The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-08-17
SIATHERS INQUIRY

Mr.. Hall, one ofthe Prosecutors, stirs
mp Some McmberS of the Board for
Reaecting on rhoir Judicial Acts.
Special Dispatch to the Intelligeneer.
WESTON. ". Va, August 1.-THE
board Of directors for the Hospital for
the Insane passed an order this morn
ing which viii restrict the number Of
who viii be permitted to testify on e.
ther side relative to the yeracity Of any
witness to twelve In number.
The passage Of this order was the oc-
casion for a spirited discussion among
the attorneys. Mr.. Foster for the
prosecution, maintained that Il was an
injustice to the young ladies whose rep
utatlons for Yeraclty had been assalled
because the prosecution was ready TO
show by an overwhelming amount OF
testimony derived from outside Of Prof
Brannon's might school" that these
witnesses were highly creditable.
Mr.. Brannon maintained that II was
in the interest Of economiZing time that
he favored the order.
At this iuncture, Mr.. Hail, who has
talked but little heretofore, began a
speech IN which he declared the pas
sage Of the order an outrage and an
attempt on the part OF the board to
prevent the introduction Of the test
nony to dtsproYe the lmputations
against the witnesses for the progecu-
ton. You permitted on yesterday,
said he, against one OF the fundamen-
tai principles OF evidence as lad down
in ali the books, the recital by one OF
the defendants witnesses q story al
legged to have been told by another per-
son whom the witness himself declared
that he would not believe either on or
on oath. This was done for the sole
purpose of permitting the newspapers
to herald abroad the infamou9ly false
InSinuntion. If you destroy the good
name OF these young ladies you destroy
all their future, We insist that this
young woman whom you have thus per-
mitted to be aBsailed, and whose repu-
tation where she is best known Is just
as pure and spotless as the daughter
Of any member Of this board, shall
have the same protection at your hands
US you would ask for your own daugh-
At this point Director Gibson arose to
n point OF order and Director Sterling
started for Hail. and demanded that he
retract everything, and everybody was
confused. But cooler heads interviewed
in time to prevent violence, and TO
finally restore order.
But three witnesses were examined TO-
day. Miss Harriet Green, a prominent
figure in the allegations against DR..
Stathers, denied that she had taken
trip to st. Louis with him or that he
had ever been unduly intimate with
her, and that while DR.. Stathers was
in st. Louis she was IN Washington, d.
g.. with her sister. This sister was
also examined, and confirmed the story
of the former. The prosecution sue
ceeded in drawing out the facts that
neither was able to state where they
stopped in Washington, and both denied
having seen any one they knew, ana
that they had made no new nc
uuaintances. They agreed for the
most part in the details Of their story
both testifying that they visited Ger.
tain points, and didn't visit others OF
interest, but neither could remember
the street or number, or the name OF
the family where they lodged.
DR.. j. r. Stathers, Of PRrkersburg, a
son OF the superintendent, stated that
he had met his father by accident at
Grafton, and had proceeded with him
as far as Parkersburg, when on his 81,
Louis trip. occupying part OF MS
Pullman car berth. DR.. stathers HIM
self is expected to take the stand TO-
morrow, and 1t is now probable that
the end of this investigation will come
this week.