Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-03
GOVERNOR. SCORES
VAN LEW VERDICT
Trustees of Chico Normal School
Said to Have Disregarded
Serious Charges
GIRLS STORY IS DEFENDED
State Executive Urges Change in
Presidency and Methods
at Institution
Associated Press)

Gillett today addressed a letter to
Florence OBrien as secretary of the
board of trustees of the state normal
school at Chico, scoring the board for
it's action in generating DR.. c. C. Van
Lew, president of the school, of the
charges of attempting to hug Miss
Ada Clark a student at the school.
He writes that the decision is a sur
prise to him and that 1t destroys the
usefulness of the school. He declared
that 1t is a warning to young women
attending the state schools that they
must submit to any indignity offered
them by school professors or submit
to insults by attorneys hired to clear
men of serious offenses.
The governors letter follows:
II must confess that 1 was quite
surprised at the conclusion reached
by majority of the board andI firm
ly believe that the decision rendered
by it will injure the standing of the
school and seriously affect its future.
For several years I understand
there had been ugly rumors concern
ing Dr. Van Liews conduct in the
school and affecting his moral stand
ing. and today those rumors are state
wide. My attention was first called
to them after Miss Clark had first
made her charges against him. After
that many complaints were made to
me concerning his conduct.
INQUIRY INTO sOBRIETY
I'm May, 1908, a private investiga-
tion was made into DR.. Van Liew's
reputation for sobriety and morality
and the report of 1t is now, and for a
long time has been on file in the Of
fict of the secretary of state and the
board of examiners. This report is very
damaging to DR.. Van Liew.
Again in the month of April, 1906,
the late Il. B. Edison, then a member
of the boar of trustees of said school,
serving with Trustee Coggins and 9TH
ers, had, as l understand, William A.
Pihkerton of the Pinkerton detective
agency engaged to make an investi-
cation of the Chico Normal school and
the rumors connected Herewith con-
cerning DR.. Van Lew.
Mr. Pinkerton went to Chico in the
month of April, 1906, and remained
there making Investigations until the
day of the earthquake and fire in San
Francisco. when apparently because of
that great disaster he quit, as his last
daily report was made on that day. His
report, as far as 1t was made, has been
placed in his hands by the representa-
tives of Mr.. Edison, and 1t contains
matters derogatory to Mr.. Van Lew.
"I call the boards attention to these
two reports to show that in the past
Van Liew's reputation for immortality
was being discussed sufficiently to
cause the same to be investigated.
I'm the 18th day of May of this year
Dr. David starr Jordan, president of
Leland stanford university, writing to
a public officer of this state concerning
Dr. Van Liew used the following Ian
guage: 1t Is a matter of common re-
pute that the president of one of our
state normal schools is what is COM
monty called a Bohemian, using this
word in a distinctly bad sense. 1t is
currently reported that he drinks whis-
ky, and in more than a moderate de-
gree 1t is also reported that he Is
distinctly immoral in other regards So
far as am concerned, have no direct
evidence and can call on no witnesses,
but I do know that the reputation OF
the school men of this state is being
harmed by the retention of this man,
in view of the current talk in regard
to him
STRONG LANGUAGE OF EDUCATOR
This is pretty strong language, COM
ing from one of the great educators of
the world, and he speaks of reports con-
cerning DR.. Van Lew that We're cur
rent prior to the Clark charges having
been made.
"Reports are in my possession of
Young ladies, other than Miss Clark, TO
whom it is claimed Van Liew had Of
fered indignities, but it is difficult to
make them appear In public and make
n statement after Miss Clarks expert
ence. Many complaints have reached
me since the decision of the board, and
I give you one as an example; prom
inent citizen of Santa Rosa, and at one
time a resident of Chico, sent me a
telegram in which he said: "A recent
four years residence in Chico, where l
was in a position to know of Van
Ijew,s unuuestionable bad moral repu-
tation and influence, leads me to pro-
feet AGAINST the reported action of the
normal trustees in>exonerating nim.'
"Of course, it was left to the board
to pass upon the veracity of Ada Clark
and DR.. Van Lew, but notWithstand-
Snc its decision I believe the people of
the state. or a great majority of them
will accept Miss Clark's statement of
what took place.
"She had nothing TO gain by doing
what she did. She had never had any
trouble with DR.. Van Liew or any
member of the faculty She had no
desire to leave school; she was anxious
to get an education, so that she might
herself become a teacher in our public
schools. Her past life had always been
nure and good; she had always lived
in a country surrounded by Christian
influences, and she could have had no
had motive whatever in making the
president of the institution where she
-ya= being educated. When she came
from Van Liew's office she was pale,
nervous and excited Such is the testi-
mony of Miss Lindley, a student of the
school, who met her in the hall. She
told Miss Lindley of what had just
happened and requested her to go into
the school and get her books, as she
would never enter it again.
STORY OF GIRL DEFENDED
"Now, it is inconceivable to imagine
that this young girl should be such a
consummate actress; that without
cause or reason she could in a moment
become pale very nervous and agi-
tated, and in this condition pour into
the ears of her friend a false story
of improper advances just made to
her by the president of the institution
in which she was pupil.
"Yet this is just what Miss Lindley
testified to, and to clear Van Liew from
the charges the majority of the trus-
tees found that the young girls were
unworthy of belief and that Dr. Van
Iiew, who had everything in his life at
stake, told the truth when he denied
It all, which as matter of self
protection he had to,
"This decision of the trustees has
served notice upon all the young girls
attending our normal schools that no
natter what advances are made to