The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-10
HEARING in TRIAL
TRUSTEES RESUMED
Court to Reeonvene This Morning at
$3.50 O'clock - Three Witnesses
Heard Yesterday.

Hearing by the board Of public in
struction in the petition by NJ. o., Bag
gett,, Il. l.. Barrineau and r. /. Bradley
Tor the removal of r. P. Wilder and
j. U. Grice as trustees of the James
M. Tate, Smith Hughes Agricultural
school at Gonzalez. is to be resumed
TINS morning at $50 o'clock, after hav-
ing consumed all Of yesterday after
noon.
Additional witnesses put on the
stand yesterday were: r. P. Wilder,
A. Z. Hudson, resigned trustee, and
MS Wife, Mrs. Alma Hudson, mem
per or the faculty of the school, teach
er or the 9th and 9Th grades.
A number Of citizens from Gonzalez
and vicinity attended the hearing. W.
II. Watson represented the plaintiffs
and r. Pope Reese the defendants. J..
u. Grice was absent on business in Sa-
vannah. All members of the school
board We're present.
Inc trustees are charged with over
officiousness in the affairs of the
school and of receiving and keeping
Iunos from two separate sources for
the purchase of a stereopticon for the
school.
Wilder in the witness chair gave as
an explanation of receiving and hold
ing the two funds that the association
authorized the trustees to use S135 of
a sum that had been raised by sub
scription for the purchase of a ma
chine, 1925 to be used for the pur-
chase of the machine and $40 as an ini-
tlal payment on slides to be used, ex-
pecting to use the machine for the
benefit of the school in giving per-
formances. Then, it seemed, according
to Wilder's testimony, that j. C.
Phelps, principal of the school, sug-
gested the advantage of using such
machine in school work and taking
advantage Of free lectures and slides
offered from educational sources. AS
these free slides and lectures could
not be used for a benefit performance
1t was decided by the trustees that it
would be well for the machine to be
paid for from district funds and the
free slides used.
1t developed through testimony and
question by counsel for plaintiff that
the association had authorized the
trustees to use the sum of money only
for the purchase of such machine
not authorizing them to use the
money in any other way, or for any
other school improvement. Keeping Sc
cretive from the school board the fact
that such funds for the purchase of a
machine had been provided by the as
ISOLATION, Wilder, as chairman of the
board of trustees, asked the schoo
board for a draft from district funds
for s125 to pay for the machine. The
draft was issued by the school board
but held up by Judge E. D. Beggs,
chairman, who questioned the right
Of using district funds in that way.
The testimony brought out that af-
ter Wilder had failed to get the war
rant from Judge Beggs, Professor
Phelps was requested to ask for it,
but cautioned by Wilder to say moth
ing to Judge Beggs relative to the as
ISOLATION having contributed funds for
that purpose. Phelps followed WiIders
suggestion and got the draft from
Judge Beggs, with the provision that
the money be returned to the district
funds later.
In his testimony Wilder then said
that, receiving the draft with that I'M
derstanding, he cashed it and Used it
to pay for the machine, which arrived
about the middle of January. That he
held the association funds to pay the
amount back into the district funds of
necessary, but that the trustees were
hoping to realize the purchase price
of the machine by benefit perform
ances given with the machine and by
small individual subscriptions from the
school children. Not receiving the
promised support of the faculty in this,
he said the trustees hoped to get to-
gether with the members of the asso-
citation and get their support in bring
ing pressure to bear on Judge Beggs
to remove the provision relating to
the return Of the funds. That it was
their intention to hold the funds and
later get a film machine. Question by
Counsel developed the fact that no
mention had been made to the asso-
citation of having used the district
funds, and no mention had been made