Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-08-08
TERMS $500 PER YEAR
WHOLE NO. 1913.

w AO1JlI lNOs 4CICs
ratant attendance. on The investiga-
ton and testified that ii had been
conducted ihhroughtv anh fsirly.I
Theqreport states lthat,lhe Investi~
tigating Board fonnd Ethed trustees
charged fgs 81 .,4ss..as n.:s.s. ~
81. With specnlating for, their
personal profit in purchase and sale
OF supplies for tho Institute. Ai
I 2. Some of the members OF rthe
Board of Trustees " ere charged with
keeping their mistresses at the In.
stitute,.
3. That the Board has refused on
demand being made TO investigate
charge az ainst teacher where res
lgnation has been requested but on
the contrary gave him certifi.|
cate setting forth the fact that it had
not been called onto investigate any
charges against said teacher.s 7aas0
Mr.. w illiams, the accuser, on the
witness stand, retracted the first two.
of these charges, repeating the third,
the investigating Board think our
Board erred in Judgement in not ar
raigning Mr.. Williams IN a formal
manner to answer to the charges, in
stead of accepting his resignation.
We are contented to let the facts sta
ted in the outset of this paper stand
as our reply to this verdict. Inq sg8n
Principals w. II. Denote was
found charged with 9a
l. Ordering several of tho older
girls, pupils of the Institute, to their
rooms and causing them to undress
and go TO bed in his presence. that
they might not thereafter be in a
position to cry shame on u teacher.
2. Improper, impure, and Grimm
al intimacy with female teachers of
the institute and some OF the older
pupils Eth 6 - IS
The report aftirms that the first of
these charges /" is negatived by the
testimony and believed to be utterly
without foundations in fact" Re-
speeding the second, the investiga-
ting Board say 1--WE are of the opin.
ion there has been no impure or
criminal intimacy between P,iucipal
Denote and the female teachers or
the older pupils Of the Institute. We
are however of the opinion that in
discreet familiarity has been more
or less iDdulged.' he ground of
this light censure nppaers to be NJ.
DeMotte's own admission rather
than the testimony of Others. On
inquiry, his utmost offendif g is found
to be that he has occasionally greet
ed teacher or pupil with kiss
on leaving or returning to the lnsti-
tute, and in two or three Instances
on casual meeting of d teacher in
the building 10 his testimony Mr..
Denote pronounces his own judg-
men against such acts as a practice !;
but to the specific queation whether
ne has ever thus greeted teacher,
he acknowledges that he has on two
or three occasions. For this. 10 the
presence of cur Board, he expressed
his willing acceptance of the verdict
"indiscrect familiarity" applied to it.
With this before us as his sole Of.
Tense and with the expressions of
the investigating Board concerning
his administration, our Board appoint.
ed him Principal for another year.
They felt that they could not do
otherwise without offering prem
ium to characterization and malici-
Gus scandal. *fftFb Hff
The steward A. ]. Woodbury. was
charged on
l. "WiLh seduction of female pu.
pills.
2. With having committed rape
upon the persons of female pupils"
After long and tedious sxamina.
ton of many witnesses the investi.
eating Board say respecting these
charges:
awe reluctantly conclude that A.
j.. Woodbury. did according TO the
testimony commit an offense, the
object being to test the Willingness
of these girls to submit to his pur-
pose by q surrender of their chas-
tity." This judgment is at The same
time qualified by the statement that
the acts referred to took place five
or six years ago and tina. for all the
time before and since, the conduct
and character of Mr.. Woodbury.
stand unexeeptionable but for these
charges. Before these charges were
brought forward, it was the purpose
of our Board to abolish the distinct
office of Steward and devolve the
duties of that office upon the Princi-
pal with the assistance of clerk. |
That purpose was now carried out.
1t was voted that Mr.. Woodbury's
services DO discontinued after the
10Th OF August next, the intervening
time to be given to the proper clos
ing up and transfer Of the books and |
accounts. We did not deem it nee
essary to pass distinct judgment |
on the act Of years ago, believing
that his own positive and persistent
denial, sustained by character un-
impeached except by these charges, |
should weigh something against the |
questionable testimony of mutes call |
ed out by special influences, six
years after the occurrence of the
acts alleged and especially when il
appears that the mother to whom
the offense was reported at tho time |
and whose evidence is of much |
weight in the matter, did not deem |
it of sufficient consequence either to |