Student Rebellion at Pence School
A classroom confrontation at the state line turns physical when a student forcibly takes the teacher's whip.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
W. H. Hess, teacher of the Pence school near the state line, encountered a tough customer in a student he attempted to punish last week. It is reported that Mr. Hess called the boy, Al Crump, to the front of the class to receive corporal punishment. Upon being struck once or twice, the boy wheeled around, snatched the whip from the teacher, broke it into pieces, and dared the master to fight. Facing this sudden defiance, the teacher dismissed the school and expelled young Crump, restoring order to the classroom.
“Upon being struck once or twice the boy wheeled around and jerked the whip from the teacher, broke it into bits and dared the teacher to fight.”
This incident offers a stark window into the history of corporal punishment in American education, reflecting a time when discipline was often enforced with the 'willow' until the lines of authority were challenged.
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