The copper era., 1911-09-15
DUNCAN TRUSTEES
 DEFEND POSITION
The Evidence Against Professor Wiggs not Sufficient to Jus tify his Dismissal is Dee
 iaratiOn of Board
DECISION AWAITED AT PHOENIX
If Territorial Board EXOuerates Duncan Teacher he Will Teach School
 Under His Contract

Under His Contract The following statement bearing upon the charges preferred against Clarence WigGs. principal of the Duar can schools. has been prepared for pub lication in the Era by the school trus- tees Of the Duncan district:
 To The Editor Copper Era-In the ar- ticle on the charges made against Prof. Wiggs the D1ncan teacher. which appeared in your last weeks issue, q number of statements We're made which we as the board Of trustees wish to ex- plain.
 The article state7: ''To all or the af- fidavits charging him with conduct un- becoming q gentleman and teacher, MT. Wiggs has entercd d strong denial and has the supporr Of the trustees, Mesers. Taylor, Newhouse and Me c ent.''
 We wish 70 state Mr. Wiggs not only made a strong denial but filed sworn af1idavits himself, refuting the charges, and filed affidavit- from Cath erine McLennon and five or six otheS girl pupils, in his defense.
 The article goes on t, say, ''when the charges were first preferred d! ainz him, MT. Wiggs offered to resisxaa tbe board of trustees refused to his resignation"
 When the board was presented the petition demanding Mr. VI resignation, and had decided to asl evidence to back the charges prefe ia said petition, Mr. Wiggs stloi protested his innocence and stated i'd At want to resign. bf asked he board to weigh the evid enee~tilat woold -be led Tor and aga inst him. He fur ,her d cd that shc.lld the board after weighing said cyidence, find insuffi- cient eYidenc: 10 discharge hln, but deem it advisable fo. him tu resign. fof the good of the school, he would do 90 on the advice of he board.
 There lis a vast difference between the above facts of the case and the statement in the article that Mr. .Wiggs offered to resign and we r-fused to &C., cept his resignation.
 The board after receiving evidence for and against Mr. Wiggs. met for the purpose of passing on same and had Mr- A kerS present. After carefully weighing the evidence. the full board. together with Mr. Aker, concluded that the evidence for Mr .Wiggs being fully as strong as that against him. they had insufficient evidence to discharge him: that should they do so, and he prove himself innocent later,' he would have damage suit against the district for his coming years salary. as per con- tract on which he was employed, and would wir.
 The board then passed il molten that they would next consider the matter of whethe~ or DO they would advise him to resign Not being able to come to g. conclusion at that meeting they took the matter under further advisement. The matter was pending in this way, when. before the board had an oppor- tunitv to meet again. the petition was presented to Mr. Aker. referred to in the article. In tbi> petition the board was charged with having sufficient ey- idence tot iscaar"e Mr. Wiggs. but re- fused to do so;also that ii appeared that we wished to retain hlm for personal reasons, all of which We denied by let ter to the petitioners. In this same letter We tated that d. they mad over- ridden the board, in petit.onine Mr.z Axe. before We had time to reach a, decision on the matter of advising him to resign, We did not wish to act fur ther in the matter. and advised them to ta! the case before the territorial scho board. stating that if Mir. Wiegs is nt t to teach the Duncan school he is n to teacn any school and should : . , i E i i i ! I|II i $ ! i ha li-cence revoked. out if the te board found him not guilty, he allowed tD teach the Dun
 Si>u to state that the -