Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-15
Iowa
SUPERINTENDENTS CRITICAL
School officials of Iowa Not Pleased
with Legislators.
EFFECTED NO REFORM AT AL.
TaIk of GubernatoriaI Possibilities IL
Already Beginning TO BE Heard,
and the PrOhibitionists
Are Alert.
From a staff correspondent.l

From a Staff Correspondent
DIES MONIES, Ia, May 1+-County SUI
perintendents of Iowa, in state convention
here, passed resolutions which appear to
be a direct slap at the recent legislature.
They recommend the adoption Of the county
school unit and a change in the present
system of school treasurers. These and
many other reforms were recommended to
the last legislature. which failed to effect
any reform whatever in school laws.
There was some politics among the
county superintendents, too. Movements
are starting for the candidacy Of state
superintendent Of public instruction next
fall, when the present superintendent, John
F. Riggs, will have finished his second
term. f. r. Lark of Onawa and o. ]. Nc
Manus of Council Bluffs are both avowed
candidates for the republican nomination
for the superintendency. I is said there
will be other candidates from the ranks
of the county superintendent.
huber Get Des MOines Theater.
The Schubert theater management has
secured the lease of the Des Moines audi
torium by paying a yearly rental of $4,000,
outbidding William Foster, who has for
years leased the house, but played few
attractions there, keeping his other two
theaters going. The Schuberts will send
their best attractions to Des Moines and
there promises to be keen competition In
the local field of attractions. The Schu-
bert representative announced big improve
ments will be made in the Auditorium.
The Schubert lease begins September l.
want woman Over Girls.
Since the investigation was commenced
at the State Industrial school for girls at
Mitchelville by the state board of control
| relative to charges of misconduct against
Superintendent Fitzgerald. there has gone
up a demand for the appointment of a
woman superintendent over the girls. John
| Cownie of the board, who Is In charge of
the school during the absence of Superin-
tendent Fitzgerald at the sick bed of his
son, states no evidence has been discov-
cred to substantiate the charges. 1t is
rumored. however, that Superintendent
Fitzgerald will resign upon his return.
Then will come the question of appointing
a man or woman as the head of the school.
GubernatOriaI Candidates.
There is considerable political gossip
about the capital, which indicates that at
the close of the present administration
there will be a contest for the republican
gubernatorial nomination in the primaries.
The contest promises not to be a factional
one, as the names of men in both wings
of the republican party are mentioned as
aspirants to the nomination. Then the
prohibition worker have openly announced
they will force a contest agA6s t Governor
Carroll in the primary, with the hope of
getting a prohibition candidate on the re-
publican ticket.
Had Two wives.
Erie B. Dodge, the Des Moines con-
tractor, arrested at K~irbeyville. Tex, on
an indictment returned by the grand jury
for wife desertion. was returned to Des
Moines and placed in the county jail by
Sheriff Ness this morning.
While the true bill against Dodge charges
wife desertion, the real charge against
him is bigamy, it being asserted that he
married Miss Mary Henderson in Texas
in January of this year. He cannot be
prosecuted on a bigemy charge, however,
for he has never lived with his alleged
second wife in this state.
When seen in his cell in the county Jail
this morning Mr.. Dodge made the strong
assertion that he is absolutely not guilty
of wife desertion; that he has not married
Miss Henderson and that the whole affair
is what he calls a frame up"
Made Love to Child.
Hot, gushing, sizzling, burning, love
notes. written by Charles A. Morgan to
16-year-old Margaret Tarney. were read
to a jury in criminal court this morning
during the trial of Morgan on the indict-
ment against him charging wife deser-
ton.
Morgan admits deserving his wife, as
charged. and he admits making love to
the girl, telling her he was an unmarried
man. but, nevertheless, his attorney OBJ
jected to the introduction of the letters.
They were a part of the testimony of
the cute little innocent Miss Tarney. a
domestic in the home of Henry Windsor,
and she blushed violently as the prose-
cutor handed them to her for Identified
ton. She said she had received them,
and had answered one. She also bash
fully admitted that he had said nice, lev
ing words to her, had rugged her and
kissed her.