The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-10-25
STRIFE IN THE SCHOOL
Differing Accounts of the whipping of
a Refractory Boy.

Refractory Boy.
There was stir i'm the Cascade school
circle yesterday on account Of Alien
Pease. q refractory lad. and the punish
Tnent given him Wednesday by Miss l..
hortsnse Ayres. ere Of the teachers IN the
Cascade school. The parents Of the boy.
Mr. and Mrs. +. A. Peass. took the mat
ter up. and meeting OF the board Of eciu-
cation was called yesterday 10 consiier
the matter. bur as there was no quorum
X went over until today. Mrs. Pease also
called AZ the Office Of Prosecuting A1tcr-
ney HASTE. bat after listening 20 her
story. ne postponed further investigation
until today. The story told hy Mrs, Pease
would lead one 20 believe that an act OF
narbarous cruelty had been perpetrated
on her boy: but the statement of Mrs.
Nickels. the principal OF the school, puts
the matter in another Hight
When Mrs. Pease called at the prose
cutting attorneys Office yesterday after
noon, she was accompanied by her boy.
the cause OF all the trouble. on each side
or his forehead was a large purplish
bruise. and each OF his cheeks was SINH
larry disfgured. To these marks Mrs
Pease pointed. and furthermore stated
that they were made by piece Of garden
hose which Miss Ayres had used in whip
ping the boy. She had nothing 10 say
about the act OF the boy which had pro-
voked the punishment. The burden of her
story was the brutality of the whipping.
coupled with an inquiry as TO what legal
redress was available. Mr.. HASTE heard
her statement. and told her that he could
do nothing until he had looked into the
matter further
Mrs. f. f. Nickeis last night made the
Following statement of the facts 20 POST
Intelligencer reporter:
Il am glad of an opportunity OF giving
you the facts in the case. for the matter
a HaNa Er.-
MISS Ayres stated 10 me yesterday fore
noon that she had been having some trout
bic on account Of the misconduct OF Allen
Pease. j told her that feared any COR
rection of the child would meet with little
support from the parents. as that has been
our experience on former occasions. At
the noon recess while l Vas in my office
Miss Ayres entered, followed by Allen,
who was weeping and rubbing his eyes.
She said TO me. Mrs. NickelS- Allen has
been very rude TO me; he has refused pos
iuHely in the presence of the other pupils
10 obey my order. and | think that he
ought 10 be punished The boy had his
fists against his eyes. l said to him: AL
len, take your hands down and look at
me- Then, looking him in the eyes. |
said. You ought TO be ashamed OF being
rude TO your teacher. A boy of your age
ought TO know how to conduct himself
better than that He made no reply. I
offered to punish him myself but Miss
Ayres. inasmuch as the offense had been
committed against her. preferred admin
istering the punishment herself. This she
did. calmly, deliberately and moderately,
without any show OF passion or of bru-
tally.
The instrument used was a small rub
Der tube, hardly as large as ones little
finger. procured and kept in my desk for
whipping. 1t is more humane than
stick switch or strap, and Is used for that
reason. The statement that 1t was q piece
of a garden hose Is false and absurd. Miss
Ayres ordered the boy TO lie down across
a low chair in my office: at first he de-
INJURED silently, but on her repeating the
order he placed himself across the chair
without her having TO touch him. She
took the little whip and struck him across
the seat of his trousers with a strong but
by no means violent blow. When she had
struck four deliberate strokes / nodded
In silence as a sign that | thought the
punishment was sufficient. and when she
had struck the fifth stroke she stopped
and spoke 10 the child. who asked her not
to punish him any more, and promised 10
obey her in the future. She then allowed
him TO go down stairs. and following him
in a few moments told him he might go
home for his noon recess and IF he were
few minutes late on his return she would
not mark him tardy
l4AlS was NEidL fffuEltl SO ldl III
know. Miss Ayres told me that Allen
had refused 10 obey very simple com
mand of hers: that upon repeating the or
der he had said insolently before the whole
body of pupils, I won't do it that when
she tried TO bring him upstairs he had
struggled to resist her; but / know moth
ing of her having struck him or pulled him
violently. AT the time Allen and Miss
Ayres were I'm my office there was no sign
OF violence, no mark. red spot or bruise
about his face or forehead. 7 am very
positive on this point. for I noticed tear
drop on his cheek and therefore had my
special attention directed 10 his face.
THE boy went home at noon Wednesday
and has not been back 10 the school since.
He might easily have received the bruises
in some boyish brawl. OF one thing am
quite sure; he did not have those bruises
which you describe when he left the school
building. ! was close 10 him when / told
him 10 remove his hands from his eyes
and ] should have been sure to see any
unusual mark about his face"