Friday, 27th August 1915: Bribery Charge Against Alderman Sparks Fist Fight At Education Board Meeting, The Atlanta Constitution

Reading Time: 7 minutes [1294 words]

### Alderman Armistead Accused of Offering Money to Induce Signer of Petition Against Change in Geographies to Withdraw Name.

### Eubanks' Right Thumb Broken While Acting in Role of Peacemaker

Fight followed a heated discussion in effort to have Board reconsider its action in making change in geographies.

Charged with offering a bribe to a signer of an injunction petition against the Board of Education, in order to get him to withdraw his name, Alderman Jesse W. Armistead, member of the Board, Thursday afternoon resented the attack of his accuser, Walter Fudge, a printer on The Atlanta Georgian, by following him into the hall just outside the Chamber of Commerce Assembly Hall and engaging in a fist fight.

George F. Eubanks, another member of the Board, rushed to the scene in time to interfere after only one blow had been struck. Luther H. Still, a labor leader, who was with Fudge, also came between the combatants and as he took charge of Fudge and pushed him down the stairs, the latter hurled a copy of Tarr & Mc Murray's Geography at Armistead, just as the Alderman was shoved back into the Assembly Hall through two swinging doors by Mr. Eubanks.

### Right Thumb Is Broken.

In putting an end to the fight Mr. Eubanks sustained a broken right thumb and had his right hand painfully hurt when it was crushed against the door.

The trouble was all over in such short time that several members of the Board hardly knew what had happened. Mr. Armistead, during the recital of charges by Fudge, started to reply, but noting a number of ladies in the hall, sat quietly until he had finished, and as soon as Fudge walked from the room, he immediately rushed out and accosted him.

No words were spoken by either of the two men. Mr. Armistead, without speaking, struck Fudge, who did not reply, but sought to strike back.

The fight followed a heated discussion precipitated by an effort on the part of Mr. Still to have the Board reconsider its action on the Tarr & Mc Murray's Geography which was recently adopted for the Atlanta schools. Mr. Still favored the Frye Geography, which was in use last year.

"A member of this Board offered to pay a man who signed the petition for an injunction to withdraw his name," said Mr. Fudge, when granted permission to address the Board. "He also wanted this signer to see the others and have them take their names from the petition."

President R. J. Guinn interrupted the speaker and said he would not permit him to continue unless he cleared members of the Board not involved in the alleged transaction.

### Refers to Armistead.

"Mr. Armistead was the member I refer to," said Fudge. "He told one of the signers that he knew it would require some time to do this work, so he offered to reimburse him. He said he would pay him as much as $25 if he would get Earle Griggs, another signer, to withdraw his name."

"If that Tarr & Mc Murray Geography is worth all that effort, it ought to be some book," said Fudge.

Luther Still said that he and Mr. Armistead were good friends and that recently Armistead called on him and said: "I want you fellows to withdraw that injunction petition." He insisted time and again that I take my name off the petition.

"He said 'I'm losing time from my business and it's costing me money and if it costs you any money, I will be glad to reimburse you up to $25 if you will call on the other signers and have them withdraw the petition. I'll borrow the money if necessary.'"

Mr. Armistead asked Mr. Still if he did not explain that "on account of recent events in which a certain sheet in this city had made an attack on me for political reasons, I would be willing to put up the money to bring about harmony in our union."

### Animosity Charged.

Mr. Still admitted that the statement was true, but stated further that Mr. Armistead said, "There is considerable animosity between the Chairman of the Board of Education and myself."

"Mr. Armistead said further that he would like to roll as a sweet morsel under his tongue getting even with the Chairman," said Mr. Still.

Chairman Guinn interrupted him saying, "There is no animosity between Mr. Armistead and myself, so far as I am concerned. I don't know what he referred to."

Mr. Still made an appeal to the Board to reconsider its action on the changed geographies, on the ground that it would "mean an enormous financial burden on thousands of children and their parents in this city." He said he represented 5,000 members of organized labor, who, in their various meetings, had protested against a change in the books. He said that the Tarr & Mc Murray publication was far inferior to the Frye Geography.

"Mr. Chairman, it has only a dozen Georgia cities on its map and does not even designate Marietta, the home of our Mayor," said Mr. Still.

"Don't worry about that," said Mayor Woodward, "I personally know very well where to find that town."

### Would Cost Only $472.

Mr. Eubanks asked Mr. Still, what the amount of the "enormous financial burden" on the children would be. He was unable to answer, whereupon Mr. Eubanks gained from Superintendent Landrum the information that it would be only $472.

A letter was read from Professor J. T. Derry, representing the Confederate Veterans in which they protested against the adoption of the Tarr & Mc Murray Geography on the grounds that it was written by the Northern author and did not deal fairly with the South, as regards the Civil War.

Professor Derry quoted in the letter an editorial from a recent issue of The Chicago Tribune, which assailed Georgia because of the enactment of the last chapter in the Frank Case. He said that the publication in question had been caught in Chicago and that the newspapers there had gotten a wrong conception of Georgia and her people as a result of its use.

The information was produced by Mr. Landrum showing that Chicago is the only city of any great importance in the United States that does not use the Tarr & Mc Murray Geography. It was further shown that the edition referred to by Professor Derry was the 1900 edition and widely different from the later ones.

### Fights Change.

President Guinn, who opposed the change in geographies from the very first, fought every foot of the way of Thursday's session to have the matter reconsidered, but lost in every point.

The Chairman and the signers of the petition for an injunction lost in the Board, later in General Council and later in the courts. The final and decisive defeat was sustained Thursday, when after a long discussion, a motion by Alderman Armistead was adopted accepting the bond for the Southern School Book Depository, which will furnish the books to Atlanta. James L. Key was the only member voting against the motion.

The Mc Millan Company, publishers of the Geography, have agreed to furnish the first year books at 55 cents, and the second year books at $1, which is less than charged in other cities.

### Page 12, Column 4

### All Facts in Story Not Given by Staton

Assistant Postmaster John C. Staton was quoted in Thursday's Constitution as giving out certain information regarding the mailing of pictures of Leo Frank.

The only information furnished by Mr. Staton was of a ruling by the Post-Office Authorities at Washington barring from the mails all pictures of the hanging of Frank. Other statements made in the story, did not come from Mr. Staton, but were from other sources.