The San Francisco call., 1899-08-01
Nebraska Regiment Entering the Preside.
MANY CENSURE,
OTHERS DEFEND
Character of McNaugh-
ton Dissected.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SAN JOSE, July 31-The investigation
into the charges of immortality, incom-
potency and lack of character made
against Professor James McNaughton,
the new principal of the State Normal
School, by a committee of the Alumni
Association commenced before the board
of trustees this morning The full board
was present-Trustees H. c. Brown
chairman, G. w. Sweigert, r. T. Pierce,
F. J. Short and F. w. Leavitt, and State
superintendent of Instruction Kirk Gov
ernor Gage, who is an eX-officio member
of the board and is said to have been re-
sponsible for McNaughton being made
principal, did not appear.
Attorney ]. R. Patton represented Nc
Naughton. Eli Wright and J. G. Jury,
members of the investigating committee
and attorneys, represented the Alumni
Association.
AS soon as Chairman Brown announced
all in readiness Eli Wright presented a
supplementary report to the report filed
at the last meeting of the board. 1t was
a voluminous document, consisting of let
tiers received in relation to McNaughton,
and occupied over two hours in reading.
There were letters from business men,
teachers and pupils of Council Bluns,
Iowa; Mayyille, n p, ana Iemple. ATlz' h12
Naughtons record at Council Bluffs and
referred TO the charges of immortality ana
lack of character made against NC
Naughton while he was superintendent oA
Schools there.
A letter from s. B. Wadsworth, an attor-
ney at Council Bluffs, said he firmly be-
ueved the charges made against Nc
Naughton to be true. McNaughton was
incompetent. He loaned money on chaItei
securities, and notorious characters called
at the school buildings ana McN dugnton
took them into the basement and trans
acted business. BY loaning money to dis
reputable women he enabled them TO con-
tinue their immoral practices Ihere were
other letters of this klnd.
The correspondence from Tempe, where
McNaughton last taught, related primer
paIlv TO his incompetency as teacher ana
discipIinarian He was accused OF favor
itism and the charge was made that ne
had accepted $40 from pupil IN conSlo-
Grafton for allowing MIN TO gra1u{ate' "A a
few letters spoke of him as scholar and
gentleman. - ,,o>-,,,
tons defense He read o66 IyPe@rltIedd Ha pew a1d
consumed nearly three hours. II renect-
ed on the investigating committee or the
alumni to the effect that 1t was unauthor-
lied and did not represent the Alumni
Association. Letters were reau from ron
ministers. educators and prominent hieh oon 6itI-
acter and denouncing the attack on him
as malicious. The action of persons in
Council Bluffs in sending out what were
nounced as worse than highway robbery,
as It was an attempt under cover TO rob
Professor McNaughton of his good repu-
tation.
The animus of the charge against Nc
Naughton was declared to be the fact
that Superintendent McNaughton was
instrumental in the dismissal of drunk
en- and incompetent teacher named Arthur
Stevens. 1t was claimed the charges were
due to malice and revenge and had no
foundation in fact, and Professor Nc
Naughton had been given no opportunity
to deny them. Ministers of all the
churches of Council Bluffs had testified
to McNaughton's good character.
Resolutions from the trustees of the
Mayville On. d. Normal were read, de-
claring that after an investigation they
were satisfied the charges made at
Council Bluffs were not true.
Attorney Jury argued for thirty
minutes. He urged the necessity of the
dismissal of Professor McNaughton a
man of his character would drag down
the school, even if his innocence We're
proved.
The investigation will be resumed IN the
morning, when Attorney Patton will!
close FIR the defense The case will then
be submitted to the board, which will
probably take it under advisement.
The normal trustees met this evening
and reinstated Miss Cornelia Walker on
the petition of a large number of citizens.
At the annual election she was dropped.
Her position will be assigned by the presi-
dent. The resignation of Miss Louise
Maitland as teacher of drawing was ac-
cepted.