Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1906 — LICENSE REVOKED. [ARTICLE]

LICENSE REVOKED.

Teacher B. N. Fendig: Accused of Immoral Acts. APPEAL TAKEN TO STATE SUPT. County Superintendent Revokes License Because of Teacher’s Alleged Gambling. The teacher’s license of B. N. Fendig, of this city, was revoked by County Superintendent Hamilton Saturday on the alleged grounds that the former was a gambler, a poker player, and that he had admitted to the. county superintendent and to others that he gambled. (This statement the other parties deny.) Mr. Fendig is teaching the Bowling Green school, northwest of town, in Marion township, and is considered one of Jasper county’s best teachers. The action of the county superintendent while not a surprise to a number of people in town who knew the matter was being considered, came as a shock to the hundreds who knew nothing of this. In cases of this kind it is said a teacher has five days in which to appeal to the State Superintendent, who reviews all the matters pertaining thereto and either approves or disapproves the action of the county superintendent. Mr. Fendig is teaching this week and it is said has been advised by his attorney, A. Halleck—and to whom the superintendent tells us he himself went for advice, he being the county attorney and the superintendent a county officer—to ’‘stand pat’,’ and neither appeal or give up his school.

Mr. Hamilton states that rumors had been coming to him for some time that Fendig gambled and he had a talk with him recently and told him that if he was doing anything of the sort he must quit it, as no one conld be allowed to teach school who gambled. During this talk, he says Fendig stated that he had played poker a little in a social way but would quit it altogether. W 7 hea the Rosenbaum gambling joint was pulled Fendig was seen by the officers outside the room, in the alley or rear of the building, but some of the inmates had already made their escape and they are unable to say whether he was in the room when they first went there or was on his way there, or was, as he stated when spoken to, simply going there to warn a friend —Dan Way mire—that the place was to be pulled, claiming to have been given a tip to that effect.

The officers talked publicly about seeing Benhart there and the matter came to the superintendent’s ears, he states. He called Fendig before him and fold him about tbe matter, and he says, he admitted that be bad gambled recently. On this showing, tbe superintendent says, he gave him notice to resign his sobool, and told him his lioense would be revoked. He did not resign, and Saturday, the various township trustees were notified of the revocation of the license. While of oourse there should be no politics in this matter—and Mr. Hamilton says there is not — one is a republican and the other a democrat, and both candidates for tbe cdunty superintendency. The democrats have a majority of one of the township trustees. A three years’ lioense is necessary to make one eligible to this office, and the papers of Mr. Fendig were sent to tbe State Superintendent for grading. Contrary to his expectation he received only a two years’ license, having been given only 83 per cent in arithmetic when he thought be should have been given 100. He went to Indianapolis Sept. 15 and took the matter up with Mr. Cotton and his manuscript was hunted up and a re-examination Bhow.ed that tbe arithmetic grade should have been 100. This gave him the necessary three years’ license to make him eligiblo to the oounty superintendency. It was explained to him at the state superintendent's office, we are told, that the error in the grading was the fault of a olerk who marked one problem wrong that was correct. Fendig thinks

there was something wrong in the matter and that it was fixed up in some way to make him ineligible for county superintendent. Mr. Hamilton states that he had nothing whatever to do with the grading and the papers were sealed here and went to the State superintendent with no remarks about grading, and the fact that Fendig was a candidate for the county superintendency has nothing whatever to do with his present action. The whole affair is an unfortunate one, and especially as the teacher had begun his school and is very popular with its patrons. He has taught in this township for twelve years with excellent success, is a young man who has built up a good retail boot and shoe business here which he has given his personal attention to when not teaching, and his friends hope thut he may be able to prove himself innocent of the charges made and which he denies. Later: Notice of appeal to the State Superintendent was served on Mr. Hamilton Thursday, and the outcome of the matter will be awaited anxiously by the friends of both parties. Pending the 'appeal a hearing will be given Mr. Fendig by the superintendent this morning at 8 o’clock.