The morning call., 1892-07-04
EXTRAV AGANT TRUSTEES.
Etchings On Satin for the C0gs-
well Polytechnic School.
Why It's Founder Has Taken Foroible Pcssss-
sion of the Institution-Trustees
Won't Resign.

mean the city shall have it. Mrs. Cogswell
and | have no other use for the building
than that to which we freely dedicated it,
and our only purpose in taking possession
of il now is to insure the proper conduct of
the trust and to see that cur original de-
signs are carried out"
Il was DR.. Henry ID. CogS we'll, the rich
phiIanthropist, who spoke. He is an old
man, but still brcadshouldered. hale and
active. Little Mrs. Cogswel. in q starched
white dress, locking very prim and neat.
stood beside her stalwart husband, and
when he had stopped speaking she added:
'Mr. Coeswell and want TO save the
property from destruction"
THAT is l,' said the doctor. 1--WE want
tile Institution run on business principles.
We undertook to found free polytechnic
school, where needy students could learn
some useful occupation that would open TO
them opportunities of earning an honest
livelihood. Our idea was not 10 start
high school or a finishing school, where
language and the fine art accomplishments
should be taught
''For trustees O the COgswell Polytechnic
School ! appointed trustees whom thought
were honorable men who could be trusted.
81 find now that they have been reck-
leSsly eXirayagAnt, and not only that, but
have been making money out Of the trust
for their own pockets.
RECKLESS EXTRAVAGANCE
''By their reckless extravaganza they have
rua me- in debt TO the Wells-Fargo Bank for
1900, including principle and interest.
and have squandered the funds Of the
trust in the most selfish and shameful man
ner."
Yes; and now, when Mr.. Coyswell asks
them like gentlemen to resign their trust be-
cause it is not being carried out according
to his original plan. they assume oelll-
gerent attitude and say they Will run things
10 suit themselves in spite OF u.s."
1t was little Mrs. N0gswell w said this.
''She is quite right" SAID tn, zt.or. "as
early as year ago last April Requested
the resignation of Thomas b, Bishop and {.
b. Stone. Sirce then l have asked for the
resignation OF James Spler and G. W.
Gibbs. They refuse point blank to accede
to my wishes.
Under their management the Institution
has not been run as 1t shoulC we been,
and in order 10 save the property intact and
get il once more into the channel for which
It was intended. have taken foreible pos
session Of the premises and mean TO retain
them un!il 1 can get Il thoroughly honest
and competent board Of trustees"
BY taking forcible possession of the
premises, Dr.. Cogswell referred 10 having
barred and bolted up the no~-deserted
school building at Twenty-siXth and Folsom
streets, given the keys into the possession
of young SkeIinger, the son of the Janltress,
with orders TO permit the entrance OF no
one. and having posted on the front the fol-
lowing notice:
BY the advice of my attorney, w. I. Bsggett.
l have taken legal possession OF the COgswell
C0lege property. and propose TO hold II against
all claimants until the suit now pending of the
Cogswell Polytechnic trustees is determined by
court OF competent jurisdiction, aud all persens
are forbidden 10 enter the premises.
H. ID. CoGswELL.
SUIT To GUST.
A suit TO oust the present trustees is now
pending in the courts. but does not come up
until August.
Meanwhile, according to the avowed plans
OF the trustees, they mean TO continue in
charge Of affairs and ODen the school on
July IL on the old system. They publicly
declare that they will not resign, and threat
Ell to get possession OF the building in time
10 open on the 18th by asking the court for
an ini lcu0n restraining DR.. Cogswell.
All this has made the philanthrOpIc
founder Of the college very indignant, and
il is quite likely that when the matter is
finally aired IN the courts some spicy details
Will be diyulge6. Dr. COggsYell himself
intDated the nature of some of these de-
tails TO a CALL reporter last evening.
TIE RAILROAD OCTOPUS.
Il am convinced that the present trusiee
could scarcely have done worse had they
tried" continued DR.. Cogswell. Let me
give you an instance OF their methods.
They have leased to the Southern Pacific
Company part of the endowment prop "
at Fifth and Townsend streets for one half
the amount that adjoining property is leased
for. The railroad employed Hooper Bros,
the lUmbermen, TO make the lease with
Stone 81 Bishop. By the terms of this lease
the railroad secures the property for %
years at an annual rate of $4,000.
q" was led to sign the lease through mis-
representations. and was told by the late
Mark Hopkins only q day after it was
signed that the trustees could have got
$4,000 year for the property as easily as
the figure they closed at. There is a sheer
loss TO the trust of $4,000.
Property Immediately adjoining this es-
tate was leased on a progressive scale of
from $50 to $500 front foot for the same
period. while the rate Of rent for the en-
dowment estate is but S23 for the entire Pc
riod.
But the trustees have not turned over
the lease TO the railroad company yet.
Why? Because the latter has been dIla-
tory in paving the promised commission. [
believe So, 600 is the sum demanded.
You can see that the railroad is deeply
interested from the fact that il has EN-
p.Oyed Judge Carpenter to defend the trus-
tees IN the suit Of custer l have brought
against them.
A PIANO AND ETCHiNGs.
"Whatdo you think OF school in debt
and paying interest en- borrowed money Of
dering $50 piano? Then they came 10
me gleefully and told how they had saved
$50 Oh the bargain by allowing the owner
to paint his name on tae instrument.
1T was my opinion that they cOald have
got along without such costly piano uuti
their debts were paid, but then you know
they would not have earned their own COM
mission.
Before went East spent Sl2O0 in put
ting the playground in proper shape. It
was finished of as geod as need be for a
while, and every bit as good as the play
ground in the famous Girard College, Phila-
delphia.
"My back had no sooner been turned
when they laid out $500 more on that lay
ground in having il covered with asphalt,
believe. This was sheer extravagance Whsn
they were still in debt to the bank. But
that is not all.
The trustees then bought 25 books of
etehings with satin leaves at S25 a volume
and this for a school OF manual training.
where the students were supposed to come
to learn useful trades.
Then they bought 13 Webster Dietion-
aries with stands There is not whole
one left to-day.
They paid 81 so apiece for 80 willow
baskets Tor the students to put their tools in
while ct work. They were made TO order
They purchased many duplicate sets of
various encyclopedias, all of Baucroffs
Sl3 apiece ana so on to the end Of a most
shaneiul extrayagauce. and all the while
struggling under heavy load of debt on
which they were paying interest.
HANDSOME COMMISSIONS.
l;,u. Informed that the trustees received
handsome commissions on everything pur-
chased. In fact | have proof of their
having received commissions on many arti-
cles they bought.
"a $3.50 piano. etchings ON satin leaves
and costly willow work baskets are
not articles which in the original
scheme should have found their way
into an institution founded solely for
teaching the useful arts. not at least.
until the institution shonid be debt free,
And what one school could want of Is Gen.
tury and 13 Webster dictionaries-aDd that
one school In debt-passes the comprehen-
sion OF men and women who have worked
hard all their lives