Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-08-15
CORRESPONDENTS.
Letter from Mr.. HitchinS.

FRosTEURG, MD, Aug. II, 1891.
To the MINING JOURNAL.
Allow me to call the attention of the
public to an unkind and most I'M
warranted attack upon my position as
a trustee of the public school of this
place in the Frostburg Ledger of the
Sth inst, which also necessarily in
wolves my personal character.
The first point in the article, or local,
is-that the people "wondered' why a
change was made in the board of
trustees, and the full meaning of it
does not yet appear.
That they wondered | do not af-
firm or deny, for no one was more sur
prised than |. The appointments,
published in the Cumberland papers,
were the first intimation | had of the
change.
What the Le7ger calls the "some-
things that have transpired that may
be of public interest" is wholly with
out foundation, and, therefore, gra-
tuitous, for nothing has transpired Of
any kind or nature.
The same article informs the public
that the Board is composed of Owen
Hitchins, J. S. Metzger and George
H. Wittig. This is true, and surely
the public IS cognizant of it.
1t also says that "the Board met re-
Gently" This is not true.
That Mr.. Hitchins wanted Prof.
George M. Perdew to succeed Prof.
Doub is also false. Mr.. Perdew never
spoke to me on the subject, nor | to
HIM ; therefore, ''as the other two trus-
tees did not agree with Nh. Hitchins,
the present principal will remain" is
also false, for | never mentioned to
anyone, nor did | ever think of re-
moving Prof. Doub.
AS to the reason, or reasons for the
commissioners making IL change, | do
not know. | have not spoken to one
them, nor had any communication
singly or jointly with them for a long
time before, nor since the present APP
pointments were made. | have seen
the Examiner on two occasions, but he
has meyer expressed a desire or in any
way indicated wish to change the
principal of school No. l, or any other
school.
That the article impeaches my per-
sonal character is clear, for implicitly,
if not stately, | am represented as
joining with others in scheme to de-
fraud an honest. capable man by
stealthily taking his position from him
and giving it to another.
My impression has always been that
the business of honest journalism IS to
lead people towards the light, and be-
fore presuming to give facts to seek
them where they can be found. The
Ledger could have seen any one of the
trustees almost any hour of the day
and learned the facts as they exist.
which, of course, for some reason
best known to himself the editor did
not choose to do.
| place these statements before the
people because it is due to them, and
especially due to myself.
OWEN HITcHINs.
Since the foregoing was written
the following paper has been signed
and hereto appended:
We take pleasure in stating that there has
been no disagreement between Trustees
of the Public Schools of this place as
published in the Frostburg Ledgey of
the Sth inst; neither has the question of
Prof. Doub's removal, nor any change in the
prncipalship been named. No such meet
ing as mentioned in said paper has been
held, and we are not acquainted with
of Trustees. We did not know of the ap-
pointments until they appeared in the news
papers. J. S. METzGER,
G. Fl WITTTG