In this corner we have Robert J. Burrows, age 21, the son of Ariel W. Burrows and the nephew of Henry J. Burrows, both of whom owned land on the south side of Big Manistique Lake in the 1880s and 1890s.
On the other side James Livingston, age 60. In the 1880s he and his son-in-law, Anthony St. John, filed for neighboring homesteads in “Section 6 of 044N – 010W,” near to Sandtown Road. Although their land was in Garfield Township, they were right on the border of Portage Township and Pentland Township, and were well known in each place.
In December 1892, James Livingston sent in a note to The Newberry News, which paper dutifully reported on:
The editor seemed to think this funny. The phrase deestreck skule or deestrick skule seems to be a kind of pop culture reference, a reference to a play or comedy revue that was popular and often shown by community groups and schools and other “amateur theatricals.” It was considered old-fashioned, wholesome, and seems to have featured a great deal of thick, rural, hayseed accents. (It’s sequel, the “Exerbition” of the Deestrick Skule of Fifty Years Ago is available on Google Books). So the editor was probably mocking James Livingston a little.
Which school was he talking about? Likely, whichever school it was the predecessor to the “Elsner School” shown on the 1931 map below (the red dot indicates the farm of James Livingston.) (It was called the Elsner School in 1931, when the map below was made, but it couldn’t have been called that in 1892, since the Elsner family didn’t arrive in this country until 1893).
Another possibility is the Sandtown School, but the news item clearly said it was in Garfield Township, and the Sandtown School is in Portage Township.
Unfortunately for Mr. Livingston, the teacher he referred to was no hayseed, but a young, well-spoken, unintimidated man named Robert Burrows, who quickly fired back. (I’ll put the best bits in bold).
The Newberry News (January 13, 1893) – Communicated – To the editor of the Newberry News
Dear Sir: Allow me the privilege of answering an article that appeared in your last issue written by James Livingston which was false. I was engaged as teacher in said district on Nov. 16th, 1892, and went to board at Mr. Houston’s. Mr. Livingston on hearing this came to the school house every day for four days and abused me for not boarding there and said if I did not board at their place that they would not sign my orders. His wife being moderator and he director of course it is necessary that they should both sign the orders.
At last after three weeks, I went there to board. For he said that they would have no school if they could not board the teacher as his sons had paid most of the taxes and they wanted to get some of it back, so I think they raised the money for the teacher’s board and not for the good of the children.
When the first month was up there was no money to pay me. By this time I learned that there were several orders against the district, so I told them I would teach only three weeks longer. When time was up I got my order for $20 leaving there an order of $10.00 for board as I was there just one month and that was what they charged me.
On the evening before leaving, Mr. Livingston asked me to write up an article recommending their place as a first class boarding place which I did not like to do and he said if I did not he would repay me for not boarding at his place for the first three weeks, so he thought he would try and injure me through your paper.
I would not have thought so much about that if his name had been in the article as the people in your vicinity know who and what said Livingston is. I will prosecute this Livingston as soon as our new attorney takes the chair and if he has nothing I will make him sweat it out although I consider it a disgrace to trouble myself with such a low specimen of humanity. I remain yours, obediently, Robert Burrows, St. Ignace.
The editor briefly apologized, noting: “We did receive a communication from Mr. Livingston, to which his name was subscribed, otherwise we would have taken no notice of the matter.” But James Livingston was not a pushover either. He also responded quickly.
The Newberry News (January 27, 1893) Communicated – Editor of the Newberry News
Dear Sir – In reply to an item which appeared in your paper of the 13th inst. written by Robert Burrows, I wish to contradict many of the statements which I can prove to be false.
In the first place I was implored time after time by his father, uncle and some charitably disposed people to hire him to teach the school of which I am director. Having been disappointed by another teacher, I was forced to take the last resource, and hired him to teach the school for four months, at the same time telling him that he could not get his wages till the taxes were collected.
Through the pressures of my fall work, I neglected to draw up the contract, but was told by him that he would sign it at any time I had it ready. When I presented the contract to him after he had taught the school a little over a month he blankly refused to sign it as he said he had prospects of going into a drug store as clerk.
In his above mentioned item he said I went to the school house for four days and abused him. I can simply say that he lied. I did go to the school house once to see him about boarding out of the district and so far away that he was not able to begin school at the usual hour, as he was easily able to do while boarding at my house. It was not for the money which came out of the board, but it was the way he conducted the school, and the miserable, sneaking, low live way he had of trying to excuse himself for not staying in the district.
