The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-21
Grave Charge Against
Southampton County
School Trustee.
APPEAL is MADE
TO STATE BOARD
Division School Superintendent
Instructed to Take Matter Up.
Jackson Davis Elected to
Supervise Rural Schools.
DR.. Page Member
Of Board.

Of Board.
Most serious charges of misfeasanca
and malfeasanee in Office and of gross
neglect of official duties were pre-
ferred before the state Board of Edu.
cation last night against John ".
Sebrell, Sr., clerk of the District school
Board of Jerusalem Magisterial Dis.
trict, southampton county, and
prominent resident of Southside yir-
ginia. The accusations were made by
a delegation of well known citzena
of the district. headed by T. Fl. Bird
song. and by their counsel, Robert w,
Withers. of Suffolk.
Mr. Sebrell, who until recently was
president of the School Trustees AS
sociation of Virginia, is charged with
having collected money and falling to
make returns of same to the county
treasurer; with falling and refusing to
comply with repeated demands to al
low his books to be examined and
audited, and with neglecting to mako
the settlements as required by law.
| The board, after consideration of the
charges, instructed Division School SUI
perintendent ". W. White. of South
ampton to take prompt and, decisive
action looking to settlement of the
White that he secure the services of
an expert accountant. If these means
are not effective appeal may be taken
to the State -,oard
Superintendent Criticized.
Not the :east interesting part OF
the proceedings was the declaration
by Mr. Withers that Superintendenc
White had not been very diligcnt in
forcing Mr.. Sebrell TO comply with the
law. and that he was apparently COM
pletsly under the domination of tho
Egsleston reported that he had taken
hold of the matter. but had been un-
able to force Mr.. Sebrell to make the
proper production of his books, nor to
secure the desired end through Mn
White.
Mr.. Witherss presentation OF tho
case was most forcible, and revealed
startling condition OF affairs. Every
legal means known to the citizens, ho
declared, had been tried in vain. An
effort had been made through the
courts to get Mr.. Sebrell removed from
office on a charge of grossly improper
advances made to female school
teacher, but 1t had failed through lack
of proof. Then the people had gone
into court to force an accounting of
the funds, but had lost on con-
of the distrte. had a right to examine
the books. A local examination,
thought Mr.. Withers would be un-
awaiting and unsatisfactory. since Mr..
Sebrell was about the shrewdest man
In the community. and was intelligent
enough to fix his books SO that none
but an expert accountant could get to
the bottom of them.
At one time the clerk consented to
"a ayarpjnntiop hi,t nro1ucad matthias
but cash book and some stubs He
refused to allow these to be copied or
to be compaved with the accounts OF
the county treasurer.
Money Collected.
The income of the Courtland School.
1t was said, is large. Fees ara charged
for certain extra branches of instruc-
tion, and this money has been paid to
Mr.. Sebrell and not accounted for.
Other districts of the county pay
to this district sums of money for
teaching their children In centralized
school, and this the clerk has co.'s
lected and rendered no account for.
The assertion was made by Mr.. Bird
song that Mr.. Sebrell has struck back
at those who have been after him by
excluding the children of his OPP
ponents from the extra classes. be-
rause they owed small amounts, while
owed much more. were, left in the
classes
It was further said that school
houses had been sold and the money
had not been heard of. Also soma
standing timber had been cut from
school property by responsible con-
Germs, who had presumably paid some
body for 1t.
At last proceedings We're begun In
t,,
court ruled that the accusations must
be in as particular form as an ndict-
ment. Now the citizens want an ex-
animation of the hooks of the school
BOARD clerk so that they may get the
evidence to the satisfaction of the
court
Not Paid to Treasurer.
According to a statement made by
Mr.. Birdsong, amounts aggregating
about S1,SO0 had been traced into the
hands of Mr. Sebrell, while Colonel l..
r. Edwards, the county treasurer, was
present to tell the board that only
500 of this had ever reached his
hands,
Clerks of district boards not being
bonded officers, Mr.. Withers doubted
Il they were authorized to have charge
of any public funds at all.
Besides the amount mentioned, the
petitioners believed that other ac-
could he found, But tha
opinion was freely expressed that the
could not be secured
In fact Mr., Withers boldly pre-
iicted that when the accountant Is at
~st put on Mr. Sehrell's hooks he vii
either find that he is short largo
amount in his accounts, or else that ha
will find no books OF any accounting
value whatever Many of the records.
Mr. Withers said, had been destroyed,
according to Mr., Sehrells own state
ment to him
Mr.. Sebrell Is we'll known in eduua-
,ional circles in This State. He pre-
sided at the meetings OF school truss
tees in the hig educational rally in
Richmond in November, and at one Of
tho night rallies held AZ the John
Marshall High School.
saI.A,t nnnfss