The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-23
RIOTOUS STUDENTS.
Sophomores Create Disorder at
Urbana, Ills.
BURNING CHEMICALS ARE USED.

One Young Woman Who Was i'm the Com
pany of a Freshman May Lose Her Eye.
sight as Result of the Nights Fracas-
Mayor Hubbard Orders Out the Fire De-
partment and the Rioters Are Dispersed
by Streams OF Water.
Champaign. Ills, Jan 2S-The annual
fracas between the members Of the
freshmen and sophomore classes of the
University of Illinois occurred Thurs
day night. 1t leaked out late in the aft
ernoon that the freshmen were to have
their sociable in Busey's hall. Urbana,
and at Z o'clock sophomores began to
gather i'm the street in front of the op-
era house building. Mayor George Hub
bard had been notified that there would
probably be trouble between the men
of the two classes, and as a consequence
he had more than dozen extra police
on duty In the streets in front of the
building. and some of them were To-
Gated in different parts of the building
The first arrivals among the fresh
nen. who were accompanied by young
ladies. were allowed to go into the hall
unmolested, but at s o'clock the mob of
upper class men made charge on the
entrance to the hall. They were re-
pulsed by the police, who stood with up
raised clubs. and in the scramble one
student, whose name was not given out
was arrested and taken away to the
! city building.
Broke Glass and Threw Chemicals.
When the sophomores saw that they
could not break through the line of
officers they went to the building just
across the alley from the opera house
and gained entrance to one of the sec
ond-story rooms. From this point they
were able to look into the dance hall.
1t was only the work of an instant to
! throw missiles, which broke out the
glass in at least eight windows.
This accomplished. the dance hall was
flooded with the chemicals for which
} the University of Illinois students are
| noted. Never in the history of fresh
man sociables has any class been able
to continue to inhabit a room into which
these chemicals were thrown, and in
less than fifteen minutes the hall was
| nearly deserted. The frightened fresh
men retreated to another part of the
building, but declared they would go on
with their festivities as soon as the hall
was aired"
At $3.50 the sophomores made anoth-
er attempt to get into the hail. and al
this stage Mayor Hubbard took the
matter in personal charge. He ordered
out the volunteer fire department, and
| of tar hiOh
ure were turned on the crowd of soph-
omores massed in the street' At first
they showed no inclination to retreat, but
finally made a rush pell-mell to the
shelter of Railways of adjoining build
ings.
Taken to Police Headquarters.
While the firemen were fighting the
mob with streams of water half dozer
sophomores and upper classmen were
attempting to get more chemicals into
the hall where the party was to be held
and three of them were arrested in the
attempt. They were taken to police
headquarters, and had not been bailec
out at a late hour.
Miss Della Radebaugh of this city
| who was being escorted to the party
by a freshman named X. M. thompson
may lose her eyesight as result of the
nights performance. While near the
entrance to the hall she and yount
Thompson were attacked by a party
of sophomores, who threw chemical'
at them, and the fluid entered the eyes
of the young woman. She was assisted
to the. office of DR.. Barthalow, and wa
in great agony. After a hurried ex
animation the physician said the eye
had been seriously injured and tina
perhaps the sight would be destroyed
At $3.50 he said the patient was resting
easily and that perhaps she would re
cover without serious results. At 1913
the streets were clear of sophomores
but II was said that they had not gon
TO their quarters. and the police wer
: expecting another attack later In tn
| tnIrhf