The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-18
REPORT SHOWS
 THE SHORTAGE
tx-Supt. of Education of Geneva
 Kept Books Poorly
TESTIMONY HURTS HIM
Assistant Examiner ssdberry Says the Total Shortage of F. M. Justice
 Is $4e2e Due Partially
 to carelessness. 4

Montgomery, October H.-tspeciai.)-- Assistant Examiner Sedberry today filed his report on the accounts of F. M. Justice, x-superintendent of education of Geneva county. He says:
 This report covers time beginning oc- tober 1, 1900, and ends June 30, 1902. tice with much care and find them in great confusion, to such extent that much time and work was required to ar rive at a correct statement of his trans- actions with the school funds of the county. 1 found 1t necessary to summon before me a number of teachers from different sections of the county and ex- amined them under oath with reference to their dealings with the superintendent. The testimony of some of them was very damaging to MT. Justice. His ad- ministration of the office appears to have been unsatisfactory to the teachers, township trustees and many citizens of the county as well. He has been ex- tremely careless and negligent of the plainest requirements of the law. often paying out large sums of money without taking proper vouchers therefor, and in many cases in open violation of the crim- inal laws of the state There is quite a large shortage in his accounts due to an almost total disregard of the laws goy- erping the disbursement of school funds.
 This shortage 1 have divided into three classes as will fully appear In exhibits A, and c, which are hereto appended and asked to be considered part of this report.
 "Exhibsi A shows detailed statement of amounts alleged to have been paid to teachers where no voucher was taken, and if taken at all has either been lost or mislaid and amounts in the aggre- gate to $2,6I2.4 .43.
 Exhibit shows detailed statement of money disbursed where no vouchers are on file for same, but where the teachers to whom same was paid admit having re- ceiver the amounts charged out to them, making total under this head Of S6i.45
 Exhibit c Is a detailed statement of erroneous payments to various teachers at various times in excess of the amount to which said teachers were entitled ac- cording to their several reports which are on file. In a number of cases these teachers deny receiving the amounts charged to them and deny having signed the payrolls for such amounts. In many such cases MT. Justice admits that these names were signed to the payroll by him self, but claims that the parties had given him authority to so sign for them. This is admitted in some cases and denied in many others. Exhibit c shows total amount due under this head to be $l,- 4S9.12
 The grand total of all these exhibits is $4929. It is perhaps due to MT. Justice to say that he claims to have had vouch- CTS for all payments made by him as set out in exhibits A and B, but that they have been either lost or mislaid by him. However this may be there can be no ex- cuse for his payments to teachers in ex- cess of vouchers filed, as fully set out in exhibit C. I have therefore charged MT. Justice with the several amounts. as shown by the different exhibits append ed hereto. MT. R. l.. Justice, brother of the superintendent. one of his of- ficial sureties. rendered me all needed as- sstance in making this examination, for which he has my thanks.
 Hon. G. B. Deans, member of the leg islature from Shelby county, has re- signed. His resignation as sent to the governor gives no reason for his course. He is populist-republican and has been in both the senate and house. He Is also a candidate for reelection. As Shelby is a popuist-republican county and he ex> poets to win, he will likely be out only a few months.
 The board of examiners have finished with the papers of teachers who took the July examinations and are now preparing papers for the next examination in Jam uary. Special examinations at the cap itol however, are always In order for those who cannot wait.