Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-05-31
SERIOUS CHARGES.
The County Superintendent TIA.
ken to Task by a Lady.
Charges That Should be Investigated by
the County Court at the Ear
lest Convenience.

public on this occasion. But in JUS
tice to myself rs a teacher Of pub
lie schools, and in justice to all par
ties connected with the unpleasant
little drama, in which / was made
chief sufferer, 1 deem it my duty to
give to the citizens of my county a
full unvarnished statement of the
manner in which / have been treated
by J. U. Tyler, and abide their just
arbitrament. i was employed by
the school commissioners of District
No. 81, as one of the teachers in Cen
trail Chapel school, then being taught
by J. U. Tyler. The school at that
time consisted of about fOrty-five or
fifty pupils. y was assigned the
lower story and Mr.. Tyler the upper
story of the school building. He di-
vided the pupils to suit himself Civ
ing me much the greater number.
The first three months the school
progressed with little or no discord,
Mr.. Tyler manifesting commenda-
BILE courtesy. But after the Chritmas
holidays he commenced system of
oppression, until he had succeeded
in making my labors more than l
could bear, by putting on me the in
struction of thirty-five to forty pupils,
while he himself instructed but
twelve to fifteen. performed the
arduous task, though unable to do so,
without a murmur, until Mr.. John
O'Neal, one of the commissioners,
seeing the injustice, interceded by
calling the attention of the other COM
missioners to the injustice. The COM
missioners then came to the school
house, with the apparent intention of
compelling him to take a part of the
burden off of me, by giving him a
class of twelve pupils / taught. He
peremptorily refused to do it at first,
although he was receiving salary OF
fifty dollars, while l was receiving
but thirty-five dollars. He then pro-
posed to take a class of four pupils
only, which / refused. He after
wards said to me: "If you do not feel
competent to teach the larger class in
mathematics, l will take it," / re-
garded his proposition as an insult
and retorted by saying: "Mr. Tyler,
l will consent to no such thing, l
am as capable of teaching the class as
you are" However, in the course of
four or five weeks he concluded, |
suppose, that it was the better policy
to take it and he did so. From the
time of his taking the class until |
severed my connection with the
school he treated me with utter CON
tempt. He never looked on me but
with a countenance of frown and
scorn, and for nearly two months he
never spoke to me but to insult me.
He seemed to avail himself of every
little pretext to get up something
against me. TO drive me from the
school seemed to be his determine
ton, whether was giving satisfac-
ton to the patrons of the school or
not.
1t will be understood that my school
was independent of Mr.. Tyler's. He
had his own methods and l had
mine. He had no more control over
my school or my methods than any
other teacher from any other dis
trict. HIS intermeddling and dOmi-
neering over me seems to have been
the outgrowth of his unfortunate dis
position. And now l aver to the
public that l never labored harder in
my life to give satisfaction, aud the
fruits of my efforts are most gracious
ly rewarded by the subjoined certif-
cate of the patrons of the school.
A few evenings before / dissolved
my connection with the school
it so happened that / dismissed
the children a few minutes
before he did, as he several times
had done. He few into a passion
and sent me by one of the pupils
an uncivil command, which l heed
ed not, "to stop that noise" He
then came down and ordered the
children to leave there, turning to
me with vindictive scowl said
And you too, go home" Such in-
dignities j could not stand, and de-
termined to quit the school at the
sacrifice of my salary, although
needed it as all poor school teachers
do. Commissioners Pugh Haynes
and Nathan Horn knew the in
Justice to which was subjected, and
could have protected me, but they
seemed to hold themselves aloof as
though spell-bound or intimidated at
of Mr.. Tyler, and allowed
him to insult and domineer over me.
The Friday evening on which quit
he school, just before i dismissed,
Mr.. Tyler sent me a note which ran
Is follows:
Miss BIRDIE SHACKELFoRD ~
have been officially requested To
notify you to hand in your resigna-
ion this, Friday, evening. Doubtless
you will know the reason why.