Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1921-03-05
ANNOUNCE FINDINGS
IN WHIPPING CASE
School Board Gives to the Pub
lie the Facts in Regard to
Much Exaggerated Case


To the State Board of Education Of
the State of Nevada; To the Parents
J and Guardians of the Children of Las
Vegas School District No. IL of Clark
county, Nevada; To the Public at
Large:
In-Re: In the matter OF the whip
ping of Frank Lee, q member of the
Eighth Grade of Las Vegas Grammar
School, on the 10Th day OF January,
1921.
Owing to the wide publicity given
the case in the public press of the
Pacific Coast, the undersigned, the
Board of Trustees of said School Dis
trict, called for a full investigation OF
the case to be held on the 18th day
Of February, 1921, in the court room
of the Clark county court house at
Las Vegas, Nevada, at 10 o'clock q.
m. of said day, for the purpose of
determining the truth or falsity Of
those public reports. In the daily and
weekly press.
Those public press dispatches in
some instances reported that the
principal when whipping the said
Frank Lee had struck him continu-
ously seven hundred blows and left
him PROSTATE on the floor of the
eighth grade school room, where the
whipping took place.
The Board of Trustees decided that
the examination of witnesses would
be confined largely to those who were
present, In the eighth grade room
when the whipping took place, and
were eye witnesses to the same.
That said investigation was made a
public meeting, and when the inves-
tigation was called to order at 10000
o'clock a. m. every seat in the large
court room was occupied and even
standing room was at a premium
as the citizens, parents and guardians
of children took a deep interest in
. the case.
The Board engaged the services of
Margaret Ireland, short hand re-
porter for the District court. to take
down the testimony an dtranscribe
the same into long hand or typewrit-
ten manuscript, so that 1t could be
read over to the. Witnessed and an op-
portunity for its correction given.
and verified as their true and correct
testimony In the case.
The following witnesses were ex-
amined, to-wit:
Winifred E. Coen, 9Th grade teach
er; Phyllis Howard, Alice Henderson,
Aurelia Tracht, Hazel Klein, Grace
Remington, Donlad Moffatt, Hugh
Cross, and Fredrick Lee, members of
the 9Th grade and eye witnesses. j..
N. Stewart, principal who admins
tered the whipping; Dale Howell, Bill
lie Boggs, members of the 7th grade
and Boy Scouts. Drs. r. w. Martin,
and F. R. Mildren, physicians. called
by Mrs. Lee to attend Frank. Tes-
timony Of these witnesses on file.
Findings of the Board Of Trustees:
After a full consideration of the
evidence aduced from the testimony
of ten eye witnesses to the whipping
we find that the said Frank Lee at
tended school on the day, to-wit:
Wednesday, January 10Th, 1921, in
the eighth grade and on that day vi
olated the rules and regulations of
the school, until the teacher sent him
from the room to the Office of the
principal.
We find that when the said Lee re-
ported at the Office of the principal
that he informed the principal that
he came to get whipping.
We find that the principal and the
the said Frank Lee went to the 8th
grade room, and that the principal
asked Winnefred e. Coen II she want
ed the said Frank Lee punished for
disorderly conduct, and that she an
swered yes that he had been annoy
ing and disturbing the school all day
I'D to that hour.
We find from the evidence that the
Whip the said Frank Lee on his legs,
below the knees, with an ordinary
razor strap.
We find that there was no struggle
or fight Of any kind between the
principal and the said Frank Lee,
during the whipping, or at all.
We find from the evidence that the
whipping given the said Frank Lee
was not unusual, brutal, or vicious, or
harsh.
We fin dfrom the evidence that the
said principal did not exhibit anger,
or a vicious intent in any manner
but administered the whipping in a
calm and self possessed manner.
We find from the evidence that as
soon as the said Frank Lee showed
the first sign of yielding to the said
whipping that the principal ceased to
whip him and sent the said Frank
Lee to his seat in the school room
That when the said Frank Lee went
to his seat he showed no signs OF
weakness; but rather showed signs
Of anger because he had been pun
ished for disturbing the Sth grade
during that day.
We find that the said Frank Lee
attended school the next day after
the whipping was administered, and
showed no signs of weakness or SUI
fering.
we find from the evidence that on
Thursday evening the day following
the whipping that he with other boys
was at a Scout meeting. in the room
used by the Scouts at the Methodist
church, and played with them a game
called Long Horse" wherein the
boys jump on each others back, tc
see which boy can sustain the great
Had an hfa hack