The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-27
FIGHTING DAYS AT YALE.
soNE BIsToRTC AND IRl6fC Ar
TRAYS BETWEEN row AND cow.

| AuN NSANu VI WVuau - = tOohAb
OF the attempts Of some Cornell sophom ores to
break up the freshman class supper recalls
the fact that years ago. before the ciyiizing
| Influence OF football turned youthful exuber-
ance into . more legitimate channel.
there we're frequent deaths resulting from
college rows and nghts The records
| Of almost every COLLEGIATE town will
/ show that there have been numerous
encounters between the students and the
townspeople. and between the students and
| the local authorities The traditions Of the
colleges will show that there have been since
the beginning clashes among the students
| themselves. and here and there these records
will be dotted By the black mark Of death.
| Before the war there used to be q large dele-
| cation Of Southernsrs at Yale. They were herJ
fellows. and always ready for night OF any
kind. but in. those days the riots occurred
more often between the students and the
townspeople than among the students them
selves These disturbances between town and
gown became so frequent that the authorities
were frequently called upon to Interfere. and
In several cases the fights resulted fatally.
The volunteer hremen OF all small towns
have the record Of being fighters and brawlers.
and those OF New Haven were no exception.
They were always eager to crack students
skull. and the Yale men were ever ready to lay
out u fireman.
The first serious clash between students aud
flremen occurred on Saturday. Oct. 30. 1Sil,
on the occasion Of parade OF the fire depart
ment in New Haven. The various engine
CONT anies in uniform Assem- bled on the green
after the parade to try their skill in throwing
water or the spirs OF Centre Church. The en-
CINE hose lay across tho field where a
number Of students were engaged in
football match. The football players trod
on the hose and when the lremen
objected they replied insolently and paid no
attention whatever to the remonstrances.
some OF the Bremen thon got possession OF the
football and the students made a rush to re-
cover It. This resulted In the arrest OF three
OF them. who were taken before Justice OF
the Peace. where bail was given and the trial
adjourned. the whole body OF 500 lremen or
lore acting as constables to escort the three
students before the Justice. Later in the day.
when the nremen assembled in their supper
hall stones were hurled against the doors by
students and free fight resulted in tho street
This small riot gradually took on larger pro-
portions. and at midnight large crowd OF
students assembled and stoned the nearest
engine house. The men who were on duty
there raised an alarm which brought an i'm
mense crowd OF excited men to the spot. But
fortunately several members OF the faculty
inter,ered and dispersed tho students.
The next outbreak occurred about dozen
years later in March. 1854. On the evening
OF the 10th half dozen students went to
Romans AthenRum to witness a theatrical
performance. They got into some sort OF dis
pute with tho town fellows in the gallery. and
at tho close OF the performance there was a
fight In the street. The Yale men gave their
their friends. The police inteIfered and made
several arrests; both Of students an, and town
promise to keep the peace.
The following night forty or nifty students |
the theft front OF part Of the house About ten tines
a. many TONNES" as the students called the |
and raised false alarm OF IRE. lust as the per-
Torrance was about to close. This brought |
some twelve hundred men stood outside the |
theatre. With shrieks and yell. they dared |
.Sdsnfs h:d eS eensaat i snd decided
remain inside until ,hs rest r.st 81 the audience
the Police had come into the theatre and had |
advised the students to form two by two and to
Gq IN u Ss 30 snd
college buildings. the crowd following at their
heels: The Students Kept on until orposite
leGe songs This seemed to enrage the mob
WHO began TO throw, stone. and clubs and
Iured. hut they did not stop to make any fight.
A second volley however, and iush made by
dents on the Sidewalk and several pistol shots
were exchanged. The cry went up that man
seen seer to fall on his face in the middle Of the
street He died In q few minutes having been
to So Oh.
Ts' Sna o. G their wssn
declared that they would tear down the
S SioCaf some broke Into he ehu1SS s and
rang the alarm OF IRE. and others rushed to
cannon which were stored there. These they
loaded with powder. chains. and scrap iron
fSsy hs at the doOr Of sSh
ege. and were about to attack that building
% snd 6 81
order. During the confusion some OF the no-
the me .nf
lid not leave. however, until they had broken
almost every window in south College with
guns and TO drag them of to the Iail yard.
students had strongly barr dad al the doors.
'Tal nights aiterthat they did the same thing
or they feared that the townies would try to I
escorted to a clever russ to Keep, the tlremen !
rom rom , causing any more misshleL he to,d
ire rem and md ordered ns ali the aremen to Ie@aS
t their engine houses day and night, so
IS to be head, ready z, the first fSiL Sy thus
prevented from creating another disturbance,
The Coronsr's investigation did not bring out ,
nything to show that the man who was {
tabled had been killed by a student. for all
he evidence went to prove that the college
nen had not left the Sidewalk. and that the
ioter when he fell was in the middle OF the
trset and surrounded BY his friends. Ills ]
ame was Patrick O'Neil and he was q bar Z
eeper There was much talk Of the atiair in !
he newspapers at the time, but the general
pinion seemed 20 be that the students were d
D the right aud that the dead man deserved
is fate. IL WAS also pretty generally believed I
monR college men that the stAbbing had
zen uOna bT thu senior elasa a a. | I
i've OF Mississippi who left town shortly alter I
IAId and never graduated.
The third and last collision between town
nd gown occurred four years later on the
yeninG OF Tuesday. Feb %. 1854 About
wenty juniors, members OF an organization
nown as the Crocodile Club" were return
nc from supper and passing the house of n
.ngine No. in High street they got into a !
ispute with the hIsmen on duty, The story | Z
rent that the firemen began the trouble by |
laking offensive remarks To the students be- | ,
ause thsy were singing college songs. IL !
'as also said that the ilTemen threw water on y
ne students. The nremsn Acknowledged this. G
ut claimed that II was accidental Others
aid that the students had sworn at and had Il