The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-16
NOT 4 SHAM TRAGEDY.
An Effigy Burning Postponed
by a Sho oting ARRAY
The Tragedy Of
q School.

It may be easily understood that when
a ladies' seminary was opened in the
village a revolution was brought about
in the little community. The students
were of a higher grade in apparel and
appearance, in beauty and display than
the residents. The young men for the
first time in their lives saw women of
cultivation and physical attractiveness.
The delicate figures of the newcomers,
their small and shapely feet and hands,
their untanned compilations, their will
lowy grace, their jewels, their rich
colors in dress, eyes and complexion
were SO much in contrast with what all
the young men had hitherto known that
they became at once infatuated.
Old attachments were ruptured, en-
gagements broken, and over the face Of
many a country girl lines Of sorrow sup
planted the plump smoothness of other
days. In the once pacific village there
was now incessant fog, c~loudiness and
storm. The seminary became a species
of shrine; one that commingled the ma
ture of a saint and a sinner-semi-sen-
sual and semi-sacred. Each Sabbath
young pilgrims from the neighboring
farms thronged into the town, sun
burned, with long hair, cowhide boots
and hats and coats of all patterns, and
arranged themselves along the street
over which the line of seminary girls
passed on their way to and from the
churches.
Very naturally there grew up jealous
les, particularly among these young men.
Some of them thought that others were
more favored than themselves. For a
long time the principal of the seminary
conducted his school with all the seclu-
sion of a convent. There were no social
evenings at the hall; none Of the fair
students were permitted to appear out
side without a duenna, and it was per-
meated with all the mystery, security
and charm of a seraglio.
Two or three persons were allowed
the entree, and against these there was
very naturally created dislike on the
part of those debarred from the charmed
precincts. One of them became partic-
ularly obnoxious. He was a lawyer
named Smith, who lived on a patrimony
and such accessions as he gained from
the small returns from the practice of
his profession. He was a man about 40
years of age, slender almost to emacia-
ton, with a small, bald head, a sharp
pointed nose, and one eye-the other
had been lost-which was small, and
which glittered with an expression as
of contempt on his unlucky rivals.
"Rivals" is the proper word. Mean
looking, u~ncultivated and repellant as he
was, he had an open sesame to the SEM
mary building. He entered when he
pleased, and never failed, when oppor-
tunity offered, to relate his visits and to
exaggerate his intimacy. Many of the
young fellows who, while not Apollos in
their faces and figures, were neverthe-
less Vulcans in their muscular strength,
virile as tigers and strong as giants, be-
came frantic in their rage and humilia-
ton as they heard this man detail his
visits. He was n of the deformed
genii who passed at will into the para
disc of houris, while they, manly, robust,
were excluded.
Among this class he became an object
of furious hatred and e~xecratio1.
1t was at this point in the situation
that 1 came to the village to spend my
vacation, and Isoon became an active
partisan of the boys who hated the man
that monopolized the entrance to the
seminary. Many a meeting was held at
which the object of dislike was anathe-
matized and schemes of vengeance were
devised.
l was just from a neighboring college
in which it was the custom to burn on
the campus certain text books whose
study had been finished, and it occurred
to me that something of the same kind
might be applied to the obnoxious law
yer. I outlined a scheme to the effect
that ON a certain evening at a specified
hour we should assemble in the principal
street, bring an effigy of u enemy,
which we should first hang and then
n it in a bonfire. The plan was
adopted by the boys with enthusiasm,
and we at onceproceeded to carry it into
effect.
! The arrangement, as finally decided on,
was at exactly s o'clock the participants
were to assemble at the barn of a family
named Bryne, in which we were to stuff
an old suit Of clothing with hay, and
then, in procession, bearing the figure at
our head, we were to march through the
principal street to the square, where
there would be an address, and then the
hanging and the burning of the effigy.
SHOW, boys" said the leader, who was
myself, "be prompt and be at the Bryne
entrance at exactly s o'clock, and we1l
have more fun in ten minutes than you
can shake a stick at"
The ''fun" which resulted was not Of
the kind anticipated.
We separated soon after, filled with
agreeable reflections. We We're about to
make infamous the bette noir that af-
Aicted us and to visit on him the just ven
geance that he invoked by his heinous
-transgressions.
At this period there was a vacation in
the seminary. The girls had mostly gone
home. A few lived at great distances, or
for other reasons remained during the va
cation. One Of these, a girl named Anna
Il omit her other name-had permission
- Welt 81 ipfoYyoIe Opa Of tho fnpai1iac