TEACHER'S'TRAGIC ACT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2184, 24 June 1914, Page 8

TEACHER'S'TRAGIC ACT

-MISTRESS TAKES HER LIFE

FALSE .ENTRY IN 'REGISTER

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" ;Chrlstchuro|i| Juno 23. a,'state''6f. most acute ir.entd;^tr^s;* to suspMisiofi,' and'lier inaiiner throughout was that, of a demented woman.". This,,st;>tq.Ti'ent,'.niado 'by: a .witness at. an'inquest hejd'by/Mf/lH.' W.'Bishop, S.M>, District; Cot;uneT,!'-fd-dr&V- ;n t(lj. the/kSynotov <jf; a-' shocking -tragedy .which occurred..early.;''.this morning. Last night -Miss Riibina' Leckie', Jl'Gill, 42 years .ofj'age,. school '.mistress,..at Chaney's,; came. to,'- town in/company \vith I '.'h.ery;sisto'r; They, stayed' for - the' night at"; tliQ,;ho,use..,of. Mr. ..P. Lcali'y, 27 Rollostoii'i Street, Lin wood, and retired at 9.30 'p.m: ~-/About- 0.30 .this aiorjiing M tli<Srfrtsidi ( "Awoke, ya'ri.d" found, th'at Miss 'Ittfbiua 'ft'iis hot ifi be'd. Mr. Leahy was called,; aftd'/ho'.found.Miss M'Gill lj'ing'iii' the ' bathroom ! with a wound in her,,'throat.', She died a few , A4i,,Jriquest .'.was held T this afternopii.'■;■ , . . Katheriiio Campbell M'Gill,,sister ...of deceased,' stated that , they l had lived together l '; for; soni'o. y'oa'rsi • They were form'ei'ly iit f Rotherhalti. ■■''■ Her sister had,been tho. school teachor at Chaney's for about a month, and they lived in rooms iit 'Belfast. Recently her sister had put on the school register the name of a child ji^, was ,to. say that' sllti,liad girl's name down twicol' this"'she liad' 'been suspended;-'and this' had'preyed: ,orf her mind. She got very ! depressed, and went to Dr. Gerald Russell ■a? few days ago about her health. ;She/liad suffered from, insomnia for,'somo months past, and, .tile'' $oCtor gaVe' hcr •' 'a ■ certificate: to obtain three weeks' leave of absence.' , Sho had, however,' never received'any leavo, heard.nothing from the Education Board oii''this'.riiattor, "Witness town terday. afteriiob'n t'o se'o'Jfr'. C.H. Opto, <1 member oTth'e 'board,'and'cTiey'weift v to 1 stay.'/at." :Mr. ''.Leahy!s;;hou;so;'.for, \ . tho night. Her. sist6r !i .was up and down several times, during the night, .. and v/enfc to' sleep, but n'hen she awoke her lister was, not in .the..room; Witness' heard a noise In the bathroom, and called Mr. .Leahy, who found deceased •with a wound, as, indicated. '" ' ' Jtfjrc,Bishop.;:.'.Did.;she:,,ever- ialk .of, suicide? »t .> 91*-tJ U£." Witness:. Yes,, irv^jjnqt-,to^ .m^ v ,.-,Sh&' had, spok»nt. ; oijJ it>to; someone else. . 4 know"'ttiat'' J siie' 1 had''Said'tliaf,',if she werQ,,jli?g?3ce^l, [ ,^hp, I WQuld,,commit suicide; Sho'had nqvpr Jjot. over certain troublo at Rotherham School. Patrick Leahy, coal and firewood merchant,, tliatj deceased and her sister," who'were friehd3 of his, stayod at his house on tho previous night. Aboii(/-s.3C>;a.mi witness -was called by. the - sister','and'ho''entered' tho bath-roonC/inct'.'fotfiid-dcCe'ased as : described by 'thi altent h'fteen'or twoiitjfminites later.' -Wif-. iiess, at once.informed, tho police, and • called?, Dr., PairmHn;, when ; .ho'.';ar-' jived, pronounced lite estinct. Tho, Entnyn„tlto. and, l .the i , Suspension. Georgo--Wori'eh Russell, M.P.,' was tailed.r.ttf giyp; evidence regarding the • mental state of deceased. He said that on Jim -m--and ; askeji'/fp'r ,aa-^te^iew v :^e' <J t«[ld. 1 h(!rto coino at once. ,/,Slio."'carrfe A .'acco'mT. panied;by her sister,.. arid informed' him that she wqs the .mistress, of phanoy's Schqp!