He also told another lie when he said that I said that there would be no school unless the teacher boarded at my house and told still another lie when he said that I wanted to get some of the taxes back from the board money.
And in regard to him recommending the district and boarding place. He offered to do so in order for me to get another teacher to finish the term which he did not finish or even teach them for which he was paid. When he had taught 17 days he wanted an order for $30 which I refused to give him tho’ I gave him one for $27 which over paid him $1.50 which he never made up.
Then when he had taught what he called another month, he wanted me to give him an order for $25 and promised to teach the three days which would finish the first month. I refused to comply with his request but gave him an order for $20. The next day I brought him to Newberry and several times during the day he assured me of his intention of coming back and teaching the three days before spoken of.
He came back from Newberry with me on Saturday evening, next morning he told me he was going over to visit his uncle at White Fish Lake, but would be back that evening or next morning to continue school. At the same time he had left a note on his pillow stating that he was sorry to say that he could not come back. Hence after this and many other such things, I will leave it to the public to judge his ability as a down-right liar. His object in so deceiving me was to get away without paying me in full for his board, and he still owes me for eleven meals.
I stand ready at any time to prove any of the above assertions. Jas. Livingston
Infuriated, Burrows doubled down on his accusations. To wit:
The Newberry News (February 24, 1893) – Communicated -Editor of the News
SIR: – Once more and for the last time I ask permission to answer the letter of Jas. Livingston through the columns of your paper.
Notorious Jas. Livingston! In answer to your letter, I must say that not a word of it is true and I can swear to it. Also, the one that wrote it is not a bit better than you, if I am informed right. I can speak both for my father and for myself. My father has not seen you for two years preceding the time I began to teach and my uncle states that you never spoke to him about my teaching the school.
You say I left a note in my room, which I never did. If you have one, you are the one who wrote it, or got some one to do it. You state a falsehood when you say I owe you for eleven meals. I was at your place one month and I paid you: even if I had not paid you one cent I think my board bill would have been paid.
You seem to have forgotten the work I done for you. Who was it turned your fanning mill nights, and helped you saw down trees, saw wood and do the chores? Did you not prepare for a wood bee and no one came therefore I helped you? Did you not ask me to help you peddle eggs in Newberry? You have more cheek than a government mule.
You told me that you sent that lady teacher back because she was a Catholic and you wanted me to pay five dollars for sending her back and giving me the school. You said you did not go to the school house and abuse me. You did, and the morning I put you out of the school house, did you not get your school law book and go over to Mr. Houston’s where I was boarding and finding my father there, you told him that I would have to board at your place or you would not pay me. You also went about the neighborhood telling how many currants and raisins you had bought to feed the teacher on.
You speak about me not opening the school on time. You have forgotten the number of times you asked me to let school go for a while and help you saw down trees. Is that what you call honesty?
Did you not go over to Gould City to purchase a horse and not having enough money gave an order on the school money to buy horses for you? Does the district raise money to buy horses for you? I don’t think it does. Did you not make your niece, Miss St. John, pay you $25 for signing her orders because she was an unqualified teacher? Now I took that school in good faith, but when I found out what kind of place it was, I was going to get out of it as soon as possible.
Why, Mr. Livingston, I was afraid of you after you told me how many days you carried an axe in your wagon and hid in the woods along the roadside expecting your son-in-law, Mr. St. John to come along intoxicated so you could murder him and drag his body into the swamp. Would a man of good sound mind tell such a thing?
You said I got paid for two days I did not teach which is not true. You compelled me to teach on Thanksgiving and Columbus day, which are legal school holidays. I think after the people have read this article they will have a fair idea of what I had to put up with, and will not blame me for deserting the school. Robert J. Burrows.
James Livingston did not dignify this with an answer.
Well… Yikes.
James Livingston never did get around to murdering his son-in-law and dragging the body into the swamp. He died in 1903 and was buried in the Sandtown Cemetery. None of his eight children stayed on the family homestead, but many of his descendants did continue on in Mackinac County.
Never married, Robert Burrows did indeed get that job in a drug store, and eventually became a pharmacist. He lived in Munising most of his adult life and died in 1943.
And the Deestreck Skule #4 of Garfield Township, later known as the Elsner School (probably), lasted until at least the 1930s. The building was torn down sometime after 1955.