Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1910-06-25
lRSTELLER ARRESTED
ON A CHARGE OF LARCENY
5m PEELED Constable Yearck Accompany Him Into Allan
tic City, to Interview Lawyer Bourgeois

Ans. | have not, for | had never be-
fore written a letter in school.
Andrews. You did not see any one
take the letter?
Ans. | did not
Justice Andrews. "Mr Turner is-an
important witness in this case, it seems
to me, and ought to be here"
| Mr.. Garrison s0n account of a death
in his family we could not secure Mr..
Turner. | want you to make notes OF
this necessity, Mr.. Andrews. We want
/ Marsteller held for Grand Jury-a prime
| facie case.
Marsteller was held under 500 bond.
| r. NJ. Willis, the postmaster, furnished
the bail.
| A Summary
In 1909 Miss Bertha Sautter was
brought from New York state by the
Pleasantvlle Board of Education to
conduct the art and manual training
departments of the public schools for
the session of l909-l0. She came here
well recommended although this was her
| first position i'll a similar capacity with
the additional strength of college di-
ploma at her back 1t is not unusual
for beginners in life's great struggle,
dlleI ledNIlS 10 ldCe IL new tld
of existence Wells must be torn away
and often bald facts are exposed and
ideals are rent in twain. Women are
often unframed in some of the arts and
crafts of men and especially of the men
who are employed as preceptors for pub
lie school pupils. 1t has been made
quite obvious that Miss Sautter was not
an exception i'll this respect; that she
was wont to place implicit confidence III
stranger, especially when that person
held a position of trust and, in addl-
tion, one that should command dignity
and the unreserved esteem of the entire
community. But Miss Sautter made
mistake in her reckoning g-for time.
She was not one to be blinded by
glamour or, the then halo that sur
rounded the head of the man who should
be her superior i'll the school rooms.
That is, she was not as blind as it was
hoped she should be.
As stranger Miss Sautter Loyalty
enough looked TO the supervisor of the
schools for advice on nearly everything
connected with her work.
A course of study was mapped out
and given the supervising principal by
Miss Sautter who asked him at the
time the outline was submitted that if
such outline did not meet with his
approval she would gladly rearrange ac-
eording to his ideas.
In February Miss Sautter received Il
notice from the Board of Education to
the effect that after the lapse of thirty
days her services as an art teacher III
the Pleasantville schools would be dis
pensed with.
Miss Sautter asked of the Board the
cause of her dismissal and learned it was
on charge of neglect and poor work
made by some one-some one who did
not wish the name divulged. Miss
Sautter met the Board and proved the
charge untrue. The action was with
drawn and Miss Sautter re- e-instated.
When Deception Began
One point not made and which the
reader must have is this: When the
notice of dismissal came to Miss Sauttei
and she had learned the charges she
knew there could be only one who had
the right to make charges officially
against any teacher SO she went to tha,
personage- -Marsteller-and said "Will
you tell me frankly if there is anything
wrong with my work. have you evel
found me neglectful?" And without
hesitating he answered. Not that
know Of Miss Sautter, and while |
| should like to aid you it is impossible
My hands are tied. If | were to aid
you they (the Board@ would fight like
tigers-lust from the fact that | was
aiding YOU"
Point two: That never once had Mar
- H.
teaching Chat is he did not tell HER
of any criticisml. Now all the time the
Board was getting from this gentleman
wild tales OF her insubordination and
neglect.
She did this for the sole purpose of
making her work satisfactory to the
supervisor and, as she hoped, to the gen
eral public, for she naturally believed
that Marsteller was i'll position to
understand the local needs. All requests
| of this nature were non productive.
Miss Sautter felt obliged Oh or abolt
May l5, to convey, in a letter, her ap
probation of certain kind acts in her
behalf by Mr.. Sensor, of Trenton.
She wrote and addressed letter
| to the gentleman, sealed and stamped
| it, left it on her desk side of the ink well
and departed for another room i'll the
| building. When she returned the letter
was gone and she was aware Marsteller
| had been i'll the room. Miss Sautter was
somewhat dismayed at the thought that
anyone connected with the schools should
be guilty of deliberately stealing that
letter although she had no reason for OBJ
| lecting to anyone knowing its contents.
| maorder to assure herself that the letter
| had or had not reached Mr. Sensor she
| penned another, duplicate of the origi-