{;and,'hjid*oeori£there for affew ■weeks. " She "said that *she 1 had had. groat trouble at,, Rotherham,,.but.'this, troublo witness . declined)!,to consider. ShG then stated that-'sho had- committed an act of great; folly at Chanoyls, for iVlii'ch' 'she' 'Mi' 'deeply" Mrry. In crder'-to 1 maihtairi her'ttttfendanCtf in' the register -sho had entered two attendances., that, were not correct'.: .Witness, explained here' that' tho ■ of schools and the salaries of teachorsjjve.ro". affected?byr the attendances.., .It iva's-a; ridiculous system ;in.his .opinion, .and should 3j0." alt'6ri4-»' Continuing, witness said tlifit' decda'sc'd'had stateii that ono' of the inspectors had visited the school, and ho (witness) understood that" this" inspector had discovered the incorrect, epfcrjf,fitness .partumlarly. aSked; .Ker' jvhf at that time> eho had admitted the/mistake, arid.lie understood that sho had done so. She said that, she ."was very sorry that she had hot thrown herself "upon tho inspector's mercy. When sho interviewed him (witness), she was in a state of most acute mental distress, almost ' amounting to collapse; She had received; notice of; suspicion. 1 ' - Although she add-* cd, some of tho people in, the, neighbourhood had been informed that sho had ceased-duty because of.her health,, nevertheless tho chairman of the School CommiUee^hnd-'-bceii-informed.-of. tlio. real reason. She sought his (-witness's) advice; and asked- if ho could do anything to help her. Witness had informed her that it was her duty at once to seo tlio secretary of -the Education Board,: andr.mako.a full statement to him, and also toJ.'Writo plaining tliij to "• each} member 0E ,-ih l]oaycl. ....Ho.-: addcd...that', lie felt sure 'thatv'they" would not bb hard ipon her. Sho practically said that lier position was hopeless, as she felt sure, 011 account of/.ivhat .had-, happened: at Rotlievham, 'that'.'th'is; action would:lead to her dismissal, and that she v.-puld bo iinahlo to get another school'anywhere in New Zealand. i ;j'i.St 1/ U"■"'■/ ;; '• Interview with the Bqard's Secretary. Mr. j Bishop {t»,Mr.'.'T.:'\V r . Adams, 1 chairnian <if>.'tho' "Edu.batioii' Board): Woult|you likqfto mal<o|any statement? Mr. (Adam'sVKoV I liavo never s'pokwi to Hi}s M'Gill. Mr. j Lano, tlio; Northj Canterbury Education 'Board,'said'that , he was prepared to answer any ques r tions. j Mr.} Bishop: I have no questions to ask you. . J[r. 1 Lane' explained , that Miss V ■ had applied jfsr leayo of absence, and produced lier letter. Tho doctor's 'certi-ficate-indicated that she-'was 'sufferingfrom Nervous debility as the result of a lire atJßotberham. Mr. Lane..said,that on Saturday, June 14. MjsV-M'Gill to house. Sho said that r sho was ■not in! a' fit stato of..health, .and. hp advised jier to apply for leave cif absence.'' Sho left him with the knowledge that; sho would bo suspended. '" lie _ad\- ised lier to! Sco Mr. Brook, who had instructions'to go to Chaney's School with . a relieving teacher, anil to-'hsk-him'to-' seo Mr, Stead (chairman of the school committee), and get him ti hold back the letter Jof suspension until she liad?xibv tained; leave of absence. Witness had withheld the letter -of suspension. Eflsct of Entry In Register.

