A SCHOOLBOY'S PUNISHMENT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 278, 20 August 1919, Page 9

A SCHOOLBOY'S PUNISHMENT

MASTER' CHARG ED.. WITH ASSAULT. ■ By TelegraSh— Spccial Correspondent. • - Palmerston' North, August 19. OriAugust'l an inquiry was'held-by the West End School-Committee into a.complaint' by Mrs. Corriford that the headmaster, Mr. A. 0. Buchler, 'had assaulted oue of her sons by administering a severe -.thrashing, and' the committee decided that it had been more than was justified. At that meeting Mr. Buchler was- not present. ; A subsequent meeting was held, nt which' ho appeared, and an informal inquiry was held, resulting in the committee, upholding the master's nctiory( The seqjiel-to this was that Mrs. Cornford issued a summons against Mr. Hucliler for assaulting tho boy, and life case was heard at the Magistrate's Court, before Mr. Stoul, S.ST.

• In evidence Mrs. Cornford said tihat through the thrashing, received the boy was bruised all over, and looked as if a motor-car had gone over him ratlio? than a strap. From the marks counted on the boy's body sho estimated he had received about fifteen strokes. Ons of the marks swelled up to the size of a goose egg. . . .

Dr. Harnett, who was called in, dented that on the rig'lit thigh there was a lump as big as an orange. On the left buttock there was another lump about as-big, and below that two well-marked weals extending across the left leg. One down the right thigh, 'had a well-defined red line. All round was bruised, and evidently haemorrhage had taken place under •the 6km; The blows which Ihad caused the injurios must have been very severe. He described the thrashing as unmerciful, and said anyone giving it must have lost his temper. Nobbing the boy could have done would have justified such punishment, and lie had never before seen lumps like these on any boy after a thrashing. Dr. Peach gave corroborative evidence as to iihe injuries and severity of the punishment.

The boy admitted that he had beon smoking, for whioh he was punished the first time, and after his return to the classroom lie laughed and put up four fingers to show that he had had four cuts. The assistant-master in charge of the class, seeing tiliis, sent him to the headmaster for insolence, when the second thrashing was given him in tile presence of another scholar.

Dr. Putnam, called for the defence, said a good tlhrashing had been administered, but no serious damage was done, and the boy might have deserved it. After hearing tho evidence of several masters of other schools as to the practice adopted in punishment, decision was reserved.