The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-04
0 0 PANIC In A SCHOOL.
OHIIDREN FLEE AND III FIRE
MEy ARE ,sUMNONED.

Rverythtng was Pescefui In the Allen street
Pablo School Untii THE naouss Showed TT
self Then Fear seissd the Pupiis-Ths AinFm
Spread and Chsos R~siEsea-Hebsd Mart.
Everything was peaceful in the third grade
primary Of the public school at Allen and Hes
ter streets yesterday afternoon at 1880 O'Clock.
Such OF the little girls 40 could do 90 with safe
~ whispered messages from scat TO seat. while
the teacher. Miss Mary We'll, made mysterious
entries In q book with . pencil which sho had
just sharpened. The other girls studied, or
pretended to study. 1t was 30 very still that
q small mouse Of unknown pedigree sauntered
out Of q hole in the floor and contemplated
s-year-old Annie Levy. Annie was doing
things on . slate, with her tongue stuck out Of
the corner Of her mouth. which indicates severe
mental strain. Whether from interest in the
performance or because of an appreciation Of
Annie's charms. the mouse moved up closer.
Having conquered her difficulty on the slate and
furled her cropping tongue. the scholar lot her
eyes wander around. They met those OF the
mouse.
Now. Annie IL some thousands Of times big
Ger than any specimen OF the genus Mus in
length, breadth, thi ,kness, and weight. Never
tholess, at the infant Of ocular encounter 10
was the human and not the animal that ex-
hibited the greater alarm. Her mouth and eyes
opened simultaneously and kept on opening
until Miss Wells attention was attracted.
What 10 the matter with you, Anniel'' she
asked.
Annie throw back her head and answered her
teacher in this remarkable fashion:
"Ee.ee ee-eei oo-oo:oohi"
Stop that at once" commanded the teacher,
"oo.oO-oo-oohi" shrieied Annie. "a mouse,
Instantly there was an uprising in that grade.
Also an uplifting Of voices. Tho mouse, finding
sSS . StS,aa't aos s1e l sSo Sd for M IL : slender L n ssS so ais.
But The n,I scholars p1iS kept on screaming in various
1Sik DOWN. Keep quiet.' Miss We'll kept
calling out, bravely resisting an almost ire
table had she sG not W Whf1 esapi L. n sTh %RSn is n no
danger"
front row, after an exhaustive examination of
the floor. during which she had not ceased to
yell, leaped from. the. desk and plunged out of
way, ali the other girls lesped from their desks
and poured out into the ball. still raising their
ff Si 81 tsrPor: GaGFHs; e chfid aUsse is m not r BY e PGG%.
Throughout the building the shrieks were heard
and tho pupils in the other wards BECAME
the school. A. panic WAS not q thing to DO de-
sired, The principal. Miss Loss, rang the fire
but, in double quick time. and the. children
made for the exits. Then somebody yelled
Fortunately tho children were drilled so well
that they did not break ranks and rush down
the staircases .pellmell. Had they done go
many lives might have been lost. On the land
ings stood the teachers steadying them by voice
and gesture and soon every grade was empty,
All had gone out IN good order except the third
grade primary. The little girls Of that division,
with visions of the ferocious and bloodthirsty
mouse rampaging on their trail, had fed with
the one instinct Of representation.
Meantime O man on the street had heard tho
cry Of fire and rang an alarm. which compli-
Gated matters by filling tho street with fire en-
gines. The street was already sufficiently filled
with alarmed fathers and mothers who be-
Neved that their offspring were being burned to
death In tho school. Notwithstanding that there
was no sign Of fire, or even of smoke. The police,
q dozen OF whom had run to the scene, had their
hands full keeping back hystericsl mothers.
Some Of them fought yicIously to, break through
the police lines and the bruises they received in
being repulsed were the only actual injuries
caused by the iladvised appearance of the
mouse. 1t was an hour before school recon-
vened.
The school building where the trouble oc.
CURED is old and rlckety and has been con-
demned for years, but until the new school is
completed, there is no other place for the chill
dren Of that district to 90. A report was at
once made to the Board Of Education that the
building was infested with rats and mice, but
at that time this was not backed up by a
specific allegation against the rodents, such as
could now be adduced.