The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-24
Enraged Students We're About to
Put Him to Death.
ASSAULTED ONE OF THE WATERS
Was Pursued, Knocked Down and About TO
Be Executed When the Command.
ant Came to His Rescue-How
He Escaped Afterwards.

The report from the Philippines that
Captain David c. Shanks of the Eigh-
tenth United States Infantry. has dis
tnguished himself by capturing Diocino,
the noted Tagal leader, calls to mind an
incident that took place in the spring Of
1896 at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute,
at Blacksburg, Va. Captain Shanks was
at that time commandant of cadets and
instructor in higher mathematics at the
Institute. The real story of the affair was
kept out of the papers at the time, and
have never seen an account OF it since; but
the facts so to show the character OF
Captain Shanks, and his ability to cope
with an emergency, as well. as the esprit
du corps which prevailed at the Institute.
TO rightly understand the circumstances
it is necessary to explain somewhat the
working of the mess hall.
Every session there are at the Institute
a number Of young men who work their
way through college, either wholly or IN
part and among the means employed is
waiting in the mess. The battalion IS
seated at tables which accommodate ten
men each, and to every two tables one OF
the walters is assigned. His duty is to
bring from the kitchen the different dishe
for his tables and to keep them supplied
with hot bread, coffee, etc, but he does
no waiting at the tables, the men passing
the different dishes to each other. In
other words, the waters" merely bring
the dishes from the kitchen to the mess
hail. -
In the kitchen several negroes are en-
ploycd 10 dish and prepare the food. and
then turn it over to the walters to be
taken to the mess.
So much in explanation.
THERE WAS EXCITEMENT.
One spring afternoon in 1886. the bat
TALON was seated at supper. P. NJ l
belonged to Company B, and sat at the
captains table, which was nearly in the
centre of the mess, my seat facing the
door which led to the kitchen, and through
which all the walters passed: In front
of this door there was "a movable screen
Everything was running smoothly and
nothing was to DO heard but the ciatter
OF knives and forks and the sound OF
gay talk and happy laughter.
All at once I noticed that the boys VINO
sat nearest the kitchen entrance had stop
ped talking and eating and were staring
toward the door, and in Jew seconds
every man in the room had followed SUIT
and was looking in the same direction L
remember perfectly that l had piece OF
meat on my fork and was in the very act
Of putting it into my mouth, stopped It
half way and that meat has never YET
reached the place I intended 1t TOR:
.What's the matter?" asked everybody;
but no one seemed to know.
In another minute Cadet R, one OF
the walters and who was known as one
of the Quietest and most studlouS men
in barracks, was seen to enter the nan
from the kitchen with blood stream
ing from his face, but was taken by
some of the officers sitting near ana
hurried back out of sight
Somebody has stabbed RI! was the
rumor which swept over the room' ana
the battalion rose, half way.
BOYS Make A RUSH.
mo. A Niger split his head open with
a Mate and has left the mess and is now
running out Of town!, flew through the
hall: and this time the battalion, not
withstanding the shouts Of the officers
70 ..keep YOUR Seats rises, almost as
one man, and makes break for the
door Here it is met by Captains I-ano
+. who, with backs to the door, try
to push the men back, and shout:
go back to your seats, men! rake
your seats:
Fooled for a moment. some jump
through the windows and so get d slal1
on the main crowd. who finally force the
officers away from the doors, and, TWO
hundred and fifty strong, pass forth' Win
ve1,s and cries of Catch the niger
or the campus, round to the right OF
the mess. out into the street and now
with a veil. they make rush for the
country.
On a hill a mile away and making
straight for Brush mountains can pc
seen the fugitive, who is running as ne
never ran before, and behind MN. rae
ing like pack Of bloodhounds, comes
the battalion.
