The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1898-09-09
Prof. Gowen's Reply to the Trustees
"Card"


and that 1 knew at the time that it
did not belong to me. This is a pretty
strong statement for them to make.
They don't give me the benefit of
shade of a shadow of a doubt in the
case. They condemn and hang me
without witness, judge or jury and
don't even give me the benefit of cler-
gy' in my burial! have just sold that
which was not my own and l knew it
not to be, that's all. Well, the last
part of that charge they do not know
to be true, nor can they know it. That
know had no right to it do most
positively deny. On the contrary, /
had always thought that had per-
feet right to it until Sept. the 18th,
and it never entered my mind that
even the Board thought differently u, :
til few days ago While l ask no
consideration at the hands of the Board
nor do expect any, l can but wish
that my brother had been spared the
humiliation of seeing me published to
the world as dishonest and that too
over the signature of two men who
sustain to him the peculiar and deli
cate relation of Elders to Pastor in
the church for which he has minister
ed so long. 1 believe that he would
have died in his tracks before he would
have published to the world the dis
hosesty of one of THEIR brothers, even
though he might have known him to
be guilty, thus seeking to bring sorrow
and shame and humiliation ucoa the
innocent
In reply to the Boards note 1 wish
to give my reasons for thinking l had
a right to the property for year, and
trust l shall do SO in better spirit
than they showed. 1 shall not deal in
epithets, use ugly names or make ug-
ly faces at them lest the public should
see in that the weakness of my cause
and suspect that such was my only re-
course.
C) In the first place nearly all the
communication l had with the Board
before came to Kentucky was thro
my brother q had only one letter from
the secretary, and my brother under
stood that 1 was to have the house, not
during school only, but for the whole
year, and he, of course, gave me to I'M
derstand it as he understood it; but
the Board would say that he misun-
derstood them, so I'll give a second
reason:
(2) Ever since 1 have been here /
have held the property during the
summer, and nothing was ever said or
thought about my not having a right
to do soon the contrary it has always
been expected; but the Board might
say that it was through their goodness
and kindness of heart that have been
permitted to use the house during va
cation; SO I'll give third reason:
(3) I he only letter the secretary ever
wrote me-the one telling me of my
election-made the same impression
on me that all my brothers letters
had done. That it was worded like
the so-called contract" in the trus-
tees note, l most positively deny. The
so-called contract" is no contract at
all. but only an extract from the Sec
retary's minutes-minutes too, the We
ry existence of which, was ignorant
of until the day before gave up the
property. There was no formal or
written contract; they claim their
minutes to be the contract; claim
their letter to me and my acceptance
written when 1 was three hundred
miles from here; was 1 expected to
come and read the minutes, or was it
more natural for me to rely on the
secretary's letter to know the condi-
tons? 1t takes two to make a con-
tract. The Board ought to have
sought the advice of some lawyer in
town on the meaning of a contract
it seems to me. But may be charged
with inability to understand what the
secretary meant, so I'll give fourth
reason:
~ At the end of TIL first year ask
ed for a little increase in salary, but
the chairman said the Board had de.
cided they could not grant my request;
they considered the money they were
paying me, and the house which they
estimated at from $3.50 to $500 a year,
very good pay. The chairman himself
said 1 could not get house at all suit
able for less than $l5O year-not
nine months; $50 for nine months
would.be pretty high it seems to me.
Even if the contract had been under
stood as meaning 9 months, for the
first year, 1 don't see how it can be
claimed for the second and third, in
the face OF their report to me. But
the Board may not remember saying
these things, so I'll give fifth rea-
son:
~ In the Boards formal notification
of my election-the secretary's letter,
mentioned above-they laid great
stress on the fact that would have a
most excellent garden; now, if the
house was mine for only the scholastic
year 70 months) of course the garden
was mine for only the same time, that
is, from Sept till May-during the
winter months, but fro m May till Sept.
the only time garden is worth any
thing-I have no right to it. Talk
ahout stcom mon eaneoo ord W6+na.s ~
things,"-it seems to rue that both
these things are lacking when you
hold out as a special inducement "a
most excellent garden" when Pm not