At this point they were assigned to the school farmer, a Mr. Bight, who, under order by the superintendent, put the boys to work hauling dirt. After three days of backbreaking labor, the superintendent appeared on the scene with a strap and directed Bight to give each of the runaways ten licks. Bight refused. “Mr. Bight told him that we boys had worked hard three days and that we were tired. He said he wasn’t going to beat us on top of it.”
