The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-02-12

IOUdl. .......... L, go LIMO l,foI
1t was reported that several of the
country pupils in the eighth grade of
the high school building have not
paid their buttons, and in the cases
of three week was granted for the
payment, the seats to be declared
vacant then in case the money is not
received.
Supt. KenaStOn made a statement
of the recent.troubles in the eighth
grade, in view of the fact that only
one side of it had been presented in
court, leaving wrong impression
with many people. He said that all
the grades were doing excellently and
running very smoothly until the
recent trouble came up. Kenneth
Fuller had given his teachers, Miss
Van Blarcum and Miss McWilliams,
much trouble for long time past, but
was so sharp that it was almost i'm
possible to detect him in his wrong
doing. Jan. 10th had been very
pleasant day in school, and the
speaker had held the perfect atten-
tion of the sixty pupils until Kenney
had begun rolling rubbers. 1t was
with difficulty that he was detected.
The speaker said that he did not
knock the boy out of his seat, but the
boy crouched down and then stood up
and struck the speaker. cit is not
true that L choked him." Mr.. Kenas-
ton proceeded. Neither did 1 say
that an apology would be all that 1
would require of the boy. Mrs. Fuller
begged me not to eXpel him. told
her l would not bring the matter into
the courts if the boy made full
apology. If the boy had done this the
matter would have ended there, but
the apology was as ill naturely done as
I ever saw. l then brought him into
the Office and asked him if he would
promise to obey after this, and he
replied that he would. told him l
was going to punish him for continued
disobedience and sauciness to the
teachers, resistance, and injuring
school property. 1 told him to get
dow q, and intended to test his pro-
missed obedience by this, and if he
had obeyed l would have stopped
there and done nothing more. But
he was ugly, and Prof. Searles, the
principal of the building, told him to
do as he was told. Kenney then
turned On Prof. Searles in still uglier
manner. Prof. Searles tripped him
over. took charge of the boy alone
then and after telling him what l was
Furnishing him for, struck him six or
seven times over the hips with small
rubber tube. 1 then told him how
sorry l was to do it, and struck him
three times more. / talked with him
again and struck him two blows.
Both the witnesses that called in, as
is my custom when inflicting corporal
punishment, said that had not given
the boy enough.
"The fact is that Kenney had brag-
ged among the boys of what he had
done, and had told them that no one
should punish him. This was in line
with his home instruction on this. 1
never had such case before, or such
q catamount attack me. He struck
me in the face five times, but if my
face was flushed, 1 did not lose my
patience. After the punishment, 1
told him that he could go home. He
was not suspended OF expelled, and
the matter is left with this board.
SIN regard to Warren Fuller. he
came to my house and promised to do
better if I would take him back into
school. 1 had suspended him subject
to the action of the board, for seri-
take him back.
Mr.. Fletcher moved that Kenney
Fuller be suspended for the remainder
of the term.
Different members Of the board said
that Mrs. Fuller had seen them and
asked that Kenney h not suspended,
because that action would prevent his
being received into the Normal school
Mr.. Cray suggested delay until an
investigation can be had by COM
mittee, To act now might lay the
b. ard open to criticism for having