The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-22
HE Observation-Disclosures
EFFINGHAM ACADEMY'S TREAS
URER OVER THE GOALS.

A. f. Rain Charged With an $500
Shortage in His Accountable Board
Of Commissioners investigating the
Charge-The Board IN Possession of
all the Treasurers Books Except
One, and that Cannot Be Accounted
For-The Academy's History.
Another school squabble seems to be i'm
minent in Effingham county. 1t is claimed
by members of the Efingham Academy
Board of Commissioners, Of Springfield,
that its Treasurer, A. +. Rain, is short in
his accounts to an amount approximating
$500. Col. E. Bird, of Guyton, and A. j.
Shearouse, Clerk of the Superior Court of
Effingham county, both members OF the
Board of Commissioners were in Savannah
last week consulting counsel as to what steps
are necessary to bring about an adjudica-
ton of the claim.
IL is said that the board has possession of
the books or rather all but one, which it is
said that Treasurer Rain is unable to &C
count for, and he is also unable to account
for his bond.
IL is also stated that when the grand jury
last examined the Treasurer's accounts, a
balance was duly reported, which the jury
assumed was correct, and when the board
wanted to lend the money out, Mr.. Rain
informed the Commissioners that there was
no such balance in the treasury, but that
he had borrowed it, or used it himself, and
was paying 10 per cent. interest on it.
no RIGHT TO THE MONEY.
The trustees claim that the Treasurer was
not authorized by the board to use the
money, that they have no obligation for it
has l. ! II
record of the loan That when an effort
was made to settle the matter Treasurer
Rain proposed executing his note for the
shortage but refused to give any security
for its payment, and characterized the
claim as persecution to unfayorably in
fiuence the people and prevent his re-elec-
ton as Ordinary of the county, which po-
sition he now holds
Effinghani Academy is one of the old and
historic educational institutions Of the
State, and is the alma mater Of many who
have won distinction in the professional
walks of life Hon. Rufus +. Lester is one
of the graduates of this institution. Before
the war it had very fine chemical labora-
tory, and was a seat of classical learning
for Southeastern Georgia, South Carolina
and Florida. 1t met with heavy financial
losses during the war, and now is little
better than an ordinary district school,
never having been able to recover its lost
prestige.
AN ANCIENT INSTITUTION.
1t was endowed by an act of the Legisla-
ture bearing date Of Dec. 20, 1902 and in
corporated December, 1909, with Thomas
Polhill, John &. Kogler Christian Trewt-
lin, William Bird and George G. Rowland
as trustees The act provided for filling
the vacancies by an election by the Legisla-
ture.
Efingham Academy, like other institu-
tions of the kind, received an endowment
of 81 900, confiscated property or land. This
'con1scated property" as it was termed,
was distributed among the different coun-
ties where academies were located, and was
original y the property of Tories.
In 1920 supplemental legislation gave the
grand jury of the Efingham Superior
Court the power to elect trustees to fill
vacancies, provided for the Treasurer to
give bond and made it the duty of the
Superior Court grand juries to examine the
books, vouchers and accounts Of the secre-
tary and treasurer and further provided
for bringing the result of the Investigations
to the ScndtuS AcddemicuS, or Georgia
State Senate
In 1871 amendatory legislation was had,
changing the title Of TIE board from trus-
tees to commissioners.
The present balance that is, or should be,
to the credit of the academy is the proceeds
of the sale of the lands coniiscated from
the Tories under the act of 1909.