The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1923-06-23
PARK POINT PRINCIPAL IS
EXONERATED BY COMMITTEE
Miss Lillian Hanson Found not Guilty Of Undue
Severity In Swapping Boys-Petition Is
Presented In Principals Behalf.

Miss Lillian Hanson, principal of
the Park Point school, has been
cleared of charges of undue severity
in inflicting corporal punishment
on pupils who attend the very
modern temple Of learning In that
historic suburb.
1t took considerable doing be-
fore the committee on schools and
teachers arrived at its conclusions.
A very long hour was used up at
the regular meeting of the board
Of education on Monday evening,
June II. The charges formally
presented at that time and quite
lengthily discussed, caused the board
to refer matters to the committee
on schools and teachers for for
NAL investigation. Tuesday NOR
ming, at , o'clock, was the time
set and the administration I,uild-
ing was the place designated.
There were three or four COM
plainants. Olaf Hanson, who resides
at 1717 Minnesots avenue, charged
that his son Rockford, aged nine
years, was so severity strapped Nov.
l6, 1922, that he bore black and
blue marks on his back and seat
for about ten days.
Mrs. F. P. Bergmarker, 1920
Minnesota avenue, complained that
her 9-year-old son was clicked" at
the same time, place and In the
same manner as young Hanson, by
Prin. Hanson, with such force and
effect as to leave marks for about
seven days. The indignant mothers
contention was that her DO: was
merely a spectator, not participant
in the boyish stunts that brought
. strapping to five Of them.
Mrs. Gerrit vandenberg, 1902
Minnesota avenue, charged that J :
9-year-old son was unjustly and toe
severely strapped for chasing
Dorothy Watterson, the little lady
in the case. The mother complain
ant believed that razor stroI
was too severe 6 medium of chas-
tisement. She felt that her child
was unsafe and that such punish
ment brought hate. .--
Although complete details were
not formally related, 1t seems that
five or six boys, from eight to nine
years old, treated little Dorothy
Watterson rather roughly on the
way home from school. She seems
to have been chased, next thrown
down and then her hands and feet
held while several kisses - re ad-
ministered BY one Of her young
admirers. - &. -" '"'".T
Evidence was brought out to the
effect that Rockford Hanson was
dared" to kiss Dorothy and that
he declared he would perform tina,
delsctabls stunt Il the boys would
spread-eagls her 80 that neither
kicks nor scratches would be his
penalty for 30 bold an act.
The .spread-sagling and kissing
duly followed and, with ard after
that stunt, the little girl was hit
and hurt with q stick. The Rip.
saw scribe also gained the i'm
preston that Dorothy's tender little
tummy was bruised and injured BY
, the amorous but rather rough and
ungallant system Of OSCILLATION. In.
stead Of returning a kiss for q
blow, Rockford Hanson and his
little friends seem to have handed
Dorothy both kisses and blows.
Frau Bergmarker, intimat d. how.
ever, that Dorothy, q modern and
Juvenile Helen OF Troy, Is credited
with playing with the boys ra ,hel
than the girls. Other evidence or
that point did not appear. J..
Then there was a complaint. from
Mrs. Alice L. Mcleod, 1921 Mime
sota avenue, to the effect that Miss
Evelyn May Bark, . grade teacher
in the Park Point school, slapped
her angelic Alexander SO hard on
the face that he repeatedly had
copious- hemorrhages of the nose
for all of two weeks. Mrs. Mcleod
also expressed rather a poor opinion
Of Miss Hanson's disciplinary
methods.
The hearing opened with reason
able promptness. About fifty of the