The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-03-14
KILLED BY COLLEGE BOYS
lSOPHOMORES SURROGATE a
WOMAN AT ITHACA, N. Y.

SS&~~~~s
A Most Outrageous Attempt to Break
Up the Freshmen's Annual Ban
uuet-Students' Lives Endangered
by Deadly Gas-An Entire Build
ing Filled With Chlorine.
Just when the authorities at Ithaca, N. Y,
were congratulating themselves that rushes
and other disorderiy conduct ut Cornell Uni
versity had been effectively stamped out.
tragedy occurs which plunges them into deep
humiliation, smirchins as 1t must do, the
fair fame of Cornell.
For the past few days mischief has been
breeding between the classes Of SO and '97.
The sophomores have grievance this year,
as In all branches OF athletics the freshmen
have come out victorious Several
nights ago q number OF freshmen were
caught out alone by a gang OF sopho
mores and a mixture OF vinegar and
milk was forced down their throats by main
force. The place where the freshmen's BAN
ouet Of this year was. held Is four-story
brick building, with banquet hall on the
top floor. To reach the hall one had to as.
csnd a wide stairway. which was the sole
stairway in the building. The lower hoors
OF the building are occupied by various peo-
pie, but directly under the kitchen OF the
banquet hall is n vacant room. and here Is
where the mischief was breTed. For TWO
days the freshmen had guard OF hait
dozen men stationad through the building to
watch out for any sophs who might try to
secrete themselves, but the guard was with
drawn at 10 o'clock at night. On the morn
ing before the banquet the guard was dou'
bled. but they must have been very lax IN
their watch, for It is certain that two sophs
entered the building and camped out In the
vacant room mentioned above.
The freshmen. in view OF the hostile att1'
tude Of the sophs, decided 20 meet on the
campus at p. m. and march In a Dooy 10
the banquet hail. which i5 down IN the city.
Long before o'clock the street on which the
building is situated was thronged with stu
dents. It should be remembered that the
juniors and freshmen are one In an affair OF
this kind, while the seniors pat the sopho-
mores on the back. In the bnildinC at about
this hour were larger number OF juniors, who
were guarding the stairs and entrance from
intrusion. At about $50 the tramp, tramp,
tramp Of the approaching freshmen could De
heard. and in moment more they swung
around the corner into the street on which the
banquet hall faces. They were eight abreast,
fully 400 strong, and they marched straight
at a dense mass of humanity which blocked
the entrance to the hall. When within ten
feet of their opponents shower OF rotten
EGGS greeted them, which was their signal to
charge double quick. Then ensued one fthe
worst rushes in the history OF under-class con-
tests at Cornell. Friends and foes alike slug
ged each other, and bruised faces and torn
clothes were the order rather than the exeep-
ton. The blows ofthe struggling couegians
resounded on the night air likethe swapping OK
a hundred whips. The local police yainly en-.
deayored to quell the disturbance, but were
mere toys in the hands Of the mob, and to
protect themselves had to use their clubs
freely. II, perchance, a policeman sought
TO arrest one of the mob, the student was
quickly released, and the policeman got
crack on the head for his trouble.
The flght-s rush as 1t is called, to make 1t
more oenteel-was ended In about half an
hour, but only becauseth the last freshman nal
disappeared In the doorway Leading to the
hall. The sophs knew too we'll the danger OF
trying to get up the stairs, as the juniors were
standing guard with baseball clubs and other
dangerous weapons which they would not
hesitate to use. Then ensued short time OF
uuietness, but the crowd still hung outside
the building awaiting some new. develop
ments. It was nearly midnight when the de-
yelopments came. Suddenly OUT from the
doorway rushed about twenty students, their
faces blanched with fear. The crowd fell back
instinctively. knowing that something un'
usual was the matter. The students VINO
made the sudden exit made bee line tor
the nearest drug store and begged piteous-
ly for an antidote TO alleviate their SUI
ferincs. But u moment afterward an
elderly colored woman was led out by
two men. She could hardly move one
foot before the other. Directly behind her
cume a younger woman, who was yelilng
and screaming at the top OF her voice. Ine
men took the elder woman over to Doctof
Deckerby's and endeavored to resuseltate
her. But all means proved OF no avail, and
In o few moments she died.
The police were In the meantime conduct
ing vigorous investigation as TO the cause
OF the trouble. The victims were unquestlon-
ablv poisoned by some kind OF gas, and to
find out how this was spread In the kitchen
and banquet hall did not take very long.
The smell was very strong all through the
building, and room after room was Droken
into to find the cause.
Finally. in a room directly under the kit
chen of the banquet hall E:s the mystery
solved.
Some one had entered the room and bored
two holes in the ceiling above. On table
stood large jug, corked, but In the eorS were were
two rubber tubes which ran nearly
no TO the ceiling, where they con.
neeted with two glass tubes which ran
through the holes in the floor, thus spread,
ing in the room above the gas generated
from the jug which was found to be chlorine,
a mixture OF salt and sulphurlc acid. There
was, however, no clew to the persons who
had been guilty of this dastardly piece OF
business.
There Is much rejoicing about town and
among the students that the gas was sent INTO
nf hannnet
proper. It was doubtless the intention ofthe
:spractical jokers" to have the gas 60 directly
to the banq uet hall, and they were evidently
under the impression when boring the holes
through the ceiling that they were directly
under tho hall. Had this been the TACT
terrible loss of life would have ensued as the
banquet hall was 80 crowded that before It
could have been emptied In the wild rusn
that would have ensued score or more VIC
ho,,a haan ha rnoulf