The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-09
CAPTURED IN SELMA
MANY NEGRO TEACHERS PRACTICE N THE FRAUDS.
Secretary willingham Catches Them Redhanded in Practice of selling Papers and Prosecution
 WIi Follow.
Advertiser Bureau.

celmas Juiy ..
 The Selma end of the story of the negro teachers who have been syste- matically cheating their way through examinations was made public by ofi- cials today
 It seems that IT. J. wflingham. Sec retary of the State Examining Board. has been quietly at work In the city for two days preparing to spring the surprise on the culprits here coincident with such action by Superintendent Gunnels at Montgomery. MT. Will lingham quietly made his arrangements to detect the guilty ones and yesterday afternoon when he had his proof in hand he went into the rooms where some i07 negroes were standing the examinations and told them that their game was up and that he knew exact iy what was happening. .
 For a few moments there wasan att tempt made to brazsn the matter out but the Secretary was firm and con- vinced them that he knew what he was doing. When this was once accom- pltshed he had a mourners bench in front of him In q short time. confes- sions and pleas for mercy came thick and fast.
 As a result of the evidence gathered by Mr. Willingham a number of rath- CT prominent negroes were found to be --~-~%~~1 1 @e&t et@ t%ZS 9A tlc Dt&AAs e0AAo m such q manner as to mark them as vfolators of the criminal law and some merely as common cheats
 MT. Wtllingham has been in consult tation with local officials and yester- day afternoon he swore out a number of warrants charging certain negroes with a violation of the statute which provides penalty of not less than sI00 and also a sentence of six months, hard labor. at the discretion of the court, Tor stealing, buying. receiving, giving away or offering to receive. buy, sell or give away questions that have been prepared for q State examination. Mr. Willingham states that the Board has been suspectlng for some time that the prepared questions were being obtained by negro teachers and mat 1t was determined some time ago to ferret out the matter and put a stop to 1t. Mir. Willingham has been work. ing on the matter for some months and his success in bagging practically all the leaders In the nefarious practice iB remarkable. -
 The plan pursued has been worked out with a criminal Ingenuity that Is unusual in negroes. The rine-leaders would secure the questions and sell them to various other sub@agsnts. The sub-agenfs would take the duestions and work out answers which would not be too perfect, but which would insure good average. They would carefully prepare the answers so that no two sets would be so similar as to excite the suspicion of the examiners. These prepared papers were then sold At d regular schedule. the third grade bring fnS x10s second grade s20. and first grade ss0. The price was not allowed to stand In the way of trade, howey- CT. and when business was dull much smaller sums were accepted. The DUP chaserB were drilled in the proper way to conceal the prepared papers ana substitute them when in the examina- tion room.
 Major Wales. who Is conducting the examination for negroes in this County and R. 3 Hudson. principal of the cifv negro schools. who was his assistant. had been struck with the &act that six- ty out of the 1oT applicants here had applied for second grade certifieates This 4e unusual for this section. as feye negro teachers try to get the second grade. So we'll drilled were those who were using the prepared papers that none of them. had been detected al- though suspicion had thus been exeif- ed. until MT. Willingham arrived here and used decoy papers
 A number of arrests will probably be made tomorrow morning. Other ar- rests will follow until an example has been made which will not soon be for gotten by those who are supposed to be the leaders of their race.
 MT. Wulingham left this Afternoon for Montgomery but will return to Selma when the trials come up.
 
 An Enjoyable Picnic.
 Two attractive ladles visiting here. Misses Carrie McFadden of Greensboro and Nita Ware of BirminghaFn' were complimented tonight with q moonIiEht ride and picnic at the Woods home near Beriink The trip was made in bugRtes. the party leaving town about 6 O'clock in the afternoon and returning a few hours later. Among those present vera Misses McFadden, Ware, Louise John son, Em1nie Swift, Elise Jones. Belle wilkins. Mabel Jones. Louise Wilkins. Katie voltz and Maggie cothran: Messrs. Ralph Nicholson. Hartweli Tarver, Graham Melvin, Will Privett, Howard Baldwin, John Phelps. EueenA Kimbrough, Jim Woltz. Townsend Kim cey and J. E.. Morrisette.
 A number of young couples are nar. ticipating in a barbecue today at the Tarver home on the sumrnetfieId Road.
 Mrs. Walter Cook has returned h one. after spending a month in Montgom- cry with relatives.
 Miss Bessie Bailey of Pleasant Hill and her guest, Miss Cohn of Montxorn- cry. are here for day of so with Miss Ruth Haynes.
 Mayor and Mrs. V. B. Atkins and MT. E. B. Martin left this morning for a few weeks trip to Atlantic City, New York. Washington and Philadelphia.
 Mrs. Joe Spencer returned home last night after short visit to relatives in Columbiana.
 Miss Nita Ware of Birmingham. who has been visiting Miss Lucille Callen, is now the guest of Miss Emmte Swift.
 Social and Personal.
 Ed Eiiasberg and family left this afternoon for Waukesha, where they will spend several weeks.
 Mrs. U. B. Krehonberg will leave tomorrow morning for New York to visit her parents.
 William wIlby and Frank samuels left this afternoon for Boston.
 Miss Addie Stone left this morning for Raleigh, N. C., where she will spend several weeks. for waukesha and other points. where 1 she will spend the remainder of the summer. l
 KIRBY IS MENTIONED.
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