The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-13
COLLIER EXPLAINS
 RECENT DIFFICULTY
In Frank Statement He Says He and Mr. Jones
 Are Again Friends

To the Editor of The Age-Herald: Permit me to correct the statements i made in your paper relative to the trouble
 between John W. Jones and myself Friday
 afteSnoon.
 l Unfortunately. both MT. Jones and I
 have been given much unnecessary noto-
 riety, and I think the public should have
 correct statement of the case.
 Every statement made in your paper is
 incorrect
 Mr. Jones did not give me "a sound fiog-
 ging."
 l He struck me first and the blow caused me to have black eye which caused
 some of the children to give me closer attention than usual. but when we were
 separated we were standing and neither was getting material advantage of the other. I do not doubt that MT. Jones
 could fog me, for l am not skilled in the
 art of fighting and have not the slightest
 desire to become skilled In justice to
 Mir Jones, l am pleased to say .hat he is
 not known here as a bully and a fighter, | as the public might be led to believe. He is engaged in the cotton business,
 
 | to his business.
 | It did not take several men to pull him
 off of me. We were standing and making tame efforts to strike each other 1 Several men took hold of MT. Jones and
 Mir Frank Lide asked me to turn jim ! loose, which thing I did immediately. l was not attempting to have his sister whipped. I had said something about
 having it done. but was making no effort to have it done.
 | l had just requested one of the lady teachers to have the child remain in her room till she did the work assigned. and | had telephoned her sister that she would
 not come home for awhile. when Mir Jones came.
 I do not claim any credit for having threatened to have one of the lady teach CTS whip the child. In fact I think l | made mistake In suggesting it. | I should have done nothing more than to require her to stay till she did the work assigned, and in fact this is all was trying to do.
 We do very little whipping. l do not
 recall that any of our teachers have | whipped a girl during the last five or more years.
 l trust the time will come when children will not have to be whipped in school. and that time will come when 1t ceases to be necessary to whip them at home. People who have no trouble in home and school discipline may have the Job of flg- uring out the exact time of the approach of the glorious day when punishment of some kind will be unnecessary. and hereby request that they wire me at my expense.
 This does not mean that I think much punishment Is necessary We punish very little In our school. A large majority of our pupils are never punished | MT. Jones did not come to the school | house in an automobile. ] Mrs. Collier did not faint She was ex- cited. but she did not faint It was she who kept MT. Jones and myself from do- ing each other more damage. and my chief l concern while the fight was going on was | for her welfare
 | l repeat that every statement made in l your paper is incorrect, and I am sure | that you will be glad to have this un- | biased explanation of the trouble printed. l Perhaps the public should know the at 1 titude of Mir. Jones and myself toward each other. since the day of the trouble. | We settled the matter soon after the trou- ble,. MT. Jones taking the initiative. | We agreed to be friends, and l am sure | that this agreement will not be broken my either of us. His father is a member | of the board of education, and l consider | him one of my best friends. John w.. i Jones and l are trying to act like men should act in such cases. Each made a
 mistake, each acknowledged his mistake and we buried the hatchet." Thanking you in advance for making the desired corrections, which am sure you will do, I am very truly, J. M COLLIER.