Evening star., 1939-06-16
Dr.. Smith Custer
Hearings 10 End
On Monday
Former School Head
Ready to Sum Up
Her Defense

missal Of DR.. Carrie Weaver Smith
as superintendent of the National
Training School for Girls is sched-
uled for Monday, when she and As
sistant Corporation Counsel Oliver
Gasch, representing the District, will
sum up the arguments.
The final session will take the
hearings, during which the 54-year-
old former superintendent has been
defending her operation of the
school during her 20-month regime,
into their fifth week.
She was summarily dismissed in
October, 1887. The hearings were
called at the request of members
of Congress.
The final session will open at
1890 am. Monday, with each side
allotted As minutes to sum up.
Yesterday Dr. Smith made a def
mite request that the Commissioners,
on the basis of the hearings, change
her dismissal from "a separation
with prejudice to a resignation with
out prejudice"
Charges Prejudice.
Her petition followed a request
by Frederick w. McReynolds, chair
man of the Board of Public Welfare,
that the board not only be found
justified in dismissing her but "dere-
lict in its duty" had it not done so.
Mr.. McReynolds said he was max
ing the request as chairman of the
board but that he was not expressing
q formal board action.
Il feel that the Board of Public
Welfare has been on trial in this
case he told the Commissioners
in asking Endorsement of the
boards action.
attributed her dismissal to the
prejudice" of Mr. McReynolds and
the influence "of a minority of the
board"
When DR.. Smith wound up her
statement ahead of time yesterday
and Mr.. Gasch, to her surprise,
elected no cross examination, the
Commissioners suggested that she
begin her summary which she said
she had been promised time to
give.
Denies Four Charges.
She was unwilling to do this,
however, saying that she had been
promised between then and Mon
day to frame her summary.
DR.. Smith devoted her statement
to replying to four charges she
said had been made against her.
These were that she had not CO.
operated in treatment of inmates
with veneral diseases. that she had
not acted to curb immortality, that
she had let the girls leave the in
stitution without the sanction of
the board, and that she had per-
mitted general waste of funds.
Categorically she denied all of
these allegations. She said she had
tried to educate the board in treat
ment of venereal disease, but had
received no cooperation. She
charged that Dr. Marjorie Stuart
of the institution went over her
head to member of the board in
connection with the treatment
policies on one occasion.
She declared she had set up
recreation, religious and educa-
tional programs to keep the girls
busy nearly every hour of the day
In an effort to curb homosexual
practices and that she had separated
inmates suspected of such tend
encies.
Funds Requisitioned.
The deposed superintendent said
welfare officials had no objection
to her letting girls 60 home on
parole while the school buildings
were being renovated.
AS to extravaganza. she said she
construed it her duty as superin-
tendent to provide the inmates
with the comforts of an average
home" Expenses were not beyond
this, she asserted
Except for $500 for miscellane-
GUS items" she declared, every
thing had to be requisitioned for
mally. Any blame should be on
those who allowed acquisitions to
go through and who are still in
your service"
DR.. Smith has previously indi-
Gated she is not seeking her job
back.