the final years of nutt’s presidency saw growing tensions with students, though the reasons are unknown. students published a bogus newspaper in march 1873 titled the dagger in which they attacked nutt. in 1875, the board of trustees dismissed nutt, likely over internal problems with the board and the students. nutt died on august 24, 1875, from remittent fever, approximately one month after his dismissal. he was buried in the forest hill cemetery in greencastle, indiana.