Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-01-24

a COLLEGE FRACAs.-On Friday evening
the 10th, three boys of Amherst, Mass, FL
bridge Cook, Edward Spear, and Timothy
| Deady, and three students Of the Agricultu-
raj College, Charles Howland, Lemuel Hall,
and George Graves, made a most dastardly
attack in the Agricultural College dormitory
upon Clarence E. Brown, both a member aud
| ianitor of the institution. 1t appears that
Cook was member of the college for about
| three weeks. when he was removed by the
faculty for general inefHciency. For an un-
! founded reason, Cook suspected Brown had
reported him to the president, and on this
account, when under the influence Of liquor,
| had made severe threats against Brown. The
object Of the attack was certainly to frighten
Brown, if not horsewhip him, as two raw
hides were found in the debris after the un
successful attack. The plan was to induce
Brown to open hisdoor, when the whole par
ty were to rush in and administer the pun
ishment.
To this end the whole party quietly went
up stairs, and one of them knocked at
Browns door under pretence Of finding
some person in the building. Brown was in
bed and refused admission t. the outside par
ty. Very soon he overheard whispering out
side, and then suspected party Of drunken
rowdies. They went into the rear room, and
gaining access to his bedroom ventilator,
broke all tho glass, but left it when they
were unable to open it. After this they
again kicked and knocked at the door, but
he again refused them admission and ordered
them to leave. Then, by skeleton key, his
own was forced inside and the door thrown
open. At this Brown stepped to the door
and threw at the crowd (who were disguised
in old clothes. moustaches and cork blacking)
a stove wrench or handle, and closed the
door on them, when the whole party were
driven into an adjoining room. This action
only increased their attack, as they now felt
sure be had no pistol, which they feared be
fore The door was now kicked open again
and broken, when Brown threw his stove pok-
er at the party and stepped ont of his door to
disperse the crowd, at which he was struck
and seized by three on one side Of him. and
one on another, who soon brought him TO the
floor at the bottom of the pile The only
other weapon he had was a small cabinet
makers chisel, one-quarter Of an inch wide,
with which he slashod with a nervous vio-
lence right and left. until he had stabbed
Rowland four times, Hall three times, Cook
once, Deadly once, and Graves once. This
dispersed the party the second time,
and as Graves was turning to 90 down stairs,
ten feet from where he was stabbed, he slip
ped, and brought his head to the floor with
such violence that he has been in an uncon-
scious state nearly all the time since, and now
lies in a critical condition. The other par
ties are all doing well.
Young Brown is a student Of excellent
character, from Florence (Northampton) ,
and no blame is attached To him for his con-
duct in this affair by President Clarke or any
of the citizens of Amherst. 1t ought also to
be stated that, sometime in the melee, Brown
declared to any of the party that If they
crossed his threshold they were dead men,
and also that, according to the best Of his re
collection, most of his stahs We're made when
down upon the floor, and so choked that he
could neither speak nor breathe. How much
influence liquor had to do with the matter is
as yet uncertain. save that one of the party
showed evidences of having used it within a
short time.