Court
arrived, MIR. Poole plead for mercy
of the School Board, and promised
to make good the amount stolen,
If they would gran. him a little
time. The Board granted him the
time required, on condition that he
would meet them with bis books
aud fix the amount due, and grant
y mortgage on the properties of his
sureties to secure the money en-
bezzled. MIR. Poole then induced
his sureties to confess judgment
Jointly with him for the total
amount due. He signed confess
sion of judgment, and in open
Court. Oh his own confession, he
was adjudged to have appropriated
Sl33S 62. with costs, of money set
apart to educate the poor children
of our parish. One of his sureties
made the first payment due, and
Mr.. Poole entirely neglected to
make any subsequent payment.
Another of bis sureties { Mr.. J. Nj.
Allison was compelled to pay his
proportion of the judgment; still
another was sold out by the Shsr-
If. and the property of fourth is
now under seizure.
This indictment against Mr..
Poole finally came up for trial in
the District Court on Friday, Oc-
tober 18th. Instead of fairly meet
ing the issue, MIR. Poole exhausted
the ingenuity of his able counsel in
trying to avoid a trial. Every tech
nicality known to the law was
brought to bear upon the case.
When these failed, bis friends tried
to corrupt and influence the Jurors,
and two Of them are to answer at
the next term of Court for tamper-
ing with the jury. Finally, how
ever, the jury was impaneled and
the case tried. The State showed,
by the evidence of witnesses, and
Mr.. Poole's oDn confession ofjudg-
ment, that between the month of
November, 1880, and the month of
February. 1881, he (Poole) had re-
ceived $l33S 81 of the Public
School money, and failed to &C
count for the same or to pay it
over to his successor in office. He
did not introduce single uitness to
rebut the testimony brought against
him by tho State
The Judge pro tenn, Hon. o P.
then read the law to the
ury, and explained to them that
'he receipt of public money. and
,he failure to account for or pay
'ver the same. constituted the
rhine of embezzlement. The case
Vas then submitted to tie jury.
md they retired to deliberate.
The guilt of the accused had been
proved beyond the shadow of a
iouht. He had confessed it in the
most solemn manner. and his sure.