The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-05
Will Be Submitted to the Board On
Thursday Night-Mrs. Miners
Letters Read-The Hearing Was
Held Behind Closed Doors-Vote
Was Unanimous.


and adopted.
In all probability DR.. Millspaugh'
election as his own successor for anoth
er two years in the position he has hel,
since 1890 will then take place.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.
In the boards exoneration of him
Superintendent Millspaugh derives lit
tie satisfaction, for he feels that Their
| is no chivalry in a man defending him
self against the attacks of persons o
the weaker sex.
Mr.. Movie was the only member t
voice an objection to the secrecy o
the conclaVe. 1t was also contrary t
the wishes of the accuser and accused
At the conclusion of the hearing, thu
reporters were put to the necessity o.
going through the mass of correspond
ence to search out the evidence, a pro
ceeding which, according to Mrs. Mil
neES expression, was both unique anC
antique" However, Mr.. Cotton, who
is probably more familiar with the
merits of the case than any other mem
Der, frankly stated, when questioned
by his colleagues, that the evidence o.
the accused was fairly presented ant
truthfully stated.
MRS. MINERS CHARGES.
The case was presented by Mrs. Mil
ner in the form of an attorneys brief
She charged that superintendent Mills
paugh was guilty of neglect of duty
and abuse of official authority, to such
extent that her standing as a teacher
is very seriously affected" By way OF
specification, she alleged a. That q
pupil had been promoted solely on the
demand of a parent; a. That she
was elected q teacher, but never en-
ployed; 60 That he resorted to false
hood in replying to her structures
against him for not employing home
teachers, through the columns of the
Tribune last November; "a That Su-
perintendent Millspaugh exacted a
promise from her to not again criticise
his official acts if she were given en-
ployment
The compliments brief incoherently
set out many trivial instances in sup
port of these specifications. In one par
of her brief, complainant alleged that
the superintendent had never been
honest or straightforward, but was
prone to juggle fact and fiction, official
and unofficial. like DR.. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde, all of which was unpleasantly
confusing" The brief stated that she
had written so many letters to the SUI
perintendent and called on him so fire.
quently because it was both courtesy
and constitutional" The concluding
portion of her evidence and argument
was as follows: Il have given yoJ
much in evidence showing that we ar5
seriously in need of reformative meas
ures in executive matters touching edu-
cation. One proof of our educationa
defects is my being employed in form
only for two years. There is apparent
ly at the very fountain head a voice
calling a halt"
TrJE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES m
TENSE.
AS to the first specification, Superin-
tendent Millspaugh demonstrated that
he had investigated the alleged Instance
of wrongful promotion reported to him
by Mrs. Miner and learned to his sat
isfaction that the pupil in question had
received her promotion legitimately
and through honest merit.
The second and third specifications
in the complaint were answered by the
ST perintendent. and evidence presented
was submitted by him that, to the com
mittee's satisfaction, at least disproveo
the allegations.
QUESTION OF EMPLOYMENT.
From the scores of letters that passed
between Mrs. Miner and Superintend-
emf Millspaugh, the accused showed to
the trial board that early in the sum-
mer of 1896 she was duly elected &c
teach in the primary grades, condition
ed upon her satisfactorily passing the
required examination and obtaining a
teachers certificate. On Aug. 1, 1896
the superintendent received a letter
from her. stating that she was very
i'll with gastric fever, and would be un-
able to take the examination. The let
ter contained the request that her
name be entered upon the extra or sup
ply list, which was done. On Aug. s,
Mrs. Miner acknowledged receipt of a
sympathetic letter from the superin-
tendent, and at the close stated: 'One
pleasant feature of this correspondence
is that this letter does not require an an
swer." Nevertheless, on Aug. u, the
superintendent informed her by letter
that the board did not wish her to be-
gin teaching until she was in full
health, and that it was the lately eX-
pressed policy of the board to have no
sickly teachers in the schools. In the
meantime the vacancy in the list,
caused by her illness, was filed, but
on the same date, the 21st. the mes
senger brought back a reply from her,
saying she was fully recovered, and
wished to begin work at the opening of
the schools.
FURTHER EVIDENCE.
Nothing more was heard from Mrs.
Miner until Nov. Z, when the superin-
tendent's accuser wrote an incoherent
letter, in which reference was made to
the divorce proceeding of Miner VS..
Miner. On Feb. u, 1897, in response
to her request, her name was put on
the substitute list of tea cheers. A short
time afterward she called on the su-
perintendent, and roundly abused him
for not assigning her to place, follow
ing it UP with letter to the board,
charging him with neglect of duty and
abuse of official authority" Later she
withdrew it, and apologized to the
superintendent for her indiscretion
In June last Mrs Miner called on
the superintendent, and requested him
to recommend her for position. Super
intendent Millspaugh declined, saying
he believed she would not make an ac-
ceptable teacher. However, he stated
that he would give her an opportunity
to demonstrate her teaching abilities
Her name was not on the list of recon-
mended graduate teachers from the
university training school, On Aug. 1t.
1897, the superintendent, in accordance
with his assurance that he would not
oppose her employment if the board
concluded to consider the matter, he
called the attention of the committee
on teachers to her second application
The committee decided to employ her
as soon as a vacancy occurred, and Su-
perintendent Millspaugh dictated a let
ter of notification to the applicant Just
as the letter was made ready for mail
ing, President Dolly and Mr.. Cotton di-
rected the superintendent, on Aug 23,
to withhold it, because the president
had received curious letter from her.