The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-01-28
The Farm Ridge school Trouble.

trict No. 3, Farm Ridge would ask permits
sion for space enough in your paper to correct
a wrong impression that your readers must
have formed from the article in your issue OF
the l4th inst. From all the information have
been able to GET the circumstances that COM
PEELED the action of the directors were OF a
more serious nature than your former cores
pendent was aware of; and whether the direc-
tors were justitiable in their action or not we
will leave for the reader to judge.
II seems to the school in District No were
going two large boys old enough and large
enough to have common sense, one being in
his nineteenth year and the other in his sew
enteenth. To this school was also gong al
young lady In her sixteenth year, II. daughter
of one of the directors, against whom the boys
had some grudge, IA they themselves admit
ted. 1t was no new affair, as these boys had
been abusing and tormenung the same girl
for now the third winter, and there was no
trouble in the school until these two large
boys commenced golEg each winter have
talked with several of the teachers that have
had charge of this school and all agree this
girl is very peacable, quiet and Inotfensive
pupil and one whose word is reliable She
made complaint to her father, director, who
then went to the father Of the largest OF the
bows aud told him that the thing must be
stopped or there wonld be something done
with him. But this had no effect. The direc
tor next went to the teacher and told HIM to
talk with the boys and tell them that unless
they would cease annoying his daughter they
would be expelled from the school. This was
told them by the teacher, but as he afterwards
SAID, they showed by their actions that they
defied the directors. That evening, after they
got out of sight of the teacher they said, now
that the teacher is out of sight lets go for
her" and they did One of them caught her
around the waist and held her while the other
kissed her In trying to defend herself she did
hurt one of them in the face, which left
mark that could be seen at the time and OF
which he made complaint to the directors
She came home that evening crying, and told
her father what had been done, and said she
would not and could not go to school any
more Her father then went over to the other
director, a near neghbor, and the two deter
mined that something must be done and went
up to the home of the third director, the one
acting in the capacity of clerk OF the board.
! He was anxious to have nothing to do in the
matter as one of the parents OF the boys with
whom he was not on the best terms, would
make personal matter OF it; but after talk.
Ing the matter over and seeing the necessity of
his action with the other directors, he deter
mined to do his duty Accordingly, on Mon
day morning they went to the school house
determined to do justice, and with the under
standing that the clerk should take the school
law with him and read the clause showing the
duties of the directors and their power to sus.
pend or expel scholars gully of bad conduct,
and talk with the boys and tell them what the
directors would do IN their case. When they
arrived the teacher was hearing class in his
tory, and after he was through the clerk went
forward to the desk and told the boys why
they came and proceeded to read the school
law. While doing this the boys were very
noisy and saucy; told the father of the girl to
20 to hell, and that he could not put them out
of school. This so enraged the director fath
er of the girD that he let his temper get the
better of him and he went for the oldest of the
boys and did choke him little, the boy scratch
ing and trying to defend himself OF course
there was considerable excitement in the
house, one of the directors rushing up and
separating them. The boys were told to get
out of the honse but the clerk and the teach
er were for more concilatory action. They told
the boys they favored merely suspending them
for the present, and if they would agree to
come to school hereafter and behave them
selves, obey the rules of tke school and let
other children alone, they, would be permitted
to come to school as usual The teacher then
told the boys they owed an apology to the dl,
rectors and the whole school, and he proposed
getting up paper to that effect and let the
boys sign it, the directors also promising to
sign 1t and let the boys come to school again.
The paper was gotten up by the teacher and
handed to the boys, and they each signed 1t,
and the teacher gave 1t to the two directors
who said they would sign it and they did so,
and the teacher also signed it and sent it to the
clerk of the board, who still holds it. The
paper was simply an acknowledgement from
the boys that they were guilty Of the aforesaid
bad conduct; that they would humbly apollo
glze to the directors and to the whole school
that they regretted their past actions and
promised obedience in the future to all rules
of the school, &c. And this is the paper that