The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-26
GRIFFIN AND TILLMAN.
.ATART CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN
TWO OFFICIALS.

s n JART CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN
TWO OFFICIALS.
Governor Tiiiman Calls the superInte end
ent OF tho State Lunatin Asylum to
Account, and tho Latter Defends Him
.S selfwith Some Acerbity.
CoLUMB1A, s. c., May 1S.---The fol-
lowing correspondence between Gov
ernor Tillman and DIR. Griffin, which
concludes with request for the resig-
nation Of DIR. Griffin. will be read with
great interest. The letter referred to
10y Governor Tillman in his opening
note was published in the News and
Courier:
COLUMBIA, SC, May 8, 1891.
DR.. p. Il. Griffin, Columbia, s. c.
Dear Sir: In your letter to the regents,
a copy OF which was handed me last
week, you complain of unfair treat
ment and an ex-parte examination of
witnesses by the committee.
1 beg to remind you that when the
investigation begun no charges had been
preferred against anyone, and the COM
mittee, including myself, looked to
getting at the truth only--finding out
II anything was wrong with the insti-
tuition or its management. The deyel-
opments were OF such nature as to
provoke more thorough inquiry along
certain lines, and you were promised
an opportunity to crossquestion wit
nesses or bring in testimony in rebuttal.
AS soon as the testimony was reduced
10 writing a copy was furnished to the
regents for their and your use, and you
had the opportunity you asked. But,
instead of doing this, you entered on q
discussion of the old and new methods
of treating the insane.
The Constitution imposes on me the
responsibility for the fitness and eff
cheney of the officers and the employees
of the Asylum. | must perform my
duty, however disagreable it may lie,
and yet will give you the full oppor-
tupity to exonerate yourself if you can.
write to ask whether you still wish to
crossexamine the witnesses whose tes-
timony condemns you, or to attempt
to impeach their veracity.
Yours respectfully,
b. r.. Tillman, Governor.
OFFICE S. G. LUNATIC ASYLUM, !
May 3, 1891.
TO his EXcellency, B. II. Tillman,
Governor-Sir: In reply to your letter
just received, / beg to state that / shall
have the honor to communicate with
your Excellency some time this after
noon or evening, either personally or
by letter.
have the honor to be very respect
fully your obedient servant.
L. e. Griffin, Superintendent.
On the same day DR.. Griffin wrote the
following:
OFFICE S. G. LUNATIo ASYLUM,
May 5, 1891.
To his Excellency, Il. II. Tillman,
Governor-Sir: After more mature
consideration of the subject matter of
your letter of this morning, am con-
strained to recall my hasty promise to
reply this evening, and / therefore beg
your EXcellencys indulgence for a day
or two longer.
have the honor to be very respect.
fully.
p. E. Griffin. Superintendent.
OFFICE S. @. LUNATIC ASYLUM,
May 8, 1891.
To His Excellency, b. r. Tillman,
Goyernor-Sir: / have the honor to
acknowledge the receipt of your letter
of the 9Th of May, instant, in which,
referring to my answer and report to
the board Of regents of the Lunatic
Asylum, of date 28th April last, and to
the recent investigation made by the
legislative committee, you inquire
whether 1 "still wish to cross. examine
the witnesses (whOsetestimony, as you
are pleased to assert condemns me0 or
to impeach their veracity."
In my report to the board asserted
that by the secret and ex parte inquisi-
tion "justice had been denied me; that
/ had been condemned without oppor-
tunity of plea and of defence, without
semblance of trial, without knowledge
of the charge and specifications pre-
ferred against me, without place for
confronting the accusing witnesses and
without the right of testimony in my
behalf"
In your letter you concede that was
promised an opportunity to cross
question the witnesses or bring in tes-
timony in rebuttal," but you proceed
to say that "as soon as the testimony
was reduced to writing a copy was fur
niShed to the regents for their and
you asked. But instead OF doing this
you entered on discussion of the old
and new methods of treating the in
sane"
This promise, as / stated in my re-
port, was made to me by you, speaking
for the committee as well as for your
self, while / was before the committee
undergoing examination, and certainly,
ii given in good faith, authorized me to
thptCJ tildb DClOlO thC WdS
concluded should have the occasion
rendered to me by you and the commit
tee of presenting my defence.
NOW your Excellency does not Leed
to be informed that so soon as the COM
mittee had concluded the examination
of each witness as they choose to select
without notice to me, without the
slightest intimation of their readiness
to hear me, they with swift sentence
on that same day proceeued to lind and
publish their verdict by which / was
"condemned," as you term it, upon most
serious imputations of negligence, mis-
feasanceand incapacity In the conduct
Of my office affecting my personal, of
fetal and professional reputation. In
the face fthis statement of fact, which
is not denied. you say that as soon as
the testimony was reduced to writing
that copy was furnished to thu. re-
gents "and that / had the opportunity
asked" How? Whenp Wherep In
my report to the board stated that l
had access to some eighty pages of
manuscript containing portions of the
testimony of some of those witnesses
such as the legislative committee chose
to select, while, as i am Informed, the
larger portion OF. the testimony taken
during the investigation has not been
furnished the board, including what
ever NAV have bppi, 0iyen hu any nfi N 4,