Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-02-21
THE WEBER MATTER.
superintendent Mayfield's OFF,
cial Report.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
EyEcnTIVE DEPARTMENT,


school commissioners are required
to report to the State Superiuten-
dent of Education by the 1st day
of October of each year, among
other things the amount OF money
collected and expended for schools
during the year.
On the 3rd day of October, 1898
John L. Weber, as school commits
sioner for Charleston County flee
his annual report with me, which
showed expenditures for the yeal
to be in excess of the receipts
Being dissatisfied with the report
I souhht an explanation. Mr.. We
ber had resigned and left the State
to accept position in Trinity Col
lege, located at Durham, N. c., ano
F. Horton Colcock had been ap'
pointed by you as his successor
Mr.. Colcock was unable. from the
records in his Office, to explain the
discrepancy. I, therefore, prepared
blanks and sent them to the school
trustees of that county for the
purpose Of obtaining the desired
information. In making up these
reports discrepancy was discover,
ed in one of the school warrants
I have made personal exami-
nation of the school commission
er's office and find that this partl-
cular warrant has been raised from
$7.e5 to $97.65 by inserting the
figure 9 in the margin in front OF
the figure 6, and writing the word
ninety in front of the word seven
in the body of the warrant. |
also find other warrants that have
been raised and others that were
issued for labor not performed,
and for school supplies and furni-
ture that were not furnished.
The warrant for $7.65, raised to
$97. 7.95, above referred to, is made
payable to Isaac Hammond or or
der" The correctness of the claim
is sworn to by him before the
chairman of the board of school
trustees issuing it, aud both of them
say the warrant was issued for 81,
65 and that was the amount &C
tually due. Isaac Hammond is a
merchant of good financial stan
ding and reputation, and engaged
in business in Broad street, in the
CITY of Charleston. lie says that
he turned the claim over to Mr..
Weber to be countersigned by him
as school commissioner and that
Mr.. Weber brought him $7.65 in
cash, the amount due him. The
warrant was certainly raised before
it was presented to the county
treasurer, Geo. H. Walter, fo' pay
ment, for it was paid by him with
a check drawn in favor of Isaac
Hammond or order" for $97.95.
The check was presented to and
paid by the Charleston Bank. Isaac
Hammond's name being endorsed
OH the back of the check. The
teller of the bank, who paid the
money, endorsed on the back OF
the check in blue pencil that ne
had paid it to John L. Weber
Mr.. Hammond says that the en-
dorsement of his name on the back
of the check is forgery, and the
expert of the bank say it's not
his signature. The changes in the
warrant appear to be in the hand
writing of Mr.. Weber. There was
issued payable to Isaac Hammond
or order" another school warrant
for Sc, which was raised to $3.50
This warrant took very much the
same cause as the one above refer
red to and the changes in it appear
to be in Mr.. Weber's hand.
The report then states that in
1892 Mr.. Weber received $3.50 for
the purpose Of holding joint teach
er's institutes for Charleston, Ber-
kelly and Colleton Counties, and
that he expended but $2l5 tor
these purposes, leaving $l4o IN his
hands unaccounted for.
That in 1898 another such lnsti-
tute was held, for the purposes OF
which Mr.. Weber received $3l5
and expended only $3.50, leaving
$S5 unaccounted for.
Mr.. Weber ran an account with
Messes Walker, Evans & Cogswell,
on which he had charged the arti-
cles he purchased for his own pri-
vate use, also those he purchased
for his own use as school COM
missioner, and also those he pur-