The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-02
TO BE TRIED BY BOARD
OF EDUCATION ON SEVENTEEN
DIFFERENT CHARGES.
FILED WITH SUPERINTENDENT MEBANE
Who Forwarded them 10 The Chairman with a
Letter. A Negro Preferred Charges
Against the Fusion Official.

into troublous waters Sometime ago
the record of the Fusion superintendent
of schools in Watauga county, was ex-
posed. and now A. NJ. Mates, holding a
like place in Vance county, must stand
trial before the County Board of Edu-
cation on seventeen different charges,
one of which is permitting his daughter
to learn the nature of an examination
beforehand, that she might thereby get
a first grade certificate. Mr.. Mates has
evidently succeeded in achieving for
himself truly typical Fusion record
The charges were preferred against
Mates before Superintendent Mebane,
by Thomas NJ. Pittman as attorney for
Samuel Brame. tcolored) The charges
are as follows:
/. Mates urged the appointment of his
daughter as teacher; when the commit
tee elected another he tried to induce l..
Il. Howard, secretary of the committee,
to falsify the records SO as to show the
election of his daughter. Howard re-
fused to do this and resigned his office
to escape such corrupt and dishonorable
solicitations. Witness: l.. Il. Howard.
2. Mates sought excuse to have Sam
uel Brame removed as a member of the
school committee of Henderson town
ship, because of his refusal to vote for
Miss Mates as teacher. Witness: Thos.
s. Eaton, Register of Deeds.
3. Mates tried to have himself elected
principal and his daughter first assistant,
anticipating the claims of other teach
ers who had been notified to present
their applications at later date. In aid
of his candidacy lie issued a first grade
certificate to himself. Witnesses: A.
w. Chandler, r. J. Marston, ID. b. Sat
terwhite, r. w. Currin and Samuel
Brame, who composed the Henderson
school committee at that time.
4. T. w. Currin was asked by Mates
to vote for him and his daughter, and
when he declined, was told by Mates:
"You We're appointed to do as you are
told" Currin therefore resigned. Wit
ness: Il. w. Currin.
5. Mates offered Currin ais a consid-
Grafton for his support of the candidacy
of himself and daughter that Currin' IS
daughter should receive first grade GER
tificate, even if she didn't answer a sin
gle question correctly on her examina-
ton. Offer was rejected. Witness: L.
w. Currin.
6. Mates then tried to have his daugh-
ter appointed teacher of public school
at Henderson cotton mills. He persuad-
ed two of the school committee to go
with him at 10 O'clock at night to the
tobacco barn of d. B. Satterwhite, and
the three present consented to having
Miss Mates teach the school. This
without meeting of the committee be-
ing called, and without notice to the
chairman and one other member of the
committee. Witness: A. w. Chandler,
II. j. Marston, d. B. Satterwhite and
Samuel Brame.
Z. The school committee then met and
declined to elect Miss Mates, where
upon Mates procured meeting of the
County Board of Educators and induced
that Board. /. To undertake to fix the
salaries of teachers in Vance county,
though the school committees had al
ready engaged teachers and fixed their
salaries; 2. To declare that Miss Mates
should teach the public school, near the
Henderson cotton mills. Witness: Il.
NJ. Holden, Chairman County Board of
Educators; Mrs. Mamie Il. Garden, prin-
cipal public school for white children
j. Y. Eaton, principal public school for
cOlored children; A. w. Chandler. chair
man school committee; II. j. Marston,
late secretary of school committee.
8. The next day. the Henderson school
committee in a duly called meeting re-
moved Miss Mates as teacher, where
upon Matics procured another meeting
Of the County Board of Education, who
accepted the resignation of Il. j. Mars
ton as member of the committee, he
declining to hold longer and submit to
the interference and intermeddling to
which the committee were being sub
jected by the Supervisor and the County
Board. The County Board then at
tempted to remove A. w. Chandler,
chairman, and Samuel Brame, without
notice, and so far as they have been
able to learn without charge or specifica-
ton. Witness: b. NJ. Holden, Il. j.
Marston, Samuel Brame.
8. That their successors have never
been recognized as members Of the Hen
derson School Board but that Chandler
and Brame continue to act. Several
witnesses.
10. Mates refused to sign a warrant
for the school fund in favor of Miss
Burroughs, regular teacher. for the
reason that there were no funds, he
having given an order for pay previously
to his daughter. Witness: Miss Bur
roughs, j. Il. Owen and Il. j. Marston
II. Matics tried to have himself elect
ed teacher in Sandy Creek township
and urged the colored members us a mat
ter Of politics they constituting a ma
jority Of the cOmmittee) to elect him
whether he was acceptable to the whites
or not. Witnesses: S. G. Satterwhite
Jas. Amos and the colored members OF
the school committee.
II. That after the abolition of the
third grade certificate, Mates tried Il
get the committee in Sandy Greek town
ship to elect young lady who held ;
third grade certificate. Witness: S., G
Satterwhite.
ID. After his daughter was defeated
as teacher Mates reduced the rating o
Miss Dora Ayscue, who taught TIT
school his daughter desired, from first t
second grade. Witnesses: Miss Avs
cue, Mrs. Garden, w. Il. Gary, A. I
Barnes, r. J. Marston.
IA. Mates has favored his friends il