The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-07-06
po1HEeoYs HALL
Now Facts Concerning Squcers and u
school Described by Dickens.

school Described by Dickens.
All our informants = country cler-
rymen, Intelligent residents. "oldest
inhabitants" and such natives as
did not feel themselves in honor
bound to keep their mouths shut
agreed on one point, that the sys-
tenn of Yorkshire schools was Won
strous and iniquitous to an incredible
sxtent that frightful cruelties were
practiced upon the boys-who were
chiefly the illegitimate offspring OF
London parcnts-but that the schooi
typiiied by Charles Dickens was the only
one to which he could gain access ana
was the best of the lot. There were
two other schools at Bowes, one at Gill
monby, one at CotherStone, and one at
Barnard Castle; and the proprletors OF
these, suspecting the presence of IA
nous literary Londoner among them'
refused him admittance; but at Shaw 5
he was made welcome and shown over
the premises. But in ovher respects
the evidence was so conflicting that we
must simply give itwithout pronouncing
any opinion on its value or the reverse.
For instance, one woman, u native OF
Bowes, whose sympathies one would
naturally imagine to be with the ma
lirncd Suueers told us that she dis
tinctly remembered the boys coming
in summer time TO her fathers fields to
help got in the hay, goaded to the work
of horses by ushers armed with WHIPS.
On tho other hand, gentleman whose
father, being IL schoolmaster. used to
90 up to the Saracen's Head with and
on the same errand as Squeers, de-
clared that the one-eyed schooimnster
was an estimable man. who cared for
his pupils properly, and was generally
respected and liked. He further stated
that his father related to him how he
happened to be ut the Saracen' S Head
with Soueers after the Dotheboys Hall
numbers of Nicholas Nickleby' had
taken the public by storm; that the
crowd literally besieged the inn, with
the intention of lynching Squeers; thai
the commotion had such an effect upor
the schoolmaster as to deprive him o
reason, and that Mrs. Squeers died o
broken heart. Another gentleman
once in holy orders-told us that HI
was at Bowes Grammar School con
: temporaneously with the existence o
, Shaw's school, that Shaw was know
, as the king of the Road because
every half year he hired special coacl
. to bring his pupils from London, ant
that the arrival of this coach at Bowe
{ was the occasion of universal excite
ment and enthusiasm. He further
, more cited. as proof that Sna'
was maligned as TO his treat
ment of his pupils, that grea
5 rivalry always existed between tn
grammar school boys and those c
Dotheboys Hall; that they played tire
, mepdous football matches together
and that every Easter Sunday it was
, custom to appear in new suits and t
I. pelt each other with Easter eggs.
fourth informant told us that tn
/ deaths at Shaw's school were frequent
t that large proportion OF the boy
were manned by i'll usage, and that tn
| neighboring cottages were continual
giving shelter TO runaways. A hit
spoke of the prototype OF ram
Saueers as II woman universally b'
.. loved and respected, who did intinit
good among the poor and sick OF tn
i parish. All. however, spoke of Sha
II as "A man subject to fits OF violent pa
4 sion, and admitted that he was addlcte
n to using the cane numerically whe
4 under these influences. In other II
p stances when we ventured to propoun
!. questions to more illiterate folks,
!. found that without committing then
$ selves to giving any definite opinion
they tried to evade the questions an
. thereby tacitly admitted that ther
4, was a great deal more truth in wha
= Dickens had written than their loc;
:, patriotism allowed them to express
The graves of 'Squeers," his wife,
% Fanny Squeers," and of young ''Wacl
! ford" who died at the age of twent,
" four, are to be seen in Bowes churcf
yard. The late assistant static
:, master at Barnard Castle, MacKay b
name, was said to be son OF the orig
, 70 nal of Nicholas Nic!sleby. John Brow
=. die was one John Todd, of Barnin'
:. ham, and died not very long ago, an
X" the original of poor Smike is said
" y. have died during the year 1880, age
~ seventy-four.-Te Bar.