The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-16

with a. department averaging from 81
20 90. for eight months past, / think the
child must have been remarkable good
| child.
Now, Gentlemen, when Professor Dy-
er was on the stand and shown a copy
OF the rules of the school, he did not
seem to want 10 read them and I pre-
| sumo the gentleman can read. He also
admitted on the stand that up 10 Fri
| day afternoon he had not fully inves-
| tigated the case. Now gentlemen, ]
claim and hold that Miss Stuckey ex-
ceeded her authority and used harsh
means as principal of the Webster
school of Wichita, Kansas 1 say 10
you, gentlemen of the committee. that
! she had no authority 10 suspend little
Bessie Quintin and will call your at
tention TO the rules and regulations
as furnished for my information from
the superintendent, on page 103, article
| z, section principals, Relations and
Duties:
| NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. shall have
| charge and control of their schools,
school building and property. The re-
ception and classification of pupils, and
their instruction and discipline. They
shall have the direction and control OF
| teachers in the management of their
/ departments and classes, and may re-
| quire them to remain after school hours
not TO exceed one a week, for instruction
and conference. They shall personally
direct the janitors in the performance
of their duty, as the same may be pre-
scrfbed, and report any neglect thereof
TO the committee.
Now gentlemen, this is the authority
of the principal, and you cannot find
one iota of authority for suspension.
She may discipline her scholars but ]
| challenge her right TO suspend.
Now let US see where this authority
is vested:
| Page 10I, article 6, section 13-When
! cases are referred to him. By prin-
cipals or teachers or when complaints
or requests are made by parents or pu-
pills he shall hear the matter carefully
and after acquainting himself with the
| facts and bearings Of tine case, shall
| decide the matter, and such decision
shall be final. Subject only to an APP
peal TO the board of education.
Section TX. In case where the Of
| Tense Of the pupil has been fragrant or
| often repeated the superintendent may
suspend such pupil, and such suspension
ing one month or for an Indefinite time
depending upon compliance with i'm
posed conditions. or until the matter
shall be acted upon by the board. in all
cases of suspension under this section
the superintendent shall report to the
board at its next regular meeting.
Section X.-He may suspend tempo
rarily at any time for refusal to COM
,1lxr "a,
tons of the school or for the nonper-
Torrance of any proper duty but such
! suspension shall last only until the pu-
pill performs the duty or complies with
what was required of him.
Section XI-When a pupil has been
suspended under any of the provisions
of these rules, the superintendent may,
at his discretion restore such pupil to
the schools again, upon presentation
of satisfactory evidence or guarantee
of good behavior in the future, and that
the cause of the former suspension no
longer exists.
Now gentlemen, section eight, article
six Of rules and powers of the superin-
aendent expressly says when cases are
referred to him by principal or teacher
etc.
Was this case referred to Professor
Dyer by Mss Stuckey as the law re-
quires. Miss Stuckey tells you she
suspended BESSIE and then notified Pro-
fessor Dyer. Is this in accordance
with the rules. / claim it is not and
believe you see it the same way.
Section rine, section ten, and section
eleven tells you how the superintend-
emit may suspend to all OF which 1 ask
your careful perusaL
That Bessie was not treated as other
children Of the school, think has been
fully proven TO you. Some were whip
ped and it was called absence on their
part; one case was supposed to be tell
ing the teacher and her father had to
seen before she was sent to Professor
Dyer, mind you, the girl was not sus-
pended by Miss Stuckey and she is IN
the same school as Bessie. Bur she
was sent to Professor Dyer by Miss
Stuckey as the law prescribes. Miss
Stuckey tells you she saw Bessie from
the window that Thursday morning
and called to her to hurry Bessie, -
this child, like the rest of the school
had a dread of the tardy bell andiMiss
Stuckey calling the child only FASTENED
her away from the school and made
her afraid TO enter as the terrors of the
tardy bell was on her mind, and she
knew some punishment awaited her
This OF course eXasperated Miss Stuck
ey, who went to Miss STiIler's room and
ordered her 10 send Bessie's parents a
note to see if they had sent her to school
this Miss Stuckey took great pains to
do and the after evidence shows plainly
gentlemen what punishment this wo-
man had in her heart, as no doubt
when she called 10 Bessie that morning
and Bessie did not answer, she made
up her mind 10 punish her at the first
chance; for what did she say to Miss
Miller that morning: She said, when
Bessie comes to school send her to me.
You know the rest gentlemen, we
have tried every point TO get this evil
dence in fun and 1 think we have sue
ceeded remarkably we'll We have al
lowed the sanctity of Bessie's home to
be invaded in order TO get at all the
facts IN this sad case, and the other
side has tried 10 make this a defense.
but they have failed on every point.
The defense have failed TO show gen
tlemen, why information was refused
TO the parents of Bessie al the Webster
school when II was necessary to obtain
the assistance of the chief of police.
They have failed TO show you why Miss
Stuckey gave these orders. that there
should be no questions asked about
Bessie, and that this request was re-
fused 10 her mother in her agony and
distress.
II lays with You. gentlemen. 10 say
whether the board OF education is re-
sponsfble for ali this by a set Of unjust
rules or whether Miss Stuckey has ex-
ceeded her authority in the ma tier by
FaX,pnging herself on an innocent 4itrla