The log cabin Democrat., 1922-01-12
CfNSURf OFFICERS
 IN FINAL REPORT
LIQUOR PROBE A JOB"
Grand Jury Criticises Handling of General School Fund-Urges
 Need of Probation Officer.

1 CenSure of officers of the county ] for mot working as hard as they should' on liquor violations; criticism of the county court in the handling of the general school fund, which lis being used for the convenience of the county judge and not as the law provides" and recommendation that a county probation officer is one of the greatest needs of the county these constitute the most important features of the final report of the Faulkner county grand jury, submit ted to the circuit court just plior to its discharge late yesterday. The grand jury reported that it exam ined 175 witnesses and found 67 true bills, 17 for felonies and 50 for mis- demeanors. With the exception of one court about five years ago, when several hundred farmers were indict- ed for failing to dip cattle, this is the largest number of indictments re- turned by grand jury in recent years.
 A thorough investigation of the liquor traffic was made by the grand jury, it's report states, and indict- ments were returned wherever there was a chance for conviction. The of- fcers of the county who are censured for not working as hard as they might in this matter are not named in the report.
 James A. Lea, who was county judge when some of the transactions mentioned in the grand jury's report on the county school fund was made, said today that it was unnecessary to make any statement in reply to the grand jury's charges. The small un- appropriated amounts in the school and other funds have been used by the county courts for 20 years, at least, he said, to pay claims belong ing to these funds. It is necessary, he said, to purchase records on which the school funds are recorded, and the work of the commissioners of ac- counts consists largely in checking the school funds and school warrants, so that occasionally but not always claims for these accounts are ordered paid out of unappropriated balances in the general school fund.
 Judge George w. Clark in accept ing the report of the jury and dis charging it from service, commented at length upon the alleged transfer of school funds and law enforcement with particular reference to to the reported whiskey traffic.
 "This matter of the school funds was brought to my attention only last Sunday" Judge Clark said, land you gentlemen will recall l instructed you specifically Monday morning to make investigation. If any one funl in the county should be handled fair ly, it should be the school fund, paid in by the citizens for the education ftheir children. l have no criticism for former grand juries which have allowed this matter to pass. sup pose they were in the same attitude of the court-unaware these transfers were being made. So long as I oc- cupy this position, promise you that the court and succeeding juries will each time demand and receive a strict accounting for these funds, and the guilty, if there be any guilty, will be given exact justice"
 Despite the repeated reports that whiskey is being made and sold all over the county, Judge Clark declared that Faulkner is no worse than others