The Wilmington morning star., 1947-12-20
DEFNESE RESTS
Continued From Page One)

The check, listed on an audit
as a refund payment to the
school account, bears the date
dec. 4, 1916.
E. w. Smith, Lenoir certified
public accountant, said it was
drawn on Fritz own banking ac-
count, made to cash, and h d
been deposited June Is, 1947,
one day after the prosecution
contends Fritz was informed that
the State Board of Education was
looking into the schools payroll
methods.
/ Fritz testified the check has
remained in the schools vault
from December until June.
81 thought it ha5 been de-
posted" he said.
Regarding payments to Mrs.
Fritz, which the audit showed
aggregated 1921 during the
school year, the defendant testi-
fled his wife had worked
throughout the entire year ex-
cept during the first and ninth
months. He added that she was
absent for about 10 to IL days
during the period.
"Why didn't you put your
wife's name on the payroll ear
lier in the year?" Strickland
asked following Fritz testimony
that her name did not appear
on the list until the eighth
month.
Because she filled in at so
many places that she didn't fill
in for any particular teacher, "
Fritz replied.
/ Question (by Strickland) !:
Chow did you pay any of these
teachers anything?"
! A. ''The assistant principal
(Herbert Goins) divided the ex-
ira work among the regular
teachers and on that basis,
made the calculations general
ly."
@. "How did you arrive as to
how much Mrs. Fritz got?"
A. Mrs. Fritz got what was
left"
After the defendant left tn e
stand, he was followed by U. E.
Swan, former school trustee at
Beaufort who said Fritz had
been principal there during the
1905 and that his character
was good.
He was asked if a state board
of investigation agent had been
at Beaufort during the past
summer making an investi-
cation of Fritz. The question
was answered in the affirmative
but there was no further refer
ence to the matter.
Three teachers, Mrs. Fred
Long, Mrs. Anna Garrison and
Mrs. Hazel Hickman, testified
they had taught at times at Hud-
son. Mrs. Garrison and Mrs.
Hickman said they had fre-
quently seen Mrs. Fritz working
in the school office. Mrs. Garri-
son, asked regarding testimony
by Mrs. Bruce Smith, former
office worker who said Mrs.
Fritz had spent much of h r
time promoting NCEA and the
South Piedmont plan for higher
teacher pay, said Mrs. Smith
lust didn't know"
Mrs. Fritz testified on direct
examination that she had
worked at the school every day
from the first month through
the eighth, except ahou. 10 or
II days. She said she had been
in New York for about a week
and in Raleigh for three or four
days. "You earned what you
were paid?" the defense asked
her.
II really did," she replied.
She engaged in a sharp ex-
change Of words with Buford F.
Williams, another state-appoint-
ed attorney who subjected her
to searching inquiry into the
schools operation.
Mrs. Fritz said she had SUBJ
stituted for teachers, that sh e
did not hold a standard certifi-
cate and that she did not know
for whom she had substituted.
AS the questioning pro-
gressed, tempers of opposing
counsel flared and the specta-
tors, who filled the courtroom
again, grew tense.
Asked exactly what work she
had performed at the school,
Mrs. Fritz said, II supervised
commercial students for practi-
cal office work for which thew
received credit" The witness
admitted that "some' of the
work she performed had to do
with the NCEA and the South
Piedmont plan.
Shortly before she was dis
missed, reference was made to
her husbands work at Hudson
She volunteered the information
that he had done "a oooS ~