The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-10


had been made, and that mention to
return the funds to the school board
| was then made to the answer filed to
the petition.
Wilder. when asked by counsel for
plaintiff if, according to what he had
said, he had found j. c. Phelps not to
have been intoxicated, as reported,
why he had left such an insinuation
in charges made against Phelps with
no explanation, said that such had not
occurred to him. He then gave in de-
tail the definition of intoxication, as he
found it in the dictionary, finding that
one could be intoxicated with laugh
ing gas which, he intimated, straining
q point made Phelps in truth intoxi-
Gated even though not on liquor. In
regard to the action of the trustees in
giving instructions in a letter as to the
authority of Miss Glennie Malone in
the school, which Phelps claimed made
her in effect principal, Wilder said the
action was taken because of reports
received by him of lack of supervision
of the school by the principal, and that
Phelps had requested some assistance
in his work that more time might be
allowed for the Smith Hughes work
A. G, Hudson, trustee, resigned, gave
his testimony clearly and concisely
He said, in effect, that the stereopti-
con, the price of which had been do
mated by the Gonzalez Improvement
association. and the purchase by R. p.
Wilder, as chairman of the board of
trustees, authorized, had been ordered
as directed. That the school board
,,,,a o.,,od IN arfI oriza to tho
amount of it's purchase price from the
district funds. That when the draft
was eventually given. with the pro-
vision by Judge Beggs that. the money
later be returned, that the trustees
used the district funds to pay for the
machine on it's arrival, holding the as
ISOLATION funds to reimburse the dis
trict funds but hoping to meanwhile
raise the money by benefit perform
ances and by small subscriptions from
the school children. Finding this plan
to fail, it was then decided to try to
persuade Judge Beggs to remove his
provision attached to the draft and
then to use the association money for
the purchase of a film machine.
Mr.. Hudson in his testimony said
that the letter written by J. G. Grice,
secretary Of the board of trustees,
which Phelps claimed to virtually
make Miss Malone principal, may have
been worded in misleading manner,
as it was not the purpose of the board,
especially in SO far as he was con-
cerned, personally, to take any au-
thority as principal away from Mr.
Phelps, but only to relieve him of
some of the routine school work, at
his request, that he might have more
time for the Smith Hughes work. He
said that in discussing the matter be-
fore the letter was written that sat-
isfactory agreement had been reached
between the trustees and Phelps but
that after the letter had been written
Phelps claimed it to be ambiguous.
not expressing the spirit of the agree
ment which had been made. Question
by counsel developed that the trus-
tees took no action in changing the
wording or meaning of the letter.
No official action was taken by the
board of trustees, according to his
knowledge, Mr.. Hudson said, of con-
cealing any facts about the two funds
received for the purchase of stere-
opticon. Mr.. Hudson said that any
concealment, if any, made by Mr..
Wilder, was done on his own RESPONSE
bility.
Mr.. Hudson in his testimony said
that according to his knowledge any
friction that might have been in the
school between the teachers was be-
tween Mr.. Phelps and Miss Malone.
and developed after the letter was
written by the trustees and said by
Mr.. Phelps to practically make Miss
Malone principal of the school. He
said that in conversation with J. G.
Grice, secretary Of the board of trus-
tees, that he told Mr.. Grice that the
people seemed to be dissatisfied with
the trustees and that he thought it
would be better to settle the matter
by canvassing and finding out how the
people stood on the matter and If they
were not willing to stand behind the
trustees and were not satisfied with
their services that the trustees resign. |
He said that the way matters were
drifting he saw there would be trOu
BILE and thought that was the best
way to prevent it. Mr.. Watson, for
the plaintiff: 80, you finally decided
to resign?" MI. Hudson: Il did" Mr..
Watson (sotto voice): It don't blame
YOU" Mr.. Reese, counsel for defendant, !
objected, requesting that Watson's
statement be stricken out. His OBJ
lection was passed up, inasmuch as Mr..
Watson's statement had not been put
in Mr.. Hudson said that it had been
threatened from high official sources
that unless more permanency could
be had in the school that the Smith
Hughes support would be taken away.
He understood this, he said, to mean
the change of principals and friction
that had come up in the school at var
ious times.
Mrs. Alma Hudson, who was next
called, said that she was at present a
teacher in the school and had never
had any difficulty with the trustees or
principal.
~ q