Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-29
SUPERINTENDENT OF WEST UN.
ION SCHOOLS INVOLVED IN
SCANDAL.
RELATIVES OF STUDENTS
AND SHERIFF TAKE HAND
G. D. cIeveneer Departs HurrisdIy
Whom Notified That Mob Will Gather
Charged With Intimacy With Two
Girl students-May Lose State Ger
tificate.

West Union, June &c. D. eleven
ger. for two years past the city super
tntendent Of the West Union schools,
and now under election to a similar po
sition in the schools at Eagle Grove
Iowa, left this-city under remarkable
circumstances. Sheriff Clark and City
Marshall Daniels advised him to go as
soon as possible, and he took their adj
vice. This was after two young men
Of the city had told him that If he did
not leave they would arrange to have
him mobbed that night. There have
been persistent rumorS that Mr.. Gle
venger had been unduly intimate with
girl purels, and the two young men
referred TO are the brother and broth
er-in-law Of the two sisters whose
names have been connected with Mr..
Clevenger's.
According to the Ago. Gazette, the
rumors began to circulate in a limited
circle about year ago. At that time,
to committee of the school board,
Mr. Clevenger insisted that he was
wholly inocent of Wrorgdoing, and that
he would so scrupulously guard his ac-
lions that there could be no cause for
further suspicion. However, the rumors
continued to fly, but most people dis
missed them as gossip.
Family and Girls Friendly.
The continued friendly conduct Of all
members Of Mr.. Clevenger's family with
the girls named in rumors helped to
keep down suspicion. The school board
could get no teacher, pupil, or boarder
to make any definite accusation. About
two months ago or more, however, a
company of men who have been faceu-
ously dubbed "the committee of public
safety" began to keep tab on the super
intendent's movements each evening
and at about the same time the whole
affair became a subject Of animated
discussion with everybody in town,
with opinion pretty much one sided.
AS usual in such cases the relatives
We're the last to hear about the trouble.
but when the brother in-laW Of the two
girls learned in what direction affairs
were tending he and the girls brother
looked into it, satisfied themselves as
to what were the facts in the case, and
then waited on Mr. Clevenger with a
request for him to leave the city the
same day on the $40 train. They were
at the depot, saw the train leave with
out bearing away the superintendent.
and were apparently ready to carry out
their threat of raising mob.
Sheriff Takes Hand.
In order to avert the danger, Sheriff
Clark and City Marshal Daniels went
at once to the Clevenger home. and
found that while the superintendent was
carrying a large revolver he was very
much frightened. He assured them
that he had engaged an auto to leave
town that evening, but if they wanted
him to do so he would hurry his de-
parture They then told him they
thought the sooner he left the better.
so he and his family, together with
one of the girls named In the rumor,
went out of town in an auto within
twenty minutes afterwards. They went
to Oelwein, from which point all the
others returned here the samo evening.
Mr.. Clevenger going on to Cedar Falls,
where he will take studies this summer
in the State Teachers College.
May Revoke Certificate.
E. Schafter, an attorney of Eagle
Grove and president Of the school board
in that city, spent Monday night here,
having started from home at 9:35 Mon
day morning after receiving at o'clock
an anonymous letter from someone in
West Union. He interviewed several
people here and returned home yester-
day forenoon.
County Superintendent R. H. Belk-
nap said that there Is no doubt that
the matter Of the revocation Of Mr..
Clevenger's state certificate would be
brought before him. A county superin-
tendent may take such action on his
own motion or upon complaint by
someone else. The authority to revoke
a state certificate is vested In the coun-
ty superintendent, subject to the ap-
prevail by the state superintendent.