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6 Mothers Armed With Bullwhips Force Principal Who Beat One of Their Children From His School

In 1909 Oregon, a tense and unusual standoff occurred in front of a small community’s school

2 min readJun 17, 2025

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These days, helicopter parents carry a pretty negative reputation, interfering in all things imaginable for their children, regardless of their age or capability. However, this is really just a misguided hybrid of the classic protective mother, who fiercely protects their offspring. When mamas band together, everyone better look out, as one educator found out the hard way when he was driven out of the school that he oversaw as principal by six mothers armed with horsewhips and upset that one of their children had been beaten by him.

In 1909, J.C. Clarke was the principal of the Scotts Mill school in Silverton, Oregon. At the time, corporal punishment was still the norm in the education system, so when 14-year-old Young Phillips was caught passing a note in class, he received a thrashing for the missive, whose contents are lost to history.

Unfortunately, it was a severe beating and after the boy was taken to the doctor, he was found to be covered on his back and arms with black and blue bruises. This did not sit well with his mother, Mrs. C.M. Phillips, and she quickly plotted the best…

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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