The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-11-24
AGAIN IN TROUBLE.
Brutal Principal Smith, of
Gutenberg, Beats a Boy
Into Commissions.
CURSED WITH A BAD TEMPER.
Eight Months Ago He Shut a Deli
cate Girl in a Dark Closet
for Ten Hours.

Ten-yesr-old George Barthleid. OF Gut
tenberg, is confined TO his home suffering
from convulsions. the effects of beating
he received at the hands Of Principal
Smith. Of Public School No. in that
town. The boy is under q physicians
care, and the affair is the talk Of the usu-
ally quiet town. This has not been the
first time that the principal has come be-
fore the public in an unenviable light.
It VIII be remembered by the readers Of
THE News that Principal Smith was con-
tronted with serious charge about
eight months ago. Dora Topf. delicate,
ei0ht-year-old child, incurred the dis
pleasure of the principal, and she was
locked in closet. The closet was but
four feet square, dark and
gloomy. There was ~ not a
little one was confined for ten hours. and
when released was 50 weak that she
could scarcely walk home. She was
warned bv the principal not 10 tell her
mother what happened her. When the
child reached home she swooned and was
taken very Ill. The mother was not to be
deceived, and soon learned the story OF
the i'll treatment. For days the little one
was very i'll
PROGRESSED SORROW.
Principal mitn denied at the time that
he intended to c0nfine the child for such
a length OF time in the closet and said ne
had forgotten her. He professed great
sorrow ana the matter was finally settled
Since that time other parents have
complained OF the manner in which their
children have been treated at the school.
Several Of the weaithier people In the
town took their children away and sent
them to private schools. Among those
L. Tf~m ~&.fI u
are now attending a private school,
School Trustee William Mayer has re-
ceived a dozen complaints OF i'll treat
ment, which ne showed me yesterday, but
although he knew that the principal did
not act as a principal should.
he was unable to take any
action as the other two members of the
School Board were personal friends OF
the principal and disposed to look lightly
upon any complaint
THE BOYS STORY.
The story told by the boy is in sub
stance as follows.-Iaast Monday after
noon he failed to solve an example IN
arithmetic and was sent by the class
teacher to Principal Smith The princi-
pal caught hold of the boy by
the collar and flung him over a
desk. The iron casting on the desk
struck the boy in the spine and he
doubled up with pain. He cried aloud-
anu Vic kIttA NAc4 kldob-1 AA444 d.
| and dashed him against blackboard.
The principal was in a towering rage
| The boys in the class sympatniZed WITH
| the lad but dared not utter a
word The principal then flung
| him down stairs and dragged
| him back again. After drubbing him
again he was sent back to his class ROOM
There he was compelled TO sit in Lhe great
est pain until half-past four o'clock. He
| limDed home and told his mother all. lie
| was seized with commissions, and DIR.
De Croft, Of Union Hin. was sent for. he
found that the boys sDine was severely
injured and the boy has been under DR..
De Groff's care since.
Mrs. Barthlein has sent a complaint TO
the trustees and County Superintendent
Houghton has also been notified.
Principal Smith Is a man OF about
fifty-five years of age and is said TO have
an awful temper. he is the father of DR..
Fennimore Smith, who was arrested in
Hoboken recently for insulting respect-
able woman.