The New York herald., 1877-01-15
THE CHlLDBENS FOLD.
The Rev. Edward COwley to Retire
from the Management.
EFFORTS TO coNDoNE HIS FAULTS
The State Board Insist Upon His Dismissal
The Trustees Yield

The Trustees Yield.
Il IL gratifying result OF tho investigation OF the
Children's Fold, made by tho State Board Of Chari-
ues and Of the exposure in the HERALD oi the
cruetes practisod upon tho unfortunate orphans BY
the Rev. Edward Cowey, the superintendent that the
Board OF Trustees OF the fold have virtually deter
mined to'pace the mana cement Of tho institution
soon az possible in different handa This resolution
may be gathered from the interview given below With
Mr. James Pott one Of tho trustees. From an inter-
y,ew also subjoined, with Rev. Thomas GaIlaudet,
another member OF the Board, II will be seen that the
trustees were nrst desrous OF condonlng Mr. Coweyr
faults and content to retain him as manager OF the
institution provided he retired from the presidency
OF tho Board of Trustees leaving tho latter body
strict supervision over bis management Thanks ia
the firm of tho committee OF the State Board o
Charities consisting Of Mcssrs Roosevelt and Hoguei
and Mrs. Lowell, this aif-wuy measure and totally
inadequate remedy adopted. They insisted
that Mr. and Mrs Cowey be dismissed, and that the
management OF tho institution pass into entirely
hands. The employm and dismissal OF the super
inteudent tho matron with the trustees but
the Official prestige OF the State Board and tho moral
pressure OF an indignant and outraged public which
was produced by the AERALDs exposure, havc prob
ably induced the trustees 10 yield and consent to Mr.
and Mrs. Cowey's dismissal For some reason or
other tho trustees still act in secret and have
gwen no official announcement of their resolu'
ton: but unless the pressure brought by Mr..
Coweys friends TO compel his retention OF
the management should alter ALL overcome the pres.
en-. determination of trustees the public may feel
grated In knowing that the helpless orphans Of the
Chdrens Fold will the future be protected against
such cruel treatment
AN ANOMALOUS MANAGEMENT.
Before proceeding to give the statements OF Mr.. Pott
and Rev. Thomas Gallaudet (wto, 1t will be observed,
have much sympathy Tor the Rev. Edward Cowley and
try as tar possible to extenuao his conduc it may
be well to point out the wholly anomalous condition Of
tho management Of the Children's Fold The
Rev. Edward Cowley and his vile not
only superintendent and matron, but they
also control the principal supervision over
their own conduct, for both aro members and
the reverend gentleman actually President of the
Board of Trustees. Hence Is easy understand that
the reverend gentleman has had things pretty much
his WY, and has managed tho Childrens Fold as
private enterprise Of his owD. In fact the Board, as
officially constituted, is little more than myth. The
official gives the following tho names OF the trus
tees = Rov. Thomas Gallaudet, William r. Gardner
Richard S. Garrettson, William H. Newman, Elias J.
Pattsou, James Pot. Nahum stctson, JE; Mrs George
Depew and Mrs. H. D. wyman. reporter sent
was officially my Ill., and longer acted a trustee;
that Mr. Garrettson was dead; that Mrs. Dcpew no
longer belonged to the Board, and had Withdrawn
from It Tor years; and that Mrs. Wyman was very
old lady. who had retired from IL for some time
Mr. Newman lives out Of town. and the only members
who were accessible yesterday were the Rev. Thomas
Gailaudet and Mr.. james Po;I
DIR. GALLAUDEr ON rIfE SITUATION.
Or. Gallaudct, whose noble efforts IN behalf of the
deaf mutcs we'll known to the pubic, would make
Invaluable member OF tho Board, but, he MIN.
sell admitted he was too busy with his other work 10
DO able TO take an active part the supervision the
told DR.. Gaaudet said there was q disagreement DO.
State Board and the trustees a.. State Board
Insisted upon the Rev. Mr. Cowley's DISMISSAL and
Messrs Roosevelt aad Hoguct well as Mrs Lowoil,
had convcrsed with him ON the subject had freely
expressed to him their conviction that Mr. Cowcy was
however, thought thai Mr. Cowlcy's aults did pro-
coed IRON deliberate cruelty, but we're probably only
cphemcra AID had been exaggerated and they desired
him, but to make him give up the presidency
Of the Board OF Trustees, so that the trustees them
menI In .ur Ga,audet's opinion it was nlanliestly
improper that the president OF the supervising
body should be the very man whose conduct was 70
be supervised. Dr. Gaaudct, however, spoke we'll oi
Mr. Cowley. who was clergyman Of great experience,
but unfortunately afflicted with brusque. harsh
manner which, DR.. tialaudet thought had PROBABLY
more to do with his present trouble than any other
He did not believe that Mr. Cowiey would oe
deliberately cruel tho orphans under his caro-; but
his brusque and harsh treaImen. OF parties coming
contact with him bad probably lent color Of proba.
bty 10 these charges Dr. Galaudct was in the fold
in December last and he SAID the children certainly
had no cowed or wh'ppedcur'iike appearance.
and hS knew as positive iac: .,taas., tnas many an.
asked whether the trustees had the employment
dismissal of the superintendent and maron, and
provision about that Mr.. CowIey had virtually started
the fold and called The present Board Of Trustees
around him, and be had had pretty much the whole
manage cement OF the institution. he believed MT Cow
ley had worked hard TO make 1t success, and tor his
own part would oo Willing w 10 leave m MIN IN ne aa man
know, however, what the Board OF Trustees had de-
cdcdto DO he was unable to attend their meeting OF
Friday last and referred the writer or tho latest In
formation TO Mr.. PotI, who was probably the most
active member OF the Board
ixwARDSEss
II was found that MIR. Pott knew considerably more
| than Dr. Gaaudet from his attendance at fridays
meeting and ho stated during the conversation tnat
ut that meeting resolution adopted to place the
management in different hands soon competent
persons could be fouDd "ln iact VIC are looking now
for competent persons-be II either superintendent
or natron, or perhaps couple-we have not yet
decided which," He assured the writer that tho
whole matter would be settled this week in manner
satisfactory TO tho state Board and the public; but
when asked whether this mode Of settlement meant
there was no necessity Of putting the matter
into such q shape 10 cali It ''dlsmissal;'
that tho relations between the Rev Edward
and tho other members were those Of the utmost
courtesy and that the other trustees had no desire TO
and courteous manner. Mr.. Pott also politely de-
cned 10 give copy Of tho resolution passed at The
last meeting OF the Board Of Trustees Friday to
say whether II signihcd informal or 1nal ana formal
action, but contented himself with stating that was
now with the State Board or their revision and
currencc. Mr. Pott thought the matter should now be
Kept as quiet possibs ny the newspapers until final
action had aud that there necessity Tor the
utmost secrecy. AS TO the charges themselves ho
thought they were and that the ch;idren,
many OF whom had been takon IRON Randal's Island.
and belonged to the lower classes, "wero pretty hard
cases TO MANAGE and might have required extreme
measures to discipline There great deal to bc
said on thc part OF tho reverend gentleman who had
served without salary (although he the exclusive
OF all the money expended Tor tho inst
tutonl He had, unfortunately, like many other
people, disposition to quarrel; but he q clergy
man, and Mt. Pott believed he should DO treated with
tho greatest eniency One OF the best features tho
old he said, was the wonderful absence OF sickness
Of which there had bcen less almost any vthcr
institution OF the kind. 'The children are pretty
happy, Mr. P0t dcclarcd they don't live In Fl tn
avenue palace, OF course. but they are pretty we'll
| treated