The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-04-28
minus REPLIES
To Nell and Reviews the Case
of ThoInhisl
MAKES STRONG CASE

MAKES STRONG CASE
Capt. Minus Reviews in Detail the
Case Of Cadet Thornllill, Whose
Hardness in Returning to College
From His Home Was Excused by
the President.
Capt. J. C. Minus, u. s. A.. retired,
former commandant at Clemson,
makes the following signed state
ment in reply to Dr.. Mell's interview
in The News and Courier, of April
81, under date line of Anderson,
S. G.
The following is attributed to DR..
Nell as the facts in the Tnornhill
case: when he (referring to
ThornhilD went home at Christmas,
he was taken i'll and did not return
to college on the day when work
was to be resumed, but came in sew
eral days later. According to the
bylaws governing the college, the
president has jurisdiction in cases Of
this kind, and when Thornhill re-
turned he presented physicians GER
tifcate, which is in accordance with
the rules. President Nell excused
the cadet on his delay, and allowed
him to enter college to resume his
studies.
1T now develops, so says DR.. Nell,
that Thornhill had presented the GER
tifcate first to Capt. Minus, who had
refused to accept it. Dr.. Nell did
not know that the matter had come
up before Capt Minus, for there was
no notation in the certificate, and
if there had been one made, it was
not matter in his jurisdiction. Only
the president has authority to act in
such cases"
Here is Capt Minus statement:
Cadet Thornhill went home for the
Christmas holidays, December %,
1905, to January 2, 1909. He re-
turned to college foEty-two hours
late, and submitted an explanation
to the effect that he was detained for
dental work, and supported his state
ment by the following certificate:
Charleston, S. c.. January 2, 1908.
This is to certify that Mr.. E. J.
Thornhill has been detained by me
to have his teeth treated.
(Signed) "R. Mel Wilbur, D. D. s.
''I returned the explanation to the
cadet on the ground that the cadet
was away from college from De-
cember %, 1908, to January 2, 1909,
by authority, and no reason was CIV
en- why the dental work was not
done during the ten or eleven days of
leisure. My endorsement, returning
the explanation was unsatisfactory,
in which event, if the cadet had more
to offer in explaining his offence, he
had the opportunity. 1t was during
the time that the paper was in the
hands of the cadet that it was taken
to Dr.. Nell.
"I quote Paragraph 204, Regula-
tions for the Government of the Ca
diets of Clemson Agricultural Col
lege:
"'Every cadet who over-stays his
leave of absence must produce sat
isfactory testimony Of his having
been prevented from returning by
sickness or some other unavoidable
cause
Certainly up to this point the
testimony was not satisfactory.
Taking up DR.. Mell's statement
by piecemeal, when he (referrlng to
ThornhilI) went home Christmas he
was taken i'll This is the first claim
made that Thornhill was i'll. Con-
tinuing. quote from Dr.. Mell's state
ment: According to the bylaws gov
ernins the college, the president as
serts that he has purisriction in sucn
cases. Here is the exact quotation
from the bylaws: In all matters OF
discipline and control of the cadet
corps. except in cases involving sus-
pension or expulsion, the command
ant shall be empowered to act, and
The board VIII expect him to enforce
good order and good behavior, and
exercise all the power necessary 10
that end. He shall make such rules
and regulations as he may deem oest
subject to the supervision and para
mount control of tie president.
Further along in the president
statement this occurs: Only the
president has authority to act IN
;uch cases 4 reference to the rec
,rd of the commandant's Office will
show at least fifty cases of cadets
,ver-staying leave since the begin :
ling of my administration IN 1917,
nd I challenge the president to
how one case in which he has ever
yercised the authority that he as
erts is his alone. Every case of J
leave, except the Thorn
ill case and the Brown case, has
,een handled By me- without one
,orG or comment from the president
Indicating action in the cases. His
nvariahla rule, prior to January, X
90a. has been to send 10 the COM Y
landanTs office surgeons certif- Y
ates. and so on, and not single k
ne shows word by way OF en- h