The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-04-01
THE ANDALUsIA SCANDAL,

Week before last we copied from the
Mercer County Press an item in regard to
improper liberties taken with a little
girl lone of his pupi1sl by a man named
Seaman, in Andalnsia. Last week Mr.. Sea-
man called on,us aud requested rs 70 copy
a certificate which would be in the Press, this
week, and which we cut from that paper OF
the 3lst as follows
AspALUsIA, Ill, March 2ofn, 1909
/ EDITOR Press In your issue =, M.
inst. in an article relating 10 Ahaa, =: =: = =
Seaman is charged with taking improper fiDer'aes
u;th ona of the girls attending his school and
- - .h.t the directors gave him walking pa
-. e The statements are false IN every par
30 Mr.. Seaman in our opinion is as good
tsacher as there is in this or adjoining counties.
/ vys know him to be kind and afeetionate gen.
I,leman one who was loved and respected by his
scholars and highly esteemed by the community
generally. We hope you will give this an early
publication as your former article did Mr.. Sea-
man great injustice and from its extensive circu.
lation, having been copied by other papers--is
calculated to ruin his character as a man ana
teacher.
J. w Vi ALTAR School Directors at Andalu.ia.
most heartily concur in the above. = .@
" j. G. Posi-,
Pastor of the Baptist Church
The editor of the Press. in publishing the
above, says
If the statement We made was entirely false
Mr. Seaman should have called for investiga
ton and proved his innocence, instead of avoid
ing an invest cation by resigning as teacher. Il
our statement is mainly true, the directors hav
done great injustice to the public in pronouncint
the statement false. Vice in old age is NOR
hideous than in youth, or manhood, and shoult
not be screened by friendship.
And we also find, in the Press, com
| municatioa from Andalusis, from which w
| clip the following: -''
| The facts in the case are simply these: Evil re
ports got into circulation in regard to Mr.. Seaman
| taking or attempting TO take improper hbertle
| with one of his scholars a modest innocent CIR
| of about fourteen years of age and In appearance
| much younger, who remained one evening ate
school hours to carry the key of the school hous
| home to her brother who built the fires in th
| school house at the time. 1t was at this time
and after all the scholars had left the room tina
he attempted the outrage. . .
The directors hearing of the above report or
| dered the little girl before them, when she mad
| her statement, 1T BEING OF SUCH A CHARACTER A
WOULD NOT BE PROPER TO MENTION HERE. IN
directors summoned n meeting of the legal voter
| OF the place. Inc young lauy statement va
repeated before the meeting by her. VIM Smith
one of the directors, and Mr.. Seaman were pei
mitted to reply. S. made out rs good stor
for himself as possible, acknowledged some thing
and said he had acted imprudentiy, but NJ
Seaman soon that the popular mind wa
| against him, and rather than have an eSposur
to the people, preferred to resign his position q
teacher of the Andalusia school.
/ We will also add that since we saw MI
Seaman, we have been told by a. reliabl
citizen of Andalusia that the affair aIlude
to occurred in closet, in the schot
house, and that Mr.. Seaman acknowledge
that he was in that closet with the girl, an
| with the door closed-that he closed tn
door himself. To say the least OF it, ii wa
very awkward position for any man to b
with young girl.