The Deaf and Dumb Investigation.

VII.

APPENDIX.

The following is the report of the investigation into the management of the Wisconsin Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, submitted to his Excellency the Governor:

PRELIMINARY.

To his Excellency, WILLIAM E. SMITH,

Governor of the State of Wisconsin:

The undersigned, members of the State Board of Charities and Reform, have the honor to submit herewith the report of their investigation into the past and present management of the Wisconsin Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, at Delavan, together with all the testimony taken.

In the early part of the year 1877, the members of this Board were in receipt of letters from one C. L. Williams, a former teacher in the Wisconsin Instittue for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, and who set forth, in a general way, serious charges against the management of the Institute.

Not only were letters written to members of this Board, but to many gentlemen in different sections of the state, and especially to those interested in mute children, either as parents or guardians, until the institute began to feel the untoward influence of such continued charges. As a natural result of the bad odor thus thrown around the management of the institute, parents kept their girls at home, refusing to permit them to return and finish their course of study. The charges made were so general in their character

The Deaf and Dumb Investigation.

that the Board paid but little attention to them until January, 1878, when they were made in a more specific form, whereupon we proceeded to investigate, by visiting the pupils who had left the institute, and taking their depositions. Having thus obtained a knowledge of the facts, and of such a nature as in our opinion required action, we laid the matter before the Board of Trustees for the Institute.

After the board of trustees had considered the evidence thus placed in their hands, the president of said board requested Your Excellency to direct the State Board of Charities and Reform to make a thorough investigation into the past and present management of the Institute. In answer to such request, this board received from Your Excellency the following order, viz.:

STATE OF WISCONSIN,
Executive Department.

WHEREAS, The board of trustees of the Wisconsin Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, desiring that a rigorous investigation may be made by a disinterested and impartial tribunal, of all the facts and circumstances connected with the past and present management of that institution, have requested that the further examination of said matter may be committed to the State Board of Charities and Reform; and,

WHEREAS, In view of reports recenty circulated, the public welfare demands that such an investigation should be had.

Now, therefore, I William E. Smith, Governor of the state of Wisconsin, do hereby direct the State Board of Charities and Reform to investigate into the management of the Wisconsin Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, and upon the completion of such investigation to report the facts of the case, in full, as required by law.

In testimony, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the great seal of the state of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capital in the city of Madison, this first day of May, in the year one thou sand eight hundred and seventy-eight.

[STATE SEAL] (Signed)

By the Governor:

WILLIAM E. SMITH.

HANS B. WARNER, Secretary of State.

The Deaf and Dumb Investigation.

Upon the receipt of the order, a meeting of the board was called to consider the same, and at said meeting, held in the city of Janesville on the 6th of May, 1878, Messrs. Reed and Giles were appointed a committee to take testimony in the case. The following rusolution was also adopted:

Resolved, That it is the sense of the board that the investigation be not a public one."

By this resolution, it was not designed to keep out interested parties. But during the investigation the accused, the accusers, parents of pupils summoned as witnesses, the Board of Trustees of the Institute, attorneys for parties, and all persons especially interested in the results of the investigation, have been invited to be present. Mr. Ezra G. Valentine, of Chicago, has acted as attorney for Messrs. DeMotte and Woodbury. The Board was fortunate in securing the services of Prof. L. H. Jenkins — the first principal of the Institute as interpreter. Hons. D. G. Cheever and E. D. Holton represented the Board of Trustees of the Institute, and assisted in the examination of witnesses.

Since comment has been made pro and con on the action of the Board in closing the doors against the public, the following considerations are set forth as influencing the Board in so determining:

1st. The difficulty of getting the testimony of deaf mutes, especially girls, in the presence of a crowd. This difficulty can only be appreciated by those who have had experience.

2d. The investigation was to be in the circumstances more in the nature of an inquiry than a formal trial of parties, and the wide latitude of the inquiry would necessarily involve, more or less, the character of innocent persons, who would have no opportunity to defend themselves.

3d. We were satisfied from our preliminary examination that very much of the testimony which would be presented would be but the merest ravings of madness, and that its publication from day to day would not redound to the interest of the state, as connected with the institute, justice to parties nor the general good.

It became necessary for the board to hear a mass of hearsay evidence in order to get the names of witnesses from whom to take testimony.

The Deaf and Dumb Investigation.

CHARGES AGAINST TRUSTEES.

In entering upon the investigation, we found the members of the board of Trustees of the institute charged with:

1st. Speculating for their personal profit in the purchase and sale of supplies for the institute.

2d. Some of the members of the board of trustees were charged with keeping their mistresses at the institute.

3d. That the board had refused, on demand being made, to investigate charges against a teacher, whose resignation had been requested, but on the contrary, gave him a certificate setting forth the fact that it had not been called upon to ivestigate any charges against said teacher.

The foregoing charges, one, two and three, were made against the board of trustees by Mr. C. L. Williams, who was called as a witness, and who, under oath, testified that the first charge had special reference to Messrs. Hamilton and Long, former trustees. The witness utterly failed to prove his charge in the case of Trustee Hamilton, and only had against Trustee Long the fact that he (Long) had sold the institute some butter, and had tried to market other things there while a trustee, and which he (Williams) saw. His testimony on this subject closed with answer to the following question by Mr. Giles:

"Have any others of the trustees realized pecuniary advantage from the institute?

A. No.

In case of the second charge, the witness, C. L. Williams, testified at some length, and most signally failing to substantiate his charge. The following question was put to him by Mr. Giles:

Q. Do you retract your charge against the trustees of keeping their mistresses in the institute?

A. I do.

In case of the third charge, President A. L. Chapin, of the board of trustees, was called and testified as follows:

Q. When did he (Williams) leave the institute?

A. A year ago last March (1877).

Q. Why die he resign?

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The Deaf and Dumb Investigation.

A. On account of representations made to him that it was expedient for the interests of the institution that his connection with it should cease.

Q. Please state what those representations were.

A. They were to the effect that his intercourse and correspondence with former pupils of the institution were such as were believed to be inconsistent with the best good of those pupils, and with the interests of the institute.

Q. Did you cite him to interview, and remind him of the correspondent to which you allude?

A. A committee of the board was appointed to confer with him, and after that conference he came before the board and tendered his resignation. It is my impression he came in person. The resignation was in writing. We had reason to believe that he was cognizant of the charges of immorality which had been brought against him.

Q. What reason had you to believe that he was cognizant of the charges?

A. I was told that the Principal had spoken to him concerning them, and that Mr. Bishop had met him on a visit here, who had urged these charges.

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Q. Do you, of your own knowledge know if Mr. Williams was advised privately, or otherwise, of the charges made against him? A. I do not know the fact positively, but supossed that he was fully aware of, and that he understood all that underlay the intimations of the resolutions that were passed and made known to him.

The resolutions referred to are are as follows, and were given in the testimony of Mr. La Bar, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, viz.:

“WHEREAS, As it has come to the knowledge of the board that the conduct of Mr. C. L. Williams, a teacher in this institute, with certain former pupils has been so imprudent as to seriously impair, if not totally destroy his influence as a teacher, said C. L. Williams is hereby requested to tender his resignation, to take effect immediately; his salary will continue to March 1, 1877."

Whereupon Mr. Williams tendered his resignation, to take effect March 1, 1877, which was accepted.