The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-27
Says Principal Andrews Vas I'm
necessarily Rough.
Her Boy Has Lame
Ankle as Result.
Principal Andrews Gave His
Side of Story.

The school committee was In session
yesterday afternoon and the proceedings
were enliveped by the hearing which was
accorded Mrs. Coyne on the alleged In
juries received by her son at the hands
OF Principal Andrews of the Butler
school, a week or so ago. After an ex-
tended hearing on this complaint against
MIR. Andrews the board laid the matter
on Che table until Its next meeting With
out taking any action.
When the meeting was called to order
there were only few members present,
but all of the women who are members
OF the board were In their accustomed
seats. One by one the other members
dropped in until all were present with
the exception of John II. A. Merrill and
DR.. Foster.
Mrs. Coyne, the mother of Willie
Coyne, whose ankle Is said to have been
sprained from being pushed by Princi-
pal Andrews, was present, with three
manly appearing youngsters. who came
as witnesses in the case. Mr.. Thomas
Il, Coyne, a brother of the injured boy,
and a brakeman on the Maine Central,
was also in attendance and was delegat-
ed by Mrs. Coyne to present her case to
the school board. Mr.. Coyne did not
quite understand what was required OF
him and began by saying that he went
to see Principal Andrews ON Friday,
sometime In the afternoon. He asked
MIR. Andrews why 1t was that the boy
with his injured ankle had been left to
lie on the sofa in Mr.. Andrews ofllce
for three hours and during the noon hour
without his people being notified that
he was injured. He asked Mr.. Andrews
why 1t was the boy was not sent home
and told min that he had done wrong
thing and he knew 1T. Mr.. Andrews
said, according Mr.. Coyne. I'm ad-
NIT that did wrong, but 1 was SO busy
that forgot all about the boy. Mr..
Coyne said that Principal Andrews de-
MES that he ever said any such thing
as this, but he was willing to swear that
he did. MIR. Andrews told him that he
went across the street .to-the livery stable
to get q carriage to send the boy home
In, but found the place looked up. Il
can prove that he never went to the
livery stable and never did any such
~-~~"S'
The school board did not seem TO be
getting just the kind of Information It
wanted and this was explained by Dir.
Peabo iy in rather long speech which ne
addressed to the acting chairman of the
of the board, Mr.. Brownson. The SUD-
stance of MIR. Peabodys remarks were
that the board did not at this time care
to listen to the evidence in the case, but
wished to know primarily what the
charges were which Mrs. Coyne wanted
to make against Mr.. Andrews. When
these charges were made, Mr. Peabody
suggested that the board appoint COM
mittee TO hear the evidence and report
back to the school board.
MIR. Heseltine and Mr.. MCGOWAN want
ed to know why 1t was that the whole
board could not hear this evidence. 1t
seemed to them, as they expressed them
selves that the board could act In this
matter as we'll as a committee and know
something about the case when they got
through, MIR. Peabody didn't seem to
regard this as the best method Of pro-
ceeding with the matter. Mr.. McGowan
suggested an adjournment until evening
in order to get at the facts in this case.
Mr.. Peabody thought this was very
short notice to give MIR. Andrews to gath
or his witnesses and prepare his defence
It turned out, however, that Mr.. Andrews
was already in the building with his
only witness and was ready to go ahead
with the hearing, but this fact did not
become known until later. About this
time the Mayor, who is ex-officlo chair
man of the board, came In and relieved
MIR. Brownson. He seemed to think that
the way to proceed was to begin in the
way such case would be heard inAcourt;
first, the complaint made, then the evil
dence for the prosecution and finally the
, defence. There WAS a good deal of spar
ring back and forth between the mem bers
of the board and some time was wasted.
Some one wanted these formal charges
reduced to writing, but 1t was finally de-
cided that Mrs, Coyne should be allowed
to go aaead and tell them In her own
way.
This she did in very concise manner.
She had grievance and she knew how
to tell her story without adding any I'M
necessary details. She said that week
ago Friday noon some boys came to her
house and asked her how her son Willie
was. She didn't know tnat anything
had happened to Willie only he hadn't
come home from school for dinner. Ths
boys told her chat MIR. Andrews had ac-
oussd her son of picking on boy
named Baker and had told him TO stop.
"a S matter Of fact, /" said Mrs. Coyne.
"Willis had not been picking on the
Baker boy at all"
MIR. Andrews had then, without cause,
grabbed her boy by the shoulder and
pushed him some distance with great
violence. He had fallen against the fence