The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-09-11


all the stages of our educational sys-
TEN. has fought all of the conflicts
which belong to Southern colleges, has
overcome in the great strife of hai1
century, and it stands to-day the best
endowed college in the South Atlantic
States. and in the Southern Methodist
church. No man can review the history
of Trinity without being thoroughly
impressed with the great warfare
which has been waged upon this insti-
tuition through all these years. The
noble founder of the college was at
tackled in private and in public, was OPP
posed at every point, and it is the YER
dict of his friends to-day that the heels
of his enemies crushed his heart into
the grave. Following in his footprints
came the young, scholarly, vigorous
noble and true John +. Crowell, and
whatever people may say about DR.
Crowell, so long as two bricks stand one
on top of another in the Crowell Science
Hall. there will be monument at Trini-
ty Park to the sincerity of that mans
efforts and the purity of his love.
And so. sir, the defendant, John G.
Kilgo, entered upon your work at your
solicitation; he came to your State ii
stranger. and You and he began togeth-
er strangers. He does not think that
there is one of your who questions the en-
ergy with which he has toiled, if you
question even the policy which he has
pursued. In a very short while this
same attack, following the same line of
historic succession, begins upon this new
and strange president of Trinity College.
In patience he bore it, and toiled on. He
went into no newspaper Quabbles; he
had no controversy with men, till at last
it was very evident to his mind that
the patience of Trinity College through
all these years had been misinterpreted.
and men regarded it as cowardice and
felt disposed to run over the college
whenever and wherever they chose.
Then he determined that so long as he
should stand at the head of this in
stitution. holding high regard for her
past history, and as guardian of the hun
dreds of its undergraduates, and the SEN
sitive nature of the young men gathered
about him. he would defend her name
against the onslaught of any man living.
He invited no fight, but in his heart of
hearts determined to be DETAINED no
longer; then, when, to his surprise, in
your Board, a member appointed guar
dian. not only of the institution, but of
the character of every employee in this
institution, should so far forget his high
and sacred responsibility in the matter,
as not only to falsely interpret the mo-
tive which defendant had in his work,
but also to regard this work so irrevent-
ly as to retail and SANDER the defendant s
plans to his damage and to the damage
of the institution, that came to the de-
PENDANT as the most fearful shock that
ever broke in his young life. This is
said by way of explaining to your Board
why the defense determined to pursue
this matter, and why he demanded of
your Board that you should either free
the college of a trickster, or else vindi-
cate his character against these charges.
Now, sirs. this case falls into three
great divisions: The first refers to the
charges, as to whether they have been
supported by the testimony; the next
refers to the history of the case in or
der to show the animus of the attack;
and the third refers to the ultimate pur-
pose of the attack. 1t is under these
three lines that the representative of the
defense will discuss the case and will
leave the decision of it with you. The
defendant wishes to say now that he is
perfectly willing for you to sit on this
case. We do not conceive that God
could inflict a severer calamity and
greater injustice upon the universe than
to wind up its history without universal
judgment, at which every man shall
stand and God shall testify as to him.
And whatever shall be the verdict of
<his hour. this much is true: the de-
PENDANT will stand before God at last and
the truth will be known.
h.
lation of the defendant to this Board.
Judge Clark would have you believe that
he had in his possession evidence to es-
tablish his original charges, and that the
defendant Intentionally evaded it. We
read from Judge Clark's let
ter to President Southgate: IF
your committee wanted information
/ could have given it to them" That is
not promise to find something, but it
states clearly, the grammatical tense
makes it state clearly that he had it then
and could have given it to them; but says
that he, President Kilgo, did not intend
that they should have it. In another par
agraph of his letter he says. speaking of
this evidence, THAT was the last thing
DIR. Kilgo intended / should have a
chance to do" Now. gentlemen, the
prosecution doesn't offer one word Of
testimony on this charge. Where is the
evidence to prove it? 1t must be proven
or disproven by the facts in the history
Of the case, and so we ask you to review
this charge.
If you go back to the original cores
pondence between President Kilgo and
Judge Clark you will find that he stated
to Judge Clark in his last letter that he
would place this correspondence before
your Board. Judge Clark received. or
was sent, the ordinary notice of the
Board meeting, just as every other mem
Der of the Board. There is no evidence
that Judge Clark was sick at the time of
your Board meeting and could not at
tend; there is no evidence that his bust
ness duties prevented him from attend
ing, but he was not here; nor can he say.
nor can the prosecution say, that finding
he would not be here, President Kilgo
took advantage of his absence and put
this correspondence before you. A year
before he had said plainly, "This matter
will go before the Board at the first on
portunity," and that was the first. Where
is there an element of evasion in that
kind of procedure? This Board knows
whether in the presentation of that cor
respondence the defendant intended to