To Air. Russoll: The .addition of the two nlmies°made'~fy''Miss. M'Gill to the roll wjiwld put the's'chool -in grado 3. Tho minimum salnrv was £l! 50, and tlio maximum £180. and,. Miss M'Gill would iiave ficen entitled'to'the'inhximum of £180.? L.'...'. ,v.' Mr.'.Bishop: I am not hero to criticise the methods of the board. All that I am concerned with is the possible effect on her! mind of the board's regulations, which'would rnako her so desperate as to cut her throat, »which•is ,a dreadful thing,i moroieSpecidlly tb cl[?. J " : r ' Mr. [Lane said that Miss M'Gill had a very good record. Sho had been i>. in trouble at.Rotherham owing to' loial frictioii, and tho board had felt that

matters could not go oil, and had dccid.cd to give her a fresh start. She had been appointed for a considerable term to Chaney's School, and-if the committee had wished, at the end of the term, she would .liavo been reappointed. _■ Mr. Bishop: Does this regulation regarding attendances, tend to undue fraud? Mr. Lane said that,a teacher s salary was not'so 'dopendent 011 tlie average attendance as.it used to be. The school would remain in its grade for three years.

"Had Bjen Frightfully Worried." : Mr. Russell:' Did ' you send Miss M'Gill notico of.her suspension?. . Mr. Lane replied that the chairman of tho board had told Mr. Stead (chairman of Chaney's School: Committee) that- tiie final settlement would remain with the. board; Witness had been instructed to - send her a. of suspension on Saturday, June 14,' but lie had withheld it.' Suspension was tho usual-punishment. He did, not think that <Miss M'Gill would have takon Lor. life had she been ill a soimal state of mind. .'

Mr. Bishop said that he knew that slio liad been frightfully worried at Uotherhnm.

Mr. R-ussell asked if it was usual for an application for sick, leave to havo to wait for a meeting of tho board. Mr. Lano replied that tho letter, was to have been considered by the, board. Mr. Bishop: Ten days after -it was ivritten! On what day was she actually suspended? Mr. Lano: On Wednesday, June 17. Mr. Bishop:.She was not aware that she was' suspended when she wrote this letter. /

A verdict was returned that deceased had committed suicide while in a stato of unsound mind.

It is understood that the Rotherham trouble, which : preyed .upon Miss M'Gill's mind, consisted of an acute disagreomeht between .the, committee and tho teacher upon matters connected with . the;.management of , the school. There-were-, charges by tho committee against: the teacher, and by tho teacher against the committee. Another factor which added to Miss M'Gill's mental distress was, that, shortly before sho and her-' sister left Rotherham, their furniture was burnt, the occurrence being purely One of the chief pcints in dispute was in connection with the cleaning of the school, concerning which Miss M'Gill complained that the committee. had;,not made provision, and that/she \va's. compelled to do the. work herself'.'. i /'A* Long-standing Crlevance.; With regard ito-the. present system of paying 'teachers' upon the attendance lit. their schools; tl;e Teachers' Institute has repeatedly protested' against sucli.a- system.'' Mr.. J. Ca'ughley .(expresident of .the institute), to whom ■ the matter- was referred, said that teachers Mifivo strongly' urged that they shduld lib paid iii :.febrdanco with their abilities, and not in' accordance with the •-fluctuations of -the school attendance, which might bo brought about by. causes entirely outside tlio teachor's control; such as, ■■pother and 1 ' sickness. Tlio it.stituto contended that teachers should bo graded' according to their ability, as was the case., in railway and other servicos, and positions istiited to tliafr/ capacity found for them, 'instead of being made-victims of what are purely accidental circumstarices.