The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-10

committee, but at board meeting
| later the charges against her Were dis
| missed and she was accorded the privi-
lege of making an address, in which
she charged the superintendent with
persecution and discourtesy and that
he was unfit to hold 50 high position
as superintendent of schools.
The teachers recital was intensely
dramatic The board eXonerated her
from the charges and voted to request
Superintendent Howell to appear at
last nights meeting and answer the
teachers accusations. The board did
this without examining the committee
testimony, which was not transcribed
until yesterday.
In one of the most bitterly fought
public sessions of an official body in
this city. the board last night. after
an hours debate and parliamentary
tactics. finally decided to make the
| testimony, which was heard by the
committee, a part of the superintend-
ent's statement, as he requested. Af-
ter doing this an adjournment was
made until tomorrow night.
Following the meeting Controllers
Langstaff, Schriefer, Jacobs, Francois
and Casey instructed Secretary Fell
lows not to allow the reporters access
to the testimony. For that reason Su
Serntendent Howels statement, as 1t
herewith appears. is really incomplete:
SUPERINTENDENT STATEMENT.
In obedience to "A resolution adopted by
this board at its last regular meeting ap-
pear before you tonight to make a state
ment of my connection with the case OF
Mrs. Lucy Booth. ! was not present at
the passage of the resolution nor for a
considerable time immediately proceeding
its passage, nor have | been furnished
with any copy of the charge which am
called upon to answer. The information
that | have of the proceedings that led
up to the passage of the resolution re-
ceivcd from the same as the general pub
lie. namely. the public press.
The nature of this case is such tnat,
were | permitted to follow my personal
inclination, l should have summed an con coi1-
tact with it. In its incipient stage real
lied the gravity of my position as an Of
iicer of the school district and the respon-
siblity that would be- imposed upon me.
| was confronted on one side by the pos
sihlity of iniuring permanently that
which all hold most sacred, namely, an
untarnished reputation: and on the other
side 10y the possibility of retaining in our
public schools as Il teacher one whose
moral qualifications had been justly or
| unjustly attacked.
This difficulty was rendered doubly great
by the fact that the person accused was
"a woman. | yield TO no one in my regard
for those holy sentiments which belong to
womanhood, yet in a question of morals
the law makes no distinction of sex.
also trust that | fully appreciate the re-
spOnsibilities imposed upon me by my Of
fetal oath. 1t was in this dilemma that |
presented to your committee for inquiry
as to their truthfulness the charges that
form the foundation of this ease. As su-
perintendent of public schools l now make
the following statement
Previous to the investigation there were
rumors aiIoat rejecting upon the char
acter OF this lady. These rumors were
hot nlI nv Ii,.,
rs perintendent to take official notice of
them. | caused an investigation to be
made and requested Il person who had
been in the employ of Mrs Booth either
as nurse or house-keeper to come to my
office AMI state what knowledge she had
| in regard to the matter.
HE INVITES WORMSER.
! invited Mr.. T.. L. Wormser, the oldest
member of the board and chairman OF the
| hiLh and training school committee. to be
present. and the testimony was taken down
| by the secretary of the board of control.
who is also notary public. This testi-
mony was then submitted to the commit
| tee. and after due consideration Il letter
was sent TO Mrs. Booth signed by all the
members of the committee and myself re-
questing her resignation.
] suggested the following letter to the
| committee: Mrs. Booth:--Owing to the
circulation of bad reports concerning your
| character and recent illness, we advisedy
| ask for your resignation to be read to the
| board Monday evening. Nov. 23 1885,
The committee, after some discussion
sent the following letter: Scranton
| Board of Control, Municipal Building.
Scranton, Pa, Nov. %. 1895. Mrs. Lucy
| Booth, instructor of drawing. Scranton
| high school, Scranton, Pa. We advisedly
ask for your resignation to be read to the
| board of control Monday evening, Nov. e3,
/ 1896 tSignedD +. l.. Wormser, George
| Mitchell, W. S. Langstaif. \. l.. Francois.
| Benson Davis. George Carson. high and
| training committee: George Howell. su-
perintendent of schools; attest, f. ID. Eel
| lows, secretary
Mrs. Booth did not comply with the re-
quest for her resignation, but demanded
a hearing before the committee. This
| she was entitled to and 1t was accorded
| her by the committee.
Mrs. Booth evidently had flll knowledge
| of the testimony already in .he hands of
the committee. She was represented by
| her attorney. Mr. NJ. A. Mckinley. The
| character of the examination of her wit
nesses by her attorney indicated full
! knowledge. of all the testimony then In
; the hands of the committee.
After this hearing and without further