Man About Canton: Etta Barstow’s Anniversary

DID YOU KNOW…

This coming Wednesday, October 6, is the 140^th anniversary of the tragic and untimely death of Etta K. Barstow. That name may not mean anything to you, but it should. Etta Barstow was a dedicated Canton schoolteacher who many “townies” will recognize as the teacher who was “stoned to death” many years ago; and to this day, she never got the proper recognition she deserved as a schoolteacher who did her difficult job and was killed in the process. Back in 1870, Etta was hired by the Canton School Committee to teach neighborhood children in the one-room schoolhouse known as the Sherman School on Pleasant Street in the District 5 section of town, then known as “Ragged Row.” Unfortunately, early in the school year, four of her most trouble-making male students, ages 9, 11, 11, and 13, had a serious confrontation with her on the morning of October 5.

After the mid-morning recess was over, the four boys remained outdoors and would not come in the school; so Ms. Barstow shut the door and turned the keys. For the rest of the morning, Ms. Barstow taught her students while the four boys shouted and cursed outside. Just before noon, a rock flew into the entry; but it did not hit anything.

At the noon lunch break, the four boys followed her home to Mrs. Baker’s rooming house, shouting profanities and throwing stones at her. At least two stones hit her, one on the rear of her neck and another at the back of her head. When she arrived home, she attempted to rest and recuperate but continued to complain of feeling poorly. At the suggestion of her landlady, she had a friend take her to the train to Boston so she could go to her aunt’s home and also see her doctor. Etta was apparently in and out of consciousness, and the doctor, not knowing of the attack, treated her for a diabetic condition. Etta died the next day. Her stoning and unexpected death created quite a stir among the residents of Canton. While the 13-year-old boy ran away and never came back to Canton, the remaining three boys were eventually charged only with disturbing a school and not with assaulting their teacher. A judge sentenced the three boys to reform school in Westboro. However, the boys and their parents appealed this decision and were later tried before a different judge and jury who found them guilty of disturbing a school building. The judge gave them probation and ordered the boys to pay a fine to repair the damage they had done to the school.

How did Etta Barstow really die? MAC believes that her death was similar to that which recently caused the death of actress Natasha Richardson. The sharp blow to her head from the stone caused an unseen internal injury and bleed, which increased pressure on her brain and killed her the next day.

The Etta Barstow case has been virtually ignored for 140 years, but the fact remains that she was a young Canton schoolteacher who was killed, directly or indirectly, as a result of her students throwing stones at her. Even though she was only on the job a short time, Canton should officially recognize her and her dedicated fellow teachers.

Going on to other matters, MAC congratulates the Board of Selectmen for finally changing the flags and banners on the new downtown light posts. They now have been turned to prevent trucks from hitting them, and they still look great.

The Canton Junction Sports Pub, formerly Nick’s Place, at 399 Neponset Street had its grand opening recently. The pub specializes in pizza, burgers, and wings, and you can watch your favorite sporting events on their many high definition televisions.

There is a lot of grumbling going on about the new Canton water/sewer bills. The selectmen have added a $5 water service charge and a $10 sewer service charge to the quarterly bills for meters under an inch in size; and if you have a larger or an additional meter, the service charge is even higher. The explanation on the bill says the service charges are designed to recover costs that do not vary with consumption. Most of the residents who MAC has heard complain say these new service charges are nothing more than new taxes.

St. Gerard’s Parish is celebrating its 50^th anniversary, and to kick off the year of events, there will be a trivia night hosted by Canton DJ Gary Titus at the K of C Hall on Pleasant Street on Friday, October 22, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are $10 each. There will be a full bar, a 50/50 raffle, and door prize. Tickets are on sale after mass on Saturday, or you can call Loretta Connolly at 781-828-6685.

You runners will be interested in the 22^nd annual Canton Fall Classic Road Race on Sunday, October 31, at 10 a.m. at Temple Beth Abraham. The event features three races: a 10K, 5K, and a 2K fun run/fitness walk. It is expected about 500 runners will participate. The cost is $22 and includes a long-sleeve t-shirt for pre-registered participants. Fun run registration is $10. For race information, call Rich Zides at 781-828-7284 or check out their website at www.cantonfallclassic.com.

The purpose of learning is not to learn everything about something but to learn something from everything.

This is all for now folks; see you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

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