The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-03-16
STUDENTS IN A fight.
Wild Time at an Oratoricai Con.
test at indianapolis.

Previous to the Appearance OF the Orators
Butler College Boys Brought Out an
Umbrella Bearing the Letters "Butier on
Top and a Riot Ensued Which Was
Stopped by the Police After Good Deal
of Troubie-Thres Boys Hurt
INDIANAPOLIS. March io.-The twenty.
second annual contest OF the Indiana
State Oratorical association was held nc
English's Opera house Friday night. The
theatre was packed TO the top gallery
with students and friends from the ak
colleges whose representatives took part
In the contest A special Vandalia train
from Greencastle brought AL Depauw
students Butler college at Iryington
was present almost 70 a man Several
carloads came from Wabash college ut
Charlottesville. Franklin college, and
from the Quaker institution at Earlham.
There was also a carload from Hanover
on the banks of the Ohio. The speaker
In whose efforts centered great interest
was Miss Gertrude Simmons, the Sioux
Indian girl from Earlham, and she was
cheered by large delegation Of students
Of both sexes. The state university was
not a contestant this year, but its quar-
tette furnished the only music during the
evening
Bedlam Breaks Loose.
For half hour previous to the appear
nnce of the college orators on the platform
the opera house was turned into bedlam
by the delegates from different colleges
trying to drown out the rival delegations
with their college yells and songs. But
Ter students had secured the upper top
boxes and stretched wires on which they
ran out big cartoons representing the diff
ferent colleges These inilamed the diff
ferent delegations until IL finally resulted
| In a udent riot in the center aisle. when
Butler ran out her own cartoon claiming
precedence over all the sister colleges. 4
great umbrella bearing thc letters, Butler
| on top" was run out. and by throwing
| up canes IL was caught and pulled down
| by the Franklin delegation. Instantly
| there was a rush down tho aisle and the
| umbrella was speedily in rags The But
l ler boys sent their rush into the thickest
| to recapture the emblem. The jam looked
| like football scrap Men climbed over
| heads and walked on shoulders TO get TO
1 the center, and n squad Of police, on hand
| to prevent a riot, had no show TO get any
| where near the fight.
| Threatened with Arrest
/ After several minutes the bluecoats
fought through the mass of hair-pulling
| students and secured the handle Of the
umbrella, all thaI remained. Threatened
| arrests quieted the belligerents. and when
the Rev. c. n. Simms of the Meriden
Street Methodist church came on ths
stage to pray the house was fairly com
posed Three students were badly hurt
| by being thrown against the chairs. Tht
excitement continued the rest Of thu
night among the students. When th'
contest got started each speaker had u
stand on the platform and look silly
while his college friends sang song ol
delivered a series Of yells in his honor.
At midnight the judges decision was an
nounced as follows: L. y. Ewing, Ds
Pauw. first; Miss Gertrude Simmons
Earlham. second; Edward Clark. Butler.
third Bell OF Wabash, Bowman o.
Hanover and Shuh Of Franklin were mex
in order Miss Simmons received frs
place from two of the judges in delivery
but fell behind on her grafton. She wai
the only natural orator in the contest.