Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1896-09-19

iHc " ~ UelOTe tue commissioners ana
defeat the petition.
| attended the meeting of the School
Commissioners IN May at which trus-
tees for the county were appointed.
The petition was on the table of the
Commissioners. There was no one
there to present it, because no one had
the manhood and honesty to do so.
The petition was not even mailed
and its movers tried to hide themselves
by getting colored man to carry it
from G. q p. freight train to Com
missioner Shepherd.
| read the petition which stated
that there was a Singular" lack Of
interest on the part of the trustees. 1t
was signed by about IS persons, most
OF whom were young men some were
residents of other school districts /;
others were young men whose names
were on the school registers some
years back and whose attendance
averaged about one-third of the school
year, and 80 per cent. of those signers
were not patrons of the school. There
were 200 or 300 patrons of the school
who were not consulted in the matter
and who knew nothing of the petition
till after it had gone to Cumberland.
All of this stated to the School Com
missioners.
About the second week of June the
School Commissioners re-appointed
the old trustees and thus ignored the
petition.
During the interim between the Sec
ond week of June and the l4th of
August the trustees were moved upon
and a radical change came over them.
The men for whose retention as trus-
tees l fought for against the petition
ers now joined the crusaders against
me and gave me, on the Nth of Aug
ust, my discharge. Four days later
called upon them and asked why had
been discharged. One of them said
he knew nothing about it and signed
the notification because the others
did. Another said that Mr.. Werner,
the examiner, had been to see them
and that he stated the School Com
missloners had sent him up to Mt.
Savage to inform the trustees that all
the assistants had been discharged
He said that Mr.. Weimer further add
ed that he had from two to five letters
endorsing the petition sent to the
School Board in June. but that the
trustees must not ask for the authors
of the letters as he (Mr. Weimer)
would not give the names. The trus-
tee concluded by saying that was
discharged for the general interest of
the school, which general interest |
will attend to farther on. l replied to
this trustee that did not believe the
School Commissioners instructed Mr..
Weimer to advise the trustees of any
letters endorsing a petition that had
been ignored by them, because | had
talked to one of the Commissioners on
the train just half hour before call
ed upon him, and the Commissioner
had been informed for the first time
by me that | had been discharged, and
that the Commissioner was very much
surprised to hear of my discharge.
l then went to trustee number three
and asked him why | was discharged.
&C.," said he, ''Mr. Weimer came
along and raised Cam about the way
the school had been run"
| asked whether Cain had been
raised about the way the trustees had
Utcu Ilt SCuOOl VI lily DdTI Ill
running it? He replied that this Cain
was elevated about the running of the
school IN general.
WELL" l said, ''if Mr.. Weimer had
Cain to raise about me, it is very
strange that he did not do so in my
presence"
This trustee also said that some who
had not signed the petition in April
told him that they would not send their
children to school. in case | was con-
tlnued in the school. He said they
objected TO me because parochial
school was about to be established.
Thought then that | was not so badly
off after all aud that had only lost my
position by which l was making my
bread and butter, whereas, had some
one committed murder would have
been held responsible and lost my life
for it.
1t now became evident to me that
the trustees had not voluntarily agreed
to discharge me, and that they had
been worked upon by some master
hand to do so.
| went to Cumberland to see Mr.
Weimer about what vacancies there
were, and to have a talk with him
about my removal from Mt. Savage
school. He expressed great surprise
at the turn matters had taken in my
case and said he was astonished wher
he received letter from the trustees
just day or two before. notifying
him of my discharge. But l could
not and cannot now see how this could
be, as the trustees notified me on the
regularly printed blank which they
would have to receive from Mr.
Weimer before they could send it te
me. q did not tell Mr.. Weimel what
the trustees had told me about his visit
to and conversation with them.)
About the 25th of August Mr.
Weimer came to Frostburg, met me
on the street near my home and sale
that ne wanted to talk to me in private
place. | showed him into my house
where he informed me he would get
me position IN Beall High school if
would get letters of recommendation
from certain three or four persons.
These letters were to be sent to the
School Commissioners who were to
hold meeting in a few days from thai
time. One of these pei sons had al
ready very highly recommended me
and voluntarily al that another wish
ed we'll, but declined to write letters
for satisfactory reasons; another was
out of town and the fourth person was
ready to do all he could for me.
After the following meeting of the
Commissioners went to Cumberland