The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-26

In view of all these circumstances,
however anxious may be to yIndicate
myself from the unjust and untruthful
ceasures they have denounced against
me. am not willing to engage in such
trifling procedure before such tribun-
al, and 1t is left to me to submit to the
consequences which your letter in ad-
vance threatens against me to invite
you In your own phrase ito perform
your duty" whatever it may be. That
as you intimate, this may be disa-
greeable dutyi is to me the subject of
profound regret.
have the honor to be very respect
fully your obedient servant.
L. E. Griffin, Superintendent.
COLUMBIA, May 8, 1891.
DIR. l.. e. Griffin, Columbia, S. C.-Sir:
find your letter OF yesterday awaiting
me on my return from Pendleton.
beg once more to impress on your mind
the following facts:
1. The committee appointed by the
General Assembly were charged with
the duty not of investie ating the su-
perintendent of the Asylum but Of the
institution as whole.
2. Their preliminary report called to
my attention certain facts in reference
to the management OF the institution
| upon which alone as Governor have
the power to act, for alone under the
Constitution am given the power to APP
point its officers and employees, and
even the Legislature cannot remove
such persons as are thus appointed.
| 3. This being so, l alone am the judge
to decide whether the charges contained
in the report of the investigating COM
mittee are true and, il so, what is my
duty. There Is no need to bring the in
yestigating committee back here to
hear your defence. IL you desire to make
any, for can hear the testimony of
your witnesses and have offered to ac-
cord you the privilege of crosse .exami-
nation of those witnesses who testified
before the committee, and this can be
had in public and with counsel if you
wish it. The witnesses are all either in
the asylum or in the city, and the testi-
monY already given by them can be
read in their and your presence.
4. The examination by the commit
tee was made in secret to prevent col
lusion among witnesses and to guard
against intimidation. All of the en-
ployees OF the asylum had been ap-
out color of law, and many witnesses
testified uhwillingly, seeming to fear
the lcss.of place.
8. All your fine WI ting about "the
Spanish Inquisition" and the "Star
Chamber of England" may appeal to
the sympathy of certain people, but you
are mistaken when you say "the iaves-
tigation under your (my) guidance has
heretofore proceeded only in the spirit
of fault-finding before a Court which,
for whatever purpose in defiance of jus.
tice and in breach of their faith, have
prejudged my case in Court" In JUS
tice to investigating committee anu to
myself 1T must be stated that we tried
to arrive at the exact truth and nothing
more. There has not been and Is not
now the least animus or personal feel
ing. The committee acting as grand
jury, have framed an indictment and
sent in the testimony. Both were furn-
ished you and naturally expected you
would ask an opportunity to disprOye
the charges, but instead you wrote a
labored defence addressed to the re-
gents. but intended solely to influence
public opinion. The regents had moth
ing to do with the matter, and their
flattering endorsement of your official
conduct cannot disprOve facts and may
prove a boomerang for themselves.
9. Without touching on other mat
ters brought out in the testimony,
numerous witnesses testify that the
man, Milne, whom you characterize as
a "crank" and who DR.. Corbett SAYS is
"morally insane" by which understand
he has a depraved nature which would
not hesitate to crafty any passion or
appetite, this man, for months, has been
permitted to have key which would
open the doors of any of the female
wards or any room in those wards. He
had such a key before he was allowed
to go to North Carolina last year, how
long is not known, and he obtained
another which. he says you gave him,
when he returned last fall, 1t was SO
notorious that he had these keys, while
he had a similar key to the male wards
and thus go in and out of any ward in
the building at any time, but none of
the oA employees seemed to think, it
worth while to tell you: as they all
thought you knew it and permitted it.
Ii these witnesses have testified the
truth, to say nothing Of the testimony
about the infrequency of your visits to
other wards. 1t shows your knowledge
OF what was going on in the institu-
tion to be very slight. 1t proved that
you nave been grossly negligent and
culpably careless In watching over the
unfortunate female'patients entrusted
TO your care. There is nothing to show
that Milne ever used or abused his op-
portunities, but the mind revolts at
and the Imagination is sickened by the
thought of what could have happened
and what may have hapy yened.
Without taking these things for
granted and removing you promptly, |
submitted the testimony to the regents
and to yourself. You did not ask me
to redeem my promise. but addressed
your reply to the regents; and when |
Offered again to give you a hearing you
accused me OF "fault.fnding" and un-
fairness; charged the committee with
EhayiDg prejudiced your case, and add:
"ltis only left for me to submit to the
consequences which your letter in ad.
vance threatened against me-" This is
mere trifling, and you know it,
promised you fair trial and am
ready to give it to you. when, how and
where you will, provided 1t is speedy.
The law, as i have already said, allows
me no option In judging your case my
self, and, while you may feel con-
tempt for "snch a tribunal" the people,
! whose servant am, must judge be-
tween u.s.
i beg to remind you in conclusion
that was informed bya mutual friend
last December 'that it was your put-
pose to resign In the spring, but If you
were to be hustled out You would do 90
then" My reply was I knew no rea-
son why you should he removed at all
and certainly no discourtesy would be
shown you or your friends, and some