The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-18
CURTIS MUST GIVE
 UP WINSTON CO.
 JUDGESH|P, ORDER
Supreme Court ConvictS Re- publican Judge For Corrup- ton in Office After Long
 Term of Service
py FREp H. ooRMLEY

Montgomery Bureau, The Age Herald,
 S21-2 First National Bank Building
 Montgomery, June 17s-(SDe-
 cinI,)--John s. Curtis, republican
 probate judRe of Winston county
 and leader of the republican
 party of northwest Alabama for
 many years, was convicted of
 corruption In office and was re-
 moved from his position by the
 supreme court in . decision Sat-
 urday.
 The court voted unanimously in favor of removing him from office on the corruption charge on the first ballot After this decision it was not necessary for the court to de- termine whether or not he was gull ty of the other charges, wilful neg lect of duty and the commission of offenses involving moral turpitude. The end of Judge Curtis official ca- reer in Winston county is the .esuit of an examination of the affairs Of the county by P. B. Jarman, Jr., state examiner of public accounts. who was sent lnLO kno GOuAN} dN hAS ANANNSN of citizens to Governor ktlby.
 Republicans Ousted
 The removal of Judge Curtis means that a democrat will become probate judge of Winston county for the first time in many years. Winston. in good political weather and bad, has been classed as the leading repubh- can county of Alabama. Governor Kilby announced Saturday afternoon that he will make an effort to find the best man in Winston county for the position and that no appointment will be made until thorough consid- eration is given to the vacancy.
 Judge Curtis troubles did not end with the order removing him rom office. He must stand trial before a fury of citizens of Winston county on an indictment returned by the grand jury which charges him with permitting the Irregularities Il ms office which caused his impeachment.
 Substance of Charges
 The original articles Of impeach- ment filed against Judge Curtis oy Harwell c. Davis, attorney general charged him with wllful neglect or dutv incompetency, corruption in africa and the commission of offenses Involving moral turpitude.
 The charge of incompetency was dismissed by the supreme court when it sustained demurrers interposed by the defense. The court followed an old construction of the law as fixed by the supreme court many years ago which held that incompetency implied the lack of mental equipment for the position. It was not the in tention of the state to charge that Judge Curtis was not mentally equip ped for the office.
 Grnnd Jury Indicted
 In filing the articles of impeach- ment Attorney General Davis followed the instructions of a grand jury of Winston county, which brought in- dictnents against Judge Curtis, al- ieging irregularities In the conduc& of the office and recommended that impeachment proceedings be brought against him. Following this recom- mendation the attorney general had no alternative but to bring the case before the supreme court as tho law requires him to follow tho recom- mendatioDs of grand jury.
 Investigations which led up bo the report of the grand tury were made by F. B. Jarman, M., state examiner of public accounts, who made minute examination of the books and records of Winston county. MT. Ear man reported that in many instances no record had been kept of financial transactions of the county that no book was kept which showed the con- dition of the fund for tho hire of con- victs and that Judge Curtis was due the county about $1,400 which had