Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-16
FOOT BALL ON TRIAL
BOARD OF EDUCATION DEMANDS
THAT PLAYING SHALL BE FAIR.
Report Adopted Regarding Alleged As
sau1t Upon High School Boy
Changes Among Teachers.

The meeting of the board of educa ton at
the Franklin building last night was de-
voted almost entirely to the High Schooi
foot ball games with view to correcting
Objectionable conditions surrounding the
contests.
General Boynton, from a special commit
tee consisting of himself, Mrs. Francis and
Mr.. Gordon, reported the result of Its In
vestigation of the circumstances attending
the assault on Henry ]. Hunt, pupil OF
the Mckinley Manual Training School, by
Logan Cunningham and ]. Paul Yoder,
pupils of the Central High School.
The report was in part as follows:
Some days previous to the attack on
Hunt there had been a game between the
foot ball teams of the schools named which
had engendered bitter feeling Hunt had
been put out of the game by the umpire
on the charge of smuggling being one
of the technical terms of this manly game
including everything from fist fighting to
manslaughter. In the present case 1t indi-
Gated that Hunt had struck player on the
other side This the umpire saw. and ruled
him off the field. 1t appears from Hunt
statement that he was only returning a
blow which the umpire did not see. Your
committee intends no reflection upon the
umpire, for having only two eyes 1t was
manifesty impossible for him to observe
all the incidents of a strenuous game. 1t
seems to be a fact, however, that Hunt was
hit HTSt Dy an uniQenllfiSu NneHlOer VI lHo
Central team. The evidence of the various
witnesses shows that there had been some
rough playing, but that 1t had been by
no means confined to one team. That Hunt
was guilty of smuggling is undoubtedly true,
as he was punished for so doing by being
removed from the game by the official In
charge of the field. In reference to this
we have the statement of Mr.. Morgan. a
university student, who was acting as UNI
pire of the game. Mr. Morgan says:
The game was in my opinion very
clearly played by both sides considering
the intense rivalry which exists between
high schools, and my sole reason for so
few penalties is that ! saw offenses
deserving of them. True, 1 did put one
man out of the game, not because of harm
done by him, but to discourage smuggling
which showed itself at that time. and any
attack this boy a result of his being
put out was not justifiable unless brought
on by himself outside of the game -
Attack Not justified
The committee goes on to say that the
statement quoted is from an impartial Of
fetal who had every opportunity to wit
ness the conduct of the players, and that
1t should settle the fact that the ''slugging'
was not confined to the player penalized,
and furthermore that there nothing In
the subsequent actions of Hunt to justify
the attack made upon him by the Central
boys.
The facts in the case are then reviewed
in the report, which explains that Cum
ningham and Yoder came up behind Hunt,
unobserved by the latter. and that Cunning
ham, without notice, struck Hunt on one
side of the face. knocking out a TOOTH and
as Hunt turned to see what was the matter
Yoder struck him on the other side break
ing another tooth; and that Hunt was too
dazed to attack in return. The committee
calls the assault absolutely unprovoked,
wholly ineXcusable and cowardly.
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