The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-17
Buckingham School Row Reveals
Much BitternesS-What
Witnesses Say.


hummer T.. Jones. hold-over district
superintendent OF schools in that coun-
~. who is being opposed by John a.
Twyman. n former superintendent Of
schools in the same county. The
charge that Mr.. Jones had trined with
the truth in n church matter was
brought by w @. Edwards. an elder in
Arvon Church. The charge was hard
~ sustained By the evidence. all Of
which went to show that II was :, plain
case OF misunderstanding as to whether
Mr. Jones had been formally released
from performing his ministerial office
III the Arvon and Trinity Church on
the first Sunday OF each month SO that
ne could go 10 the pulpit Of Fork Union
Church on that sunday. and it slowly
lost substa under cold dissection.
In addition TO performing his min
isterial duties in three churches. the
compensation for which he admitted TO
Attorney General Williams was 1895
per annum. and his school duties. Mr..
Jones is, by the way, a successful
farmer and writer. He brought with
him able counsel. T.. c. Moon. y. J..
Pitts, Jr.. and Pembroke Petit. and q
host OF witnesses. The State Board OF
Education. hearing the charges, started
TO examine the witnesses as 70 char
acter ana efficiency one by one. but
when Superintendent Stearncs cast his
eyes over the room and noticed the
small arm! OF Jones supporters, he
called for them by district.
Snid He Was Efficient.
Start with Marshall District" lie
said. and marshal them up before
us" They came. each district pha
,anX, and they did loudly acclaim that
MIR. Jones was the only real and the
best superintendent OF schools Buck
neham County had ever boosted. They
G.dn't have anything against the char
acter Of Mr.. w. yman He was simply
Inefficient. o: as former State Supcrin-
tendent Egg leston stated In a letter
read by counsel for Mr.. Jones. only
80 per cent efficient" Also Mr.. Eggles-
ton stated in his letter that the
charge against Mr.. Jones's veracity
was mere "twaddle." and that the
charge that he himself had refused TO
vote to reinstate Mr.. Twyman as super
irtendent OF schools FOR political rea-
sons was something less than twad-
die.
Edmund Hubbard, Commemorative
Attorney OF Buckingham County APP
peared for Mr.. Twyman and the citi-
zens OF buckingham County" He read
numerous letters from county officials,
from Senators down to justices of the
peace. supporting Mr. Twyman. Coun-
sci for Mr.. Jones turned to the Jones's
army of plain parents of the children
who go to the schools. and relied on
them for the success of their candi-
date. They said that the sentiment in
every district and all over the county
was overwhelmingly in favor of Mr..
Jones. Some said nine out of every
ten favored Mr. Jones; others said nine
teen out OF twenty. and still others put
il at nincty-nine out OF every 100.
which was pretty close calculating
Letters from the county officers said
that 90 per cent of the population IA :
vored Mr.. Twyman The issue was
n haf nj Gel holders
the plain patrons Of the schools. There
were, however. several justices OF the
Ieace among the latter.
One of the strongest witnesses for
Mr. Jones was Mrs. Julia Kyle, Il teach
or, who made an imprisoned speech in
his behalf. She said she had taught
nine years Il appear" she went on
''as a woman. a teacher and patriot
in support OF Mr.. Jones. lie Is the most
able and efficient superintendent we
have ever had. ] have friends on the
,rhcr side and ! am, therefore. un-
biased" Sha waXcd eloquent, ana made
G. married impression with her earnest
ness as she ;old of the ancient fight OF
conservatism against change Before
they had had no Libraries or pretty
pictures to hang on the naked walls
Now the children have books TO read.
ara the bare school walls are adorned
Another strong witness for the min
istcr-teacher was II. III. Turner. also a
school teacher. He told of the fight
Mr. Jones had made for sanitation. He
had been against the new tangled idea
of individual drinking cups, but had
become converted by Mr.. Jones. why"
he said, "a cold was public property
and before we had individual drinking
cups the children had every contagious
disease to which flesh is heir, except
leprosy and smallpox, and it was a
bad year for them" The members of
the board shifted uneasily. Attorney
Hubbard inquired rather testify of Mr.
Haskins q cousin Of Mr.. Jones. why, if
Mr.. Jones had improved the system so
much, did he employ deaf teacher in
one of the schools.
Because the other one heard too
much" he replied tartly. I'VE had to
get IL boy or an old man because the
salary was only 5000 n year. and there
were two or three pretty girls going
Besides. he's got some sort Of telephone
apparatus so that he can hear better"
Row over Location.
1t was brought out that there had
been some neighborhood dispute over
the location OF a new school. which
had helped start some of the present
trouble. Some wanted 1t on this side
the "crick," others on tother. 1t was
finally built on the right side. ac-
cording to the viewpoint Of the Jones
phalanXes The exact geographi cal
position was not. however, made clear.
Another point Mr.. Jones brought out
in his favor was that he had loaned
money to son OF Edwards, the chief
complainant against him. to go to
Blacksburg. Mr.. Edwards had after