The Wilmington morning star., 1947-12-17
JURY SEES AUDIT
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payments totaling $613.29 were
made to Mrs. Fritz.
Fritz previously explained the
payments to his wife were made
| for work in the school office. He
said that all funds which the state
charges were irregularly handled
were made to regular teachers
and his wife for extra work they
did in relieving teacher shortage
which threatened cancellation o.
classes.
| Endorsed Checks
3-Testimony by one witness,
Mrs. Dorothy Smith Coins, q
former Hudson teacher but now
a Charlotte resident, that she had
endorsed questioned checks * :.
x with the approval of Mr.. Rob
inson (the county superintendent
Xxx X. The testimony, however,
was ordered stricken from the
court record by Judge Allen H.
Gwyn who ruled it incompetent.
because Mrs. Coins had not her
self heard Robinson approve that
procedure.
4-Robinson testified chat he
permitted Fritz to hold school
fiscal records, including payroll
sheets, after Paul Reid, Controller
for the State Board of Education.
had written Robinson inquiring
about alleged irregular payments
at the Hudson school. The pay
roll sheets were returned from
''five to seven days later by Fritz
with notations explaining certain
payments, Robinson said.
In nine indictments against the
president of the North Carolina
Education Association, the State
charges that he "conspired'' with
four certificate holders in using
their names on vouchers in the
procurement Of funds
Proceeds from the vouchers. the
indictments charge, were ''x x x
procured and retained by the said
R. l.. Fritz, Jr. x x"
None of the certificate holders
involved is under charge, and two
of them were called as States
witnesses today. A deposition by
a third one was introduced by the
prosecution.
Testimony by three certificate
holders, Mrs. Coins, Mrs. Beat
rice Swanson, and Mrs. Man l..
Downs, (whose deposition was
read), was to the effect that they
had endorsed checks drawn for
them for periods during which
they were not employed by the
school.
1t is these checks that the State
charges were improperly handled
in an attempt to "defraud" the
State. The defense maintains that
they were used to pay regular
teachers for extra work and mot
penny" was retained by Fritz
Records Introduced
A record of the county board
of education hearing was intro
duced by the prosecution. 1t quot
ed testimony by Mrs. Downs to
the effect that Fritz had visited
her at one time to ask whether
she had "the right angle. The
hearing record showed that Fritz
had denied asking her that ques-
ton.
Smith, the certified public ac-
countant who was on the stand as
the trial recessed for the day,
said that his investigation show
ed that one check in the account,
in the amount of $123.75, had
been dated Dec. 4, 1916, but had
not been deposited until June Is.
1947. There was no allegation by
the prosecution that the check re-
presented a shortage. Smith said
Fritz told him the check had
been overlooked.
Mrs. Coins, the wife of the
former assistant principal at Hud-
son, testified Sthe real reason
signed the endorsement was be-
cause the two immediate super
iors of my husband said it was
all right"
"What are their names?" the
defense asked.
Mr.. R. L. Fritz, Jr., and Mr..
Luther B. Robinson" she replied.
But the prosecution objected to
this line Of testimony and Judge
Gwyn then instructed the jurors
not to consider her statements re-
garding county superintendent
Robinson as fact because she
had not heard him approve the
procedure.
Jurors Excluded
The jurors were sent from the
room several times as prosecution
and defense lawyers clashed re-
peatedly over legal technicalities
regarding the admission of evil
dence.
Robinson, under strenuous cross
examination for more than three
hours, was called upon frequent
ly to explain the, operation of his
office. The defense questioning
of Robinson a prosecution wit
ness, obviously was directed in an
ATTEMPT to prove a defense con-
tention that Fritz's handling of
school funds had the approval of
4Io oo,,,+xy r+orSorf,c of