Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Daily Herald Telephone, June 15, 1955, p. 1. NOTE: The item below was abbreviated from the original as shown by the ellipsis. AUDITOR, TREASURER FIRST TO TESTIFY IN SCHOOL HEARING The Smithville High School controversy finally reached the ears of a circuit court judge.as the case gets underway in Martin County circuit court at Shoals. The defense has taken the position that the petition that began the fracas has 360 certified taxpaying signers, but that there is no evidence to show these signatures are authentic. The original petition asked that the high school be converted to elementary use and high school students transferred out of the township. That petition was ignored by Mrs. Pearl Deckard, then trustee of Clear Creek Township. The petitioners then filed suit asking a court mandate closing the school, nearly three years ago. This morning, Mrs. Thelma Axsom, Monroe County auditor, was the first witness called. In one hour and 40 minutes of testimony, Mrs. Axsom verified her certification of the petition-signers. The defendants are attempting to show that the term "taxpayers," as used in certification, can mean persons who pay gasoline or alcoholic beverage taxes or store license taxes, in addition to those who pay personal and real property taxes.