The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-12-27
and they'll show you q few reliable
figures on the personality equation.
TEACHER BEsTED HuRLy BOYS.
Empty Gun Blurred Bear Creek School
District organixa-
ton.

MACON, Mo-, Dec. Give boys of
the Bear Greek District School had
perfected our organization so we'll that |
we knew Just how to make the teacher
capitulate when we planned Christ. /
mas campaign against him" said Ar
ling Gross, deputy sheriff of Macon /
county. 1T wasn't long after the civil
war, and most OF the teachers in that
period were men, and some of them
were strapping big fellows too. Whip |
pin was part of the education. We
stood everything that was coming to
us all right, through the year, but
when the snow came and Christmas
got into our blood, we began thinking
what we ought to do to the teacher.
Sometimes we'd cut ice in the creek
and baptise him. One gentle little
stunt was to strap HIM oil a bobsled
with his hands and feet tied and send
him coasting down great, long hill.
When he got to the bottom all sorts OF
things would happen to him, and ne
would be glad enough to treat us IN
order to escape with Ids life. think
about every teacher we had when L
was going to school there surrendered
to US, but little fellow from une of
the New England States, who came
out to Missouri to see what rs West
erners looked like. Anyone OF the big
boys could have handled him with one
hand. He was a rather mild-mannered
chap, but / saw the lightning fash
from his eyes once or twice when his
commands we're not executed as soon
as delivered. His name was Jonathan
Biggs and he looked just like his
name. He was thin. weakened faced
and his iron-gray hair curled up over
his coat collar He marched along
! with the step of soldier and was
very precise in his speech. The
school directors said that he was one Of
| the best teachers they ever had in the
| district Well. we planned great lark
/ for Jonathan on Christmas eve. We
were going to shut him out of school
until he gave up, and then stand him
up against the side of the building and
tse him as target for snowballs.
Every man would be allowed Ave
shots at the teacher with hard ball.
ut was showing on the morning be-
fore Christmas and most of us larger
I boys went down to the school bright
and early and started big fire on the
! wide hearth. The little chaps under
{ stood that they were not to come that
day. The doors and Window we're
barricaded so the teacher could not
possibly break in. Promptly at $50
he showed up. in his big overeoat, look
ing like a dried-up Santa Claus. When
he found the door barred against him
he seemed to be bit surprised, per-
aaps he had never run against that
sort of a game before. He ordered US
to open the door. We laughed and told
him to come in. The teacher walked
about the house trying to find an open
ing But we had attended to that. Not
even mouse could have gotten into
the building. Pretty soon the room
began filing With smoke. We knew
wat caused that.
"The teacher had climbed up and
laid some boards over the chimney
We put out the fire but still tie smoke
was pretty fierce We looked out ant
didn't see the teacher anywhere, bu
pretty soon one of the boys spied hin
. coming through the woods with gul
on HE shoulder When he got close
We saw that II was one of those oil
things with a wide mouth, the kind tn
pioneers loaded with slugs to XIII In
dams. That wasn't so funny. We be
gan wondering whether that fool Var
kea was really getting In earnest. stu
9 We resolved to stick it out. Jonathal
shouldered arms and marched aro1n
i the building with a military steT
Whenever boy would put his hea
$ at the window it seemed like Jonatha
u had that old blunderbuss leveled a
7 him. The snow continued and SO di
n the guard He seemed 10 be absolute
n ~ tireless we were getting saungr,
. but none of us wanted to go out an
q risk that old biunderbuss There wa
. no telling what that fool teache
y would do. He wasn't like anybody W
J had ever seen before and We made U
y our minds that tan iocking-out 10
Y wasn't any joke on him. we prase
Q that some of the school director
would come along and capture tn
a wild man, but nobody showed up.
IS was bad day and travellers we're fey
a We watched the road closely. inten'
n ing to hail somebody to come to OF
re rescue. but the few travellers VII
At passed didn't seem to hear us. On
y man did start toward the scfloolhous
s but Jonathan pointed his gun at hi
and made him hike out in hurry.
e. ..As It began to get dark we held
Ell council of war. It seemed pretty ce
ut tain that Jonathan wasn't going
IN leave. and there was no chance for I
I'd to escape. We looked out and he W.
Id sitting on log, CALMLY smoking 9
SIS old cob pipe. blunderbuss restir
n across his knee He had us like ra
in in a trap. Well. there was only on
thing to do. that was to surrender.
was bitter pill, because We knew Il
matter would be discussed all over Il
rs country and everybody would laugh
-.