Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1921-02-12
Severely Punished

Monday to punish Frank Lee, IA
year old student. Immediately after
wards the boy was stricken with pa
ralysis and hurried to Los Angeles
| for treatment. We take the following
concerning the matter from the
Reno Gazette OF yesterday:
The serious condition of Frank Lee
| fourteen years old, who is reported
/ dying in Los Angeles hospital from
paralysis. and meningitis, did not result,
from whipping which he received in
the Las Vegas grammar school, in
the opinion of c. p squires, editor OF
the Las Vegas Age, who arrived in
Reno this morning. A telegram has
been received by the Gazette from the
Las Vegas school board claiming that
reports sent from Los Angeles con-
corning the case have been exagger-
! ated
According to an Associated Press
dispatch from Las Angeles last night
the boy is seriously i'll i'll a hospital
there from a slow paralysis which has
developed from the waist down The
hospital surgeons operating upon the
lad Saturday and since then they re-
port that meningitis has developed
They report his recovery as very
doubtful and state that even If he does
recover he will probably never be
able to walk again.
According to the Los Angeles dis
patch received by the Gazette today
Mrs. Dora Lee. mother of the boy
claims that his condition is the result
of severe whipping which he re-
ceived at school for trivial offense.
81 know Professor Stewart, who ad
ministered the whipping, well, said
Mr.. squircs, of Las Vegas, to a Ga
zette reporter this morning. He is a
kindly man, as many Reno people
know, as he was located in Reno for
many years as manager OF the C. F.
Weber Company. He has always been
reluctant about administering corporal
punishment to pupils even in aggra-
waited cases.
"In the case of the Lee boy the lat
ter was sent to the principals affice by
his teacher, to be punished. Mr..
Stewart took the boy back to his room
and inquired of the teacher as to
whether it was necessary to punish
him.
"The teacher stated that punishment
was necessary, whereupon Mr.. Stew
art punished the boy in the presence
of the teacher and the pupils, using
strap. The boy was in a violent
rage and very stubborn, refusing to
give up. However, the punishment,
l am told, was in no wise brutal and
not unduly severe. Prof. Stewart
used the strap as means of punish
ment by direction of the school board.
Shortly after the punishment the
boy was afflicted with paralysis OF
both legs. He was taken to the Las
Vegas hospital for treatment and
after few days. was, upon the ad
vice of DR.. F. K. Mildren, taken to
Los Angeles where the services OF
specialists in such matters might be
had.
I'll was understood in Las Vegas
that Mrs. Dora Lee, mother of the
boy, who is herself teacher in the
grammar school. did not place any
blame for theboy sconditionupon inf
blame for the boys condition upon
Prof. Stewart, and that she did not
charge hhat any bruttaliy of unue tn
charge that any brutality or undue
severity of punishment was used.
1t was generally understood in Las
Vegas that the condition of the boy
resulted from his rage and the serious
nervous condition into which his pun
ishment before the other pupils threw
him, and was not the result of any
bodily harm received while being
punished.
Mrs Lee is most estimabie wo-
man and has the entire sympathy OF
the community in this matter. Prof
Stewart is almost overwhelmed with
sorrow at the condition of the lad.
"ln Las Vegas, the opinion is gen.
eral that there is no blame to be at
tached to anybody connected with the
affair although naturally there is
difference of opinion as to the advisa-
bility Of using corporal punishment
at all in the schools.
81 am quite sure that Mrs. Lee her
self. prior to taking the boy to Los