Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-07-08
A College Scrape,

Sharpest-wltted men re ever knew,
was old Doctor Chaplin, Of Wateryille
College, who was wont in the Folden
time to preach long and ponderous
sermons on AIeleLisedec, King Of
Salem, and other kindred subjects, in
a Down-East village. The Doctor
was a Calvinistic preacher, of the old
schoolJ and had face as severe and
stern ID view as Goldsmith's school
master; but, though his visage seemed
to put the Joeos. RjSasgae to flight,
a dry d eccentric remark would drop
from bis lips occasionally, which Mes
tor himself would swear was laugha-
be- v e shall not soon forget tie
peculiar manner in which he once
gave notice of an appointment of a
Universalist minister to preach dis
course in the house, Ga Union meet
ing house where he was wont to hold
forth. Intending himself to preach
I in a schpol-house near by at the same
time, he gave his anti-brimstone
brother Fof the cloth lift after the
following fashion: my friends, an
lrequestdd to give not be that the
Rev. III. Drew, a Unit ersalist, will
preach in this house at FIVE O'Clock.
The Gdspez laying a heavy stress
on this word will be preached in the
|school-h ouse at the same hour"
As President of the College, the
Doctor Vas exceedingly rigid in bis
manner Of government, and welded
the sceptre of authority with as firm
and despotic hand as the Emperor
of all the Russias. He believed in
strict discipline, and would sooner
have seen the College empty of stu
dents, and its walls toppled to the
ground, than yield a jot or title to
any rebellious or refractory spirit
that had been placed under his care.
Among the mschievous chaps, who
were. continually fretting him and
causing him to wax wroth, Bill s.
was the sharpest thorn in his side.
In all the forms of deviltry and mis-
ehiefmaldng, Bill was fully posted
up andto tease, worry, and torment
the Doctor, by some new scrape or
violation of College ediets, was par
ticular greens to him-he relished
it as keenly as an, 1rishman would a
fight for which he had been 'spiling,'I
or as an epicure would green turtle.
Though the perpetrator Of ninetenthsI
of the scrapes that were committed,
Bill was never once detected; he was
exceedingly sly and cunning in his
operations, plotting ale ne and in Sc
crecy, and had a quick and brilliant
genius, which never failed
him in an emergency. One of these
affairs, Which caused the furnace of
the Presidents wrath to be seven
fold heated, we shall long remember.
The ID ctor's s. daughter was to be
married on certain evening to the
senior College Professor, and our
hero's brain VAS at once big with the
idea of having So he fun out of the
affair. Accordingly, at the appointed
houl of the ceremd MES, between nine
aud ten o'clock one dark evening,
having previously fastened line to
the tongue of the College bell, and
caused it to be conveyed to his room
IN the fourth story of an adjacent
College building, Bill began to toll
The bell for fire. The bell was the
only one in the village, and being
oiled as usua l when there was a con-
Migration, the people, hearing the
llarm,'which was pealing in their ears
very moment in tones eff increased
leaped froia their bed,
the College must be
trapped in flames. Rushing to the
ngine-hoaEe, they dragged forth