Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-08-20
Special to the Register.

Special to the Register.
WESTON, W. Va, August 49,
Just verdict or whitewash?" This is
the question to be decided by the pub
lie, the appellate court for the consider
alton of evidence adduced in the hospi-
tai investigation.
The board of directors has found DR..
Stathers not guilty.
All material facts stated by witnesses
upon both sides have been presented
to Register readers.
Will the finding of the board receive
the stamp of popular approval?
Six members of the board say no 9TH
er verdict would have been possible
under the evidence. The seventh mem
Der, Alex. McVeigh Miller, Republican,
dissented.
Dr.. Stathers' friends are happy. over
the favorable termination of the investi-
cation. He has received several con-
gratulatory kilograms.
The prosecution contended that a
case was made against Stathers which
would have convicted him in any court
of justice, but they affect to be not sur
prised at the result. They say he has
convicted in the eyes of the public and
that they had little to hope for from
biased board, which popular report
alleges to have been instructed by
Governor Atkinson to 'whitewash'
the Superintendent.
The board was in executive session
all morning, and until late in the after
noon. Counsel and Representatives of
the press were excluded. Conferences
were numerous, recesses were frequent,
but no information was given out rel
alive to the matters under considera-
ton.
Even after final adjournment, mem
bers were extremely reticent. News
paper men were referred to the
ORDER OF THE BOARD.
entered upon the minutes, as the only
public statement which would be made.
The order reads:
''On motion. it is ordered that the
board proceed to consider the charges
filed against the Superintendent, and all
o,r;dorao ,Dro~or+aJ in oonpontiou thpre
with, and after mature consideration
the board is of the opinion that the
prosecution has failed to sustain the
charges so filed against said w. E.
Stathers, superintendent, and find him
not guilty as charged"
Several questions arose during the
sessions of the board, which provoked
discussion. The prosecu-
tons request that the board subpoena
0. c.. Runge, superintendent of the
st. Louis hospital for the insane, for
the purpose of asking whether or not
a woman was with Dr.. Stathers in that
city, and for the additional purpose of
enabling him to determine If Harriet
Green was that woman, was talked Of
1t was not acted upon.
President Meighen said anent this
matter:
1T may be fairly presumed that both
sides have made the best case possible,
and do not Understand that the board
should be expected to hunt up any evil
dence to incriminate its superintend-
ent."
The Board was evenly divided, and
President Meighen cast the deciding
vote on the
QUESTION OF DISAPPOINTMENT
Of vote until the next regular meet
Ing in October. Three members urged
delay in order to gain time for the
preparation and weighing of the evil
dence and to enable the absentees.
Messrs. Hardman and Keller, to vote
upon the guilt or innocence Of DR..
stathers. After considerable wrangling
the Board decided to take an immediate
ballot
Mr.. Miller was the only member who
did not vote for a verdict Of not guilty.
BY common consent, the supplement
tai charges go over until the next
meeting Of the Board. when they may
~ ;,vas4sra+ad
The local Republicans who have been
associated in the prosecution are in
dignant over the finding by the Board,
it an outrage. R. Adj
Hall and other prominent leaders an
nounce that they will call a
PUBLIC INDIGNATION MEETING
for some evening next week.
Mr.. Foster, principal attorney for
the prosecution, said:
@The Board simply carried out the
instructions OF Governor Atkinson. its
chief The investigation was unfairly