The Washington times., 1921-10-28
BLAME SCHOOL
RULES IN DEATH
Of MISS BERRY
Friends OF Teacher Cause Clos
ing Time Patrols Of Rooms
To Be Ordered.

Distressed over the uedth ycster'
day In Toner school OF Miss Mary
Alice Berry. for more than twenty
years a public school teacher, her
friends have criticised the failure OF
the school board to make IL a regula-
ton that janitors make a round OF
inspection OF the class rooms before
they lock the schools up for the
night.
Miss Berry was found dead from
heart disease in her classroom at 1
o'clock yesterday morning when detec-
tives, unable TO find the janitor who
had the key to the building, forced
open door of the building. Friends OF
Miss Berry state that had the JAM.
tor inspected her class room before
he closed the school he might have
found the school teacher conscious
and been able to save her life by
rushing her to a hospital.
Need Duplicate Keys.
Criticism also was made because
duplicate keys to all Of the schools
are not kept at the nearest police
station or at police headquarters. II
was also suggested that the School
Board should cause all school jani-
tors to leave their home addresses
with the police.
II this had been done. II was point
ed out, IL would have been easy for
the detectives to have obtained
key to the building and gotten in
without forcing the door.
Ferdinand Degelman. janitor at the
school, stated that he talked with
Miss Berry shortly after o'clock
yesterday afternoon when he cleaned
her class room. He said that Miss
ha IN laaV In faW
minutes for her home. At 5 o'clock
Deilgelman reported he rang the
school gong to notify any persons
in the building that he was about to
close the doors for the night. He
said he had previously been In all
the rooms in the building and had no
idea Miss Berry had not left.
Suffered Painting Spell
Miss Berry, who several weeks ago
suffered a fainting spell while get
ting on a street car and who was
revived at ths Emergency Hospital.
after dismissing her class yesterday
afternoon, left her own desk for one
nearer a window where she could get
more light to work on some student
reports. A bottle of milk she had
sent for was also on a desk near
the door OF her class room. Her
coat and hat were in a closet of the
rest room. 1t was said that had the
janitor just prior to closing the
school noticed the hat and coat he
would have concluded one OF the
teachers was still in the school
1t is believed that Miss Berry died
between the time the janitor left her
class room and that when he rang
the gong.
4 ExOnerates Janitor.
Assistant superintendent OF Schools
Stephen f. Kramer today ordered all
janitors of the District school make
a round of inspection of class rooms
before closing up the school buildings
for the day.
Mr.. Kramer, accompanied by r. o.
Wilmarth, financial clerk OF the
schools, and II. s. McQueeny, in
charge of janitors, made a personal
Investigation yesterday of the cir
cumstances under which Miss Berry's
body was found. They also question
ed Deigelman. the school janitor,
who explained that he rang the gong
before closing the school building
Wednesday night. Mr.. Kramer said
he did not find that the Janitor had
in any way been careless, but that
in the future janitors of all the
schools would visit each class room
of their schools to prevent anyone
being locked in overnight.