The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-11-21
County Superintendent AnnulIs The
Certificate of the Somers School
Teacher Today.
CHARGES FOUND TO BE TRUE
The Complaint of Patrons of School Up
held and Karnes' Certificate Annullsd
on the Ground of Incompstency.

The certificate of j. G. karnes,
school teacher, who was charged with
cruelty by the patrons of School Dis
trict Number 2 of the town of Somers,
was annu1led at noon today by County
superintendent Griffith and Karnes is
no longer qualified to teach in the
schools of the county. It is probable
that the teacher will take an appeal of
the matter to the State superintendent
and the outcome of the appeal will be
watched with interest. The decision
of the Superintendent acting as
Judge of a court, is IN part as follows:
After hearing the testimony on both
sides, and weighing the value of each,
the Court feels itself bound to render
the following decision:
I. That the charge against the de-
fendant, ]. c. Karnes, of choking Ed
ward Wade is thoroughly proved. This
opinion is based upon the transparent
ly truthful testimony of Edward Wade,
the boy who was alleged to have been
choked, and also by the supporting
evidence of Philip Wade, the father of
said Edward Wade. Allowing0 that
such choking did not take place, the
undisputed fact that said j. G. karnes
did, according to his own statement.
chase the said Edward Wade about
forty rods, until the child was in
state of exhaustion, would, of itself,
prove said J. G. Karnes to be an0unft
man to govern a school. Such pro-
ceedings seem to the Court unwise and
unseemly.
II. Some of the charges, viz: The
writing of offensive sentence, and the
sticking of pins into the children, were
fully proved. Such methods of gov
eminent aresnot in harmony with mod
ern civilization. Sticking pins into a
boys leg is not calculated to make
him love and admire the teacher. The
Constitution of the United States pro-
vides that mo cruel or unusual pun
ishments shall be inflicted. This ap-
plies in the school room as well as in
the courts.
III. According to the school law, as
understood by the Court, I have the
right to decide upon matters which
have come under my own examination.
At the time of my visit to the school
taught by J. c. Karnes, the defendant
in this case, 1 found that he had not
taught penmanship and composition
up to that time. He, the defendant,
admitted this. I also found that he
had absolutely no knowledge of prin1-
airy teaching. The defendants meth
DDS of teaching were radically wrong
and Of past time.
". 1t is an undisputed fact that
the defendant has utterly failed to
keep the school together. After near
1y two months he finds himself
without pupils, since no patron in the
district will send. Can it be possible
that the defendant alone is right and
the patrons wholly wrong? Such
state of affairs proves, in the MIND of
the Court, that there is a good deal in
the defendant that is radically wrong.
For the foregoing reasons, the
County Superintendent of Schools in
and for the County of Kenosha, State
of Wisconsin, holds that the certificate
granted J. G. Karnes, the defendant,
on August 1st, 1901, be and the same is
hereby annu1led.
WILLIAM GRIFFITH,
County Superintendent of Schools in
and for the County of Kenosha, State