The age-herald., 1899-07-07
DenounceS Charges in the Report
 as False and Absurd.
HE IS WILLING TO ARBiTRAT TE
If State Will Share Its Part ot Los 5es as Well as Profits Matter of Board Between He
 and Pupils

of the finance committee which made an investigation of his management of the school.
 He makes explanation of the various charges preferred by the committee. The reply follows in full:
 To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 In reply to the recently published report of the finance committee with respect to my management of the Girls Industrial school desire to make the following state- ments:
 l do not care to discuss in the public prints the question of our respective legal rights and remedies, mention of which is made in the report, and will confine my self to showing the falsity and unfairness of those statements made which charge in tangible form misconduct on my part.
 Worth Nothing to ti.e Firm
 The committee have laid great stress on the fact that I deposited with the firm of II. c. & w. B. Reynolds, and that this money was worth much to this firm. They have not correctly stated the situation. In the first place this money was worth noth- ing whatever to my firm at that season of the year. Any merchant knows that out side money deposited with him during the winter months when collections are coming in is worth nothing. There is one phase of the case they overlook. After the second payment is due by the pupils there is no time during the session that l was not car rying balances for the patrons of from two to four thousand dollars. In many cases the pupils were unable to pay promptly, and my firm advanced these deficiencies, and board bills were always paid whether the girls had the money on hand or not
 I am also charged with having laundry tickets cashed at this store. Would the committee have had a string of wash wo- men for over 300 girls pushing up the col lege steps to my office with their bills dur ing the whole week to be there cashed by me? Would the bank assume such task? Would they have had me take a stand on the street corner and become paymaster there? The clerks in the store often asked me to pay them somewhere else. It is fact well known to merchants that negro will never trade where he is paid off. The intimation that these tickets were traded out is utterly false.
 Acted Guardian
 I am accused of putting my brother in one of the ramshackle cottages on the grounds, which had been renting for four dollars per month and allowing him to re- pair 1t and let the repairs go for rent.
 It was a we'll known fact that we had considerable trouble with boys, who would persist in trying to see girls at night. Even at a cottage in my own yard have been forced to guard against this evil. Other houses have had similar troubles. When the dormitory was built it being so isolated and unprotected, l knew if l was not careful I would have trouble there. My brother was a minister of the gospel. He was honest, watchful and true, and with him and his influence I felt that all would be well.
 Frequently I have known of his walking the grounds till 12 o'clock at night to guard the inmates of that building. Yet it must be held up before the people of the state, the virtue and safety of whose daughters I was trying to guard and pro- tect, that I have been guilty of something that deserves the condemnation of all peo- ple I would have willingly paid any rent myself rather than have one of the pre- cious girls entrusted to my care to be sub mitted to insults Then the charge is made that my brother actually cut down few dead trees on the grounds, sawed them into stove wood and sold them. An intel ligent committee, looking for the truth, is hard pressed when they go outside my record to attack an humble minister of the gospel for cutting down a few dead trees on the school property at my request.
 There were quite a number of trees that needed taking out on account of their dan gerous condition. requested my brother to clear them out, and gave him the wood. He, with his own labor, and the assist ance of his own hired hands, cut off few of these dead trees from the ground. After deducting the wages of these hands, the expense of saving it into fire wood -and of hauling it away, left him very small compensation for his own manual labor.
 As to the matter of rent, he repaired the premises, as stated by him to the com- mittee, and in addition to this he acted as guard and protector which ! submit was full consideration for the use of the prop erty.
 Rent on Piano
 The committee refers to the fact that I charged the school with 21h months rent for piano belonging to myself.
 I charged this amount, and it is just and correct. This piano was put in the school during the first session, and when placed there was in good order and was worth Sl5O. The school was short of pianos, and l had to rent others besides this. When took 1t away this spring it was almost total wreck. l charged four dollars month for this rent, and gave the piano away afterwards. The school pays four dollars months for rent of other pianos and freight and insurance In this connec- ton the charge Is made that one of the best new pianos belonging to the school was found at W. B. Reynolds house, and one at D. M. Shivers', for which no rent wR paid. There were sixteen girls at w. B. Reynolds and thirty at D. w. Shivers'. A great many of these girls took music. We had no rooms for these pianos on school grounds. In our want for practice rooms for pianos one was actually put under the steps in the hall of the dormitory. 1t was an accommodation to the school and b the girls for these houses to have pianos in them. Ths houses were at expense in