The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1909-05-06
|nE HAD A CONSCIENCE

Little Hugh Gh0rmIey vOluntarii,
Gives up a Medal which was
Awarded to Him. A Moral.
The Des Moines papers the past few
days have been filled with praise for
little Hugh Ghormley, the seven year
old son OF Mr.. and Mrs. W. E. Ghormley,
formerly of this city, who moved to Des
Moines few months ago. The manly
little fellow was declared the winner
in the public school spelling match for
pupils in the third grade, but after it
was over he refused to accept the medal
saying he had missed one of the words
given out by the judges who failed to
note his omission of letter.
| So well pleased was Superintendent
Thornburg over the lads action that he
will present him with handsome medal
in recognition of his act.
The following in regard to the matter
is taken from Thursdays Register and
Leader:
| The letter so" and an active cons
cience have deprived little Hugh
Ghormley of the glory that goes with
winning spelling match in which the
star spoilers of the third grade in all
tho city schools were participants.
Yesterday Hugh spelled down all his
opponents in the contest at the Lincoln
school, but at dinner he announced to
his parents that he had omitted one 80"
when spelling "whippoorwill," and he
didn't want the prize.
Hugh's father, W. f. Ghormley, 1885
Twenty-six street, Immediately tele-
phoned to u. G. Thornburg, supervisor
of grades. and the school official de.
cided that Hughs Iaurels will rest upon
the brow of little Genevieve Daniels,
the daughter of C. e. Daniels, 1916 Tenth
street.
The little girl stood for half an hour
and spelled and spelled, after all but
Hugh Ghormley and herself had gone
down in defeat. They negotiated sue
cessfully many long words, but Gene
We've was finally retired on "peace."
Then 7-year-old Hugh was hailed as the
winner, the boss speller among all the
third grade pupils in Des Moines. He
attends the kirkwood school, while
Genevieve is pupil at Oak Park.
Great interest has been taken by the
school teachers and school children all
OtoI Ullc ClUy SluCO C0O oOAiOo VA SpSAA-
ing contests was announced. Yesterday,
at the Lincoln school, the third and
fourth grade matches were held, open
ing the series.
Mr.. Thornburg said last night it re-
honor for the little boy to voluntarily
give up the hard-won prize. Two years
younger than many of the children who
bD aocilxy thu founrifo
with the audience of school patrons whe
listened with interest while the contest
waged. His commission Of the 90 in
spelling the troublesome "whippoorwill"
was unnoticed by the teachers and he
Nothing but the most acute kind of a
cause him to voluntarily surrender the
honors after so hard fight.
The Daily Tribune of the same day
says:
At the big "spellin" contest yester-
day in the city schools, the children
stood up and spelled down. Nearly
100 had gone under the "jawbreakers'
and the contest lay between two, a
determined little boy, Hugh Ghormley,
and Genevieve Daniels, an equally stern
little girl. For full half an hour they
battled; then poor little Genevieve
whose brain was growing misty from
fatigue, slipped on the word "peace'
and fell weeping in her seat.
How the child en- cheered! Bravo
Hughey, bravo, the teachers cried. But
somehow the glory didn't sit good with
the lad; he looked across at the little
girl who bravely tried to dry away her
tears and pretend she didn't care.
Hugh's glory had stinger in it; some
how. At home mamma" kissed him
and "papa" told how tickled he was; not
but what he always knew his son would
win, however. Then Hughey did an odd
thing; he climbed upon his fathers knee
and whispered to him: Daddy, tain't
fair; left out an 90 in 'whippoorwill
a long time before Genevieve sat down
but teacher didn't notice; I'm not it, it..
Gene who won"
Then they blessed the little boy ant
while he sobbed out his pain upor
his mothers bosom his father tele.
phoned to Superintendent Thornburs
that the prize belonged to the littl,
maid. The details of the lads confes
sion were related to the superintendent
1t hurt him to reply over the wire. "Th'
prize of course must go to Genevieve
for she won it fairly; but a greater priz'
has been given that little boy h,
dared to tell the truth and lose.