Smyrna times., 1924-11-05
WOMAN UP STATE FINED FOR
ASSAULTING SCHOOL TEACHER
MRS. CATHELL FOUND GUILTY
OF ATTACK ON PROF. HAHN
Fined $40 and Costs by Magistrate
Stradley-State Board of Education
Also Brings Serious Charge


Stradley-State Board of Education
Also Brings Serious Charge
After hearing considerable testi- |
mOny, Magistrate Stradley Wednes-
day night definitely settled the Rose |
Hill School disturbance by imposing
a fine of $40 and costs on Mrs. Rosa |
Cathell, Holloway Terrace, near Will
mingtOn, on a charge of assault and |
battery on Matthias Hahn, principal of
the school. On an additional charge
of disturbing a session of the public
school, preferred by the State Board
of Education, Mrs. Cathell was held
in $100 bail for the November term
of the Court of General Sessions. The
woman was placed under arrest on
the latter charge as she entered the
court room last Wednesday to face
trial on the assault charge. Constable
Lucius c. Jones made the arrest. The
evidence given in the case was con-
Trajectory, the defense claiming that
Mrs. Cathell was attacked by Profes-
sor Hahn and roughly handled by him
before she attacked him with belt
she carried. She produced her two
sons, Albert, II years old, and Felix
-, the boy who was alleged to have
been beaten by the principal, and two
other boys, Harry Lewis, IA and Tony
Diamco, Is, to bear out ler asser-
tions. All testified that when Mrs.
Cathell walked into the school room
and asked Professor Hahn why he had
beaten her son Felix, that Hahn
grasped her by both arms and at
tempted to push her from the school
room. All admitted however, that
Mrs. Cathell struck the principal sew
eral times with the strap and that the
woman's actions created a disturbance
in the school roOom.
Students at the SchsOl Tell Story
The prosecution witnesses, all stu
dents at the school, who testified that
| Mrs. Cathell walked into the school
room last Thursday afternoon and
without any warning, struck Profes-
| sor Hahn over the head several times
with a belt on which was fastened a
heavy buckle. They testified also
that the school was in an uproar over
| the action of the woman and that the
sons of the woman pelted the teacher
with books during the progress of the
fight.
The witnesses, who were Isabelle
Thompson, Florence Megginson, Nor
man Tucker and Edna Klabe, gave
their testimony in a straightforward
manner, which evidently made an i'm
preston on the magistrate.
When placed on the stand, PrOfeS-
sor Hahn stated briefly that on last
Thursday afternoon Mrs. Cathell en-
tered the school room as her son
Felix was reciting After he had fin
ished she walked to the front Of the
room and after saying "what did you
strike my boy for?' commenced
beating him over the head with d
strap with a buckle on the end, in
fcting several decorations. He de
MED using any undue force in taking
the woman from the room or that he
had struck her, as she testified.
Following the completion of the
testimony, Magistrate Stradley an
nounced that he would give a decision
in the case if the parties agreed to al
low him jurisdiction. Philip L. Gar
rett, attorney for Mrs. Cathell anC
Deputy Attorney-General Leonarc
Hagner, representing the State, botf
assented and the fine was then i'm
posed.
The charge Of disturbing a public
school session carries with it a fin,
not exceeding $40 and costs or thirt!
days Imprisonment, or both
AttOmey-General Townsend stateC
that he had been asked by the Stat,
Board of Education to take action il
the case if Magistrate Stradley decid
ed a prima facie case had been mad
out. AS the magistrate has no juris
dictiOn in the matter, he held tn
woman in bail for court.
Following the rendering of the de
cision the rival factions in Rose Hill
who turned out in large numbers a
the trial, started a few wordy argu
ments, but were promptly squelche
when Magistrate Stradley infOrme
them he would hail several before hir
on charges of contempt of court.