The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-12-06
DEATH IN A SCHOOLROOM.
What Cano of Furnishing Sensitive Lit
Boy In q School.

What Cane of Furnishing Sentative Little
Boy In q School.
Herbert Booth, son of Mr.. George
Booth, OF Milwaukee, Wis, Lad seven
years Of age, came to school rather late,
and was hurried back home to get his
slate, having forgotten it in bis haste to
get to school. Nothing unusual occurr'
ed after this until about eleven o'clock,
little over an hour from bis return to
his desk. Then his teacher, Miss Sarah
W. Chapman, observed that he was
making noise, and that it diverted the
attention of the children from their
studies. She called him up on disobe-
dience Of an order to keep quiet, and
had given him four or five blows with a
light rattan, when he fell into ft and
died.
Mr.. Booth, the father OF the child,
said he was of tender, sensitive nature,
and it Was the general opinion that his
death was the result Of the excitement
incident to his attendance at school dur
ing the forenoon. Herbert had risen
as usual, partaken Of breakfast with the
family, and had assisted in dressing q
younger brother or sister before going
to school. His race for his slate and
the nervous disturbance consequent
upon punishment by the teacher had re-
suited in an apoplectic fit and death.
The family had no fault to find with
Miss Chapman, and viewed the occur
renee as one that might have happened
in the home circle under no greater
provocation than that at school. Mr..
Booth had carefully examined the hands
of the deceased, and had failed to dis.
cover any marks upon them. There
was slight abrasion of the skin on the
upper side of ono of his thumbs, but
this might have been caused at some
time previous to his death.
Miss Chapman said she had detected
the little fellow in the act of making
noises with his mouth, to the annoyance
of those about him, and had called him
to account. he laughed, and, very
carelessly, it seemed to her, repeated
the noises. Thinking it necessary to
punish him for his disobedience, she
summoned him out into the hall and sd-
ministered four or five light blows upon
the inside of one of his hands. He made
no resistance, but cried more out of
modification than of pain. On his re-
lease he walked to his seat, sobbing all
the way, and the teacher observed that
he settled down into seat near the one
he occupied and assumed recumbent
position. She hurried to his side and
found he WAS i'll. A boy near by ex-
pressed an opinion that the child had
tainted, and word was Immediately sent
up to the principal, who appeared and
assisted in bathing the boys temples
with cold water and applying ammonia.
A physician was sent for but arrived
too late to be OF service. The little one
died in few moments after he reached
the seat. The parents were sent for,
but as Mrs. Booth was too i'll to come,
the remains Of her poor boy were taken
home in a hack. The pupils of the
grade nnder the care OF Miss Chapman
were dismissed and the room closed for
the day. Miss Chapman thought the
boys death was the result Of great ner-
vous excitement and his effort to re-
strain his grief. he gave one or two
sobs at the close and fell back dead.
He was quite heated when he returned
from his chase after his slate, and Was
very restless up to the time that he was
called. His actions OF the forenoon
were in strange contrast with his usually
quiet department., and this leads to the
supposition that he was subject to some
functional arrangement.