Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-10

the regents for the state hospital for
| the insane and the superintendent who
shall be physician, shall be appointed
| by the governor by and with the ad-
vice and consent Of the senate. All
i.other officers and employees Of the hos
pital shall be appointed by the regents.
| The governor then quoted the various
laws providing for appointments Of re-
gents and officials Of the hospital.
Regents Have Control.
u presumed" said the governor,
that the board of regents and not the
superintendent had the control Of the
state hospital for the insane, and
/. think that I was right in that pre-
sumption.
II have always been careful of the
names and the handling Of any sus-
picions of any lady. have seen little
| Whispers, malicious lies, grow into
whirlwinds and from the whirlwinds
into cyclones until without cause or
excuse the storm is broken loose and
the character Of some good woman has
been destroyed by some malicious lie.
Therefore have always been careful
when spoke or when I say anything
in reference to any woman.
Il have the stenographic notes Of the
| meeting that the board Of regents held
| when requested Mr.. Bivens to with
| draw his resolution asking for DR..
| Saunders resignation. The board. of
| regents report or at least their min
utes will show. that they passed a res
olution to provide for the terms Of Of
| fee at the asylum.
A Bit of Sarcasm.
There were no terms. did not
know that the superintendent had
been appointed to be there for life.
did not know that DR.. Babcock could
never be removed. did not know that
he was the only man in the world who
| could run the asylum, and that II he
died all the poor patients would have
to be cocained so as to give them
treatment in another world.
II thought that there were others
that could take his place when he died
but II seems that he Is the only man In
South Carolina. I could have had him
| out LONG ago IL wanted. ! have his
could have accepted 1t. II had been
attempting TO hurt DR.. Babcock,
couldn't have accepted his resigna-
tion"
The governor said that when the
board Of regents met he solicited DR..
Babcock to keep DR.. Saunders in her
position.
II will say to you right now, and the
board Of regents will say to you the
same thing, that II 1t had not been
for me, DR.. Saunders would not now
be in her position, because she would
not have been reelected in July. Not
because Of any personal matter against
Dr.. Saunders. but because the board
Of regents believed and believe today
that DR.. Saunders Is unnecessarily in
terfering with the other attendants at
that asylum and that she herself Is
the bone Of contention today between
the board Of regents, Babcock and the
governor Of South Carolina.
Made as Protest. .4
The governor stated that when he
appointed DR.. w. G. Houseal of New
berry as superintendent OF the hospi-
tai, he did so knowing that DIR. Hous-
cal would not accept. He said that
the appointment was made as a pro-
test against the action Of the general
assembly in not electing DR.. Houseal
as member Of the State Medical col
lege board.
attack on a former asylum commits
sion because the property at State
Park had been purchased. He thought
that the purchase Of the property was
a great injustice to the people of South
Carolina.
Discussing the proposition to turn
the buildings OF the state penitentiary
over to the state as an asylum for ne
groes. the governor said: "At the pres
ent rate the convicts are being sent
back to the counties and placed on the
roads. in obedience to the petitions Of
the county supervisors and members
of the general assembly any one with
common sense will see that II will not
be long before the penitentiary will be
depleted and standing idle"
The chief executive praised several
of his supporters connected with the
asylum. ,g sc .a:. -. = -
=. &@ Overheard Conversation. -
Concerning the letters made public,
the governor said: II have never stat
ed to anybody what those conversa-
tions were. i went to my step-moth-
ers burying In Newberry and in a
house In Newberry, in respectable
home, l overheard a conversation
That conversation was about Dr. Coop
er and DR.. Saunders; that DR.. Cooper
had been defeated for a place at the
hospital for the insane and that in de-
fiance and in the face Of the board of
to allow DR.. Cooper to come on the
premises and that DR.. Saunders and
DR.. Cooper were continually going into
the laboratory and were staying in
there in this work-I do not know
what the fancy name Of 1t Is and don't
care-but that in that room and that
DR.. Cooper was eating his meals at
the asylum Notwithstanding the fact
that the board Of regents had defeated
him for his position.
Coming home on the train, young
lady who was connected with the asy-
lum, SO 1 have been reliably inform
ed, made the statement that DR.. Coop
er was there and that he was going to
stay there, and that DR.. Babcock and
DR.. Cooper and DR.. Saunders had no
respect for the Bleasite members of
that board. / told those members of
that board about it and I said, You
beat that woman for stenographer for
that talk and the young lady who
told me about 1t said that the girl was
poor girl and she was trying to edu-
cate her little brother and she said,
Governor, II you beat her you will
take her living away from her and her
little brother and don't do It.. And I
went back and said, Don't beat her
for the position That is what hap
pened."
The governor at this point in his
testimony asked the women in attend
ance upon the hearing to retire. Sew
eral went out.
Continuing his testimony relative to
the letter to DR.. Rabcock the governor
said: Now what did say in that let
ter? / said in my opinion DR.. Saun-
ders was good woman. I do not
think she Is morally bad woman. II
thought so I would say so. But
think she had put herself In an awk-
ward position when she continued day
after day, over the protest Of the
board Of regents. going into that labo-
ratory with DR.. Cooper, and him at
that asylum after he had been re-
quested to stay away from 1t. Now,
when DR.. Rabcock came back at me
with his letter and that II DR.. Saun-
ders left great many others would
leave. l said, In my opinion the de-
cent women ought to leave now. IL
what / have heard was true I am
told by these gentlemen who ought to
know that women out there who are
decent women handle cases Qoath-
some disease mentioned)."
Charges Interference.
The governor continued: There is
no reflection upon DR.. Saunders. but
If she thinks so, the courts of this
state are open and l vii not claim