State vs. Miss Spencer

SPENCER

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 11/11/2007 at 22:04:39

Jackson Sentinel
April 15, 1869

THE STATE VS. MISS SPENCER.- We learn that at the Circuit Court at Andrew last week, the jury, in the case of the State of Iowa vs. Miss Esther A. Spencer, who was arrested and tried by Justice Wilbur under the charge of an assault and battery, alleged to have been committed while correcting one James Mattocks, one of her pupils, a few weeks before, and fined five dollars and costs, was reversed. This is as it should be. From all we can learn of the case, the pupil was willfully stubborn, and determined to disregard and override the authority of the teacher attempting to administer the proper and lawful corrective to such a wayward urchin, in doing so, offended the child’s parents. The result was as stated above, an arrest and fine before the justice on the information of the father; and on appeal, the ultimate result is a reversal of the judgment at an expense to the county of from $160 to $170. Had the father done his duty to the child, as well as the teacher, and instead of taking the child out of school, and prosecuting the teacher, had returned him to school with instructions to mind his business and obey the teacher, not only would the county have been saved this onerous tax to gratify the malice of a mistaken judgment, but a great good would have been done the pupil, and the father would have avoided a great wrong in the exercise of so bad a judgment. Let parents learn, that if their children are not governed at home, and they do not desire to destroy the salutary influence and benefit of a good and well managed school, they can not by any means such as were resorted to in the present case, correct such evils of home government, or bring the public to accept their ill judged theory, as the one best calculated to maintain good order, and efficient instruction in the school room.