The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-12
SUPERINTENDENT IS
FULLY EXONERATED
Heard the Testimony in the Booth
Case Behind Closed Doors.
THEN ORDERED 1T SEALED UP
Before the Meeting Of the Board as
a Committee of the Whole Began,
the Controllers Held n Conference
in the Office Of the Secretury..Re. .
port of the Committee Will BE
Made Monday Night.

For nearly three hours last night, az
ter excluding reporters and spectators
from its rooms, the board of control sat
and listened to the reading of the tes-
timony in the now famous Howell
Booth case. The board was during this
| time in session as a committee of the
| whole and its deliberations We're not Of
ncially made public. The conclusion
reached was, however, a complete eX-
oneration of Superintendent Howell.
Mr.. Jennings. who acted as Chairman.
will make to the board a public report
of the committees findings at the stat
| ed session on Monday night. the tes-
timony was ordered sealed and placed
| in the custody of the secretary.
The eXoneration of the superintend-
ent necessarily stamps as false the ac-
cusations of Mrs. Booth against him.
Whether action will De taken in dis
Cipline of her for that unsupported ar
raignment is matter for future deter
mination by the board. 1t was dis
appointed lot of spectators who We're
forced to vacate the board rooms after
having gathered there with the hope
of hearing the testimony that was gath
cred by the committee. The majority
of the crowd was, perhaps, attracted by
idle curiosity but there We're many
whose presence was due to a proper de-
sire to form an opinion on the matter.
The clearing of the room of all but
members drove from the building all
of the morbid but not all of the honest
ly interested: the latter remained to
hear from the reporters or friends
among the controllers the substance of
the verdict.
As early as o'clock, the hour des-
| tod H..
| tators and controllers began TO arrive,
and half-hour later the space orlin-
arly reserved for non members. the
| doorways and the space about them
was Jammed with onlookers. Attor-
neys l. H. Burns, representing Mrs.
Booth, and Joseph O'Brien, the counsel
| of Superintendent Phillips We're there
and SO was Rev. DR.. james Mcleod,
pastor of the First Presbyterian church,
who stated to Tribune reporter
that his presence was due to an inten-
tion to arise and protest against the
reading of the evidence If he deemed ii
OF an unsavory nature.
CONTROLLERS CONFERRED.
The meeting was not Immediately
called to order and everybody chafied
under the delay until it was discovered
that the members had gradually taken
themselves into the secretary's office
They remained there for fully half an
hour, during which the minority, who
fought so energetically at the previous
session against having the testimony
made a part of Superintendent How
ellis statement as he requested there
in. strove as earnestly to have res
cinded the action of that meeting. Fail
ing in this, the members filed. into the
meeting room at O'Clock.
Mr.. Jennings, chairman of the COM
mittee of the whole, was in the chair
and every controller was present ana
listened TO the reading by Secretary
Fellows of the minutes of Wednesday
nights meeting. When the minutes
had been read Chairman Jennings an
nounced that the only business before
the session was the reading Ofs the tes-
timony according to the concluding
business of the previous session.
Mr.. Gibbons arose with the appar-
ent intention of addressing the chair,
but was halted by Mr.. jennings ad-
monition that nothing was in order
save the business before the meeting,
the reading of the testimony. Mr.
Williams evidently thought likewise
and arose to point of order, specify
ing the improperly of any proceeding
except that indicated by the chair
Chairman Jennings said, Il will can
sent to hear any motion Mr.. Gibbons
may propose but will not consent to
receive it." Mr.. Gibbons moved that
inasmuch as the board was acting as n
committee of the whole and was not
in regular session spectators be eN-
cluded from the room.
Mr.. Jennings ruled that according to
precedent and parliamentary law the
motion, under ordinary circumstances
UIliV VpI
tion was. however, unusual. Many
facts in the case We're known to the
public: to it something was due, and
something was also due the control
lers individually. He would consider
the motion matter of privilege and
put it before the house, but with the
understanding that no debcte was to
be allowed and that no further motion
was to be offered.
MOTION TO EXCLUDE CARRIED.
Mr.. Nctz had seconded Mr.. Gibbons
motion, which was carried by vote of
IL to as follows:
Ayes-Scharar. Francois, O'Malley,
Wormser. Welsh. Schaefer, Conrad, Ja-
cobs. schriefer. Barker, Notz, Gibbons
Langstaf.
Nays-Davis. Carson. Casey, Devanney,
Walsh, Williams, Langan.
Chairman Jennings refrained from
voting. While a hum of objection was
being heard from among the spectators.
Mr.. Welsh moved that the action of
The previous meeting in ordering the
evidence read be reconsidered. Mr..
Schrifer seconded the motion. Chair
man Jennings refused to consider it.
Mr.. Welsh said he would appeal the
decision.
After the spectators had left the
room. Mr.. Welsh demanded that vote
be taken on his appeal. This was done
and the appeal was lost by vote of
IL to 9.
BY this time it was nearly $50 o'clock
and Secretary Fellows began reading
133 pages of typewriter transcript of
the testimony. heard by the committee.
At IL O'Clock the reading was finished.
The testimony did not appear to leave
any doubt of the fact that Superinten-
dent Howell was not Mrs. Booths ac-
cuser, nor did X tend to indicate that
he was unjustified in calling to the
high and training school committees
attention the fact that the case mer-