Assault & Battery by teacher??????, Discipline in 1881

[frawin]

Times have changed:

The Howard Journal, February 11, 1881
Assault & Battery by teacher
An interesting case came up for trial before Justice Coil of Western Park, on Tuesday. John Nelson has been teaching school near Bascom's and was arrested on a states warrant on assault and battery on a boy by the name of Smith. The prosecuting witness was a Mr. Gardner, the step-father of the boy. It seems that the lad from the testimony of the pupils was a very unruly boy of about 12 years of age. A few days since the boy on being up with his class to spell, refused to do so. Upon his repeated refusal to spell, the teacher struck him four times with a whip, bringing the blood each time. Mr. Scott as county attorney prosecuted and Dan Carr defended. The verdict of the jury was for the defendant. The prosecuting witness, Gardner, had to pay the costs of the suit, $42.25. We are glad to chronicle the above decision. It has got to be a very common occurence for school children to defy the authority of the teacher, to misbehave in every possible way, and through the mistaken leniency of the teacher, backed by a mawkish public sentiment to almost ruin the school. Moral suasion is all very well, but with the average boy a good cowhiding well laid on will discount these months of moral suasion. We are personally acquainted with Mr. Nelson and know him to be a young man who would never punish a pupil unnecessarily, and we are glad he came out ahead in the trial.
Submitted by L. Morgan

[srkruzich]

Need more teachers like that one.