The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-03-26 00:00:00

CHARGE OF ASSAULT AGAINST A
SCHOOLMASTER.

Thomas Dradhury, master of a national school on Southall.
green. has been summoned before the Itreutford bench of
magistrate, for assaultkug Ann Hall, aged eleven years, witn
a cane.

The little girl %Well her case, from which it ap.
peared that on Wednesday in last week, because she
could not say a Rum, defendant gave her several blown
on the back with a heavy cane, causing her great
pain. On reaching home she communicated the fact
to her mother, a very intelligent woman, who said she
had no objection to her child bring punished if she did
wrong, but that she considered defendant had ohm.
tised her child with undue severity, and as this wan
not the first time she had reason to complain (defend-
ant besides beating her, having once smacked her face,
and caused her face to bleeti), she had determined to
bring the case before the magistrates.
Defendant's answer to the charge was that he had no
less than 170 children of both sexes to manage in five
classes, and finding that several of the children had
determined to set his wife at defiance, he went to her
aid, and an the c.implainant deliberately refused to
write down 30 on the slate he dealt her two or three
blows on the back with a light cane.

At this juncture the bench requested the mother to
bare the child's back, and on doing no it presented a
number of marks which the bench observed was far too
great punishment to administer to a girl; and Mr.
liogarth, one of the magistrates, inquired whether de-
fendant was permitted to beat girls of tender yearn?
Defendant replied that he was permitted to inflict
corporal punishment, but did not often do so. If he
did nothing to the children, some of the bigger boys
had sufficient daring to pull his no.e, and if he
chastised them he was liable to be brought to judgment
by every mother who thought her child had been
wronged.
_ .

The Chairman observed that he did not wish it for
a moment to go forth to the world that the bench
objected to punishment in schools, as without proper
chastisement there would be no order. It WllB
clear, however, that in this case the defendant had
overstepped the bounds of propriety, and, losing
his temper, had punished a tender girl with con-
siderable severity. His notion of mixed schools
always had been that they were managed by women.
Defendant said he bad full power seated in him to
manage the ;aim), and need not have his wife in it at
all unless he liked. The bench would not have heard
of this prosecution had not the mother been incited to
it by the Vestry.
The mother declared that she had brought the case
forward of her own free will, and the bench observed
they wore surprised to find that the management of
any school permitted a master to beat girls of tender
years with • cane; a woman was the proper person.
On defendant continuing to arms the matter in an
insolent tone, the Chairman exclaimed indignantly—
The bench were disposed, sir, to grant you every in-
dulgence in this matter, but since you argue the matter
in such a tone, allow me to tell you that if Mr.
Llatifair permits a great big fellow like you to knock
little girls about like this, he manages his school most
improperly. You are fined 205., and Is. costs,.
Defendant, who bad over and over again interrupted
the tench in their remarks, said—l AMR appeal. We
are determined to tight it out. This is part of a
system of opposition we have been subjscted to.
The Chairman: We were at first &sleeted to think
that you had merely carried out yonrthity somewhat
severely, but your wife having been in the room at the
time you beat this child leaves you no defence. Y. em
have shown yourself, by your conduct here to-day, to
be thoroughly incompetent to have charge of children.
Tho defendant no heed to these remarks, but
left the court exclaiming, "We'll fight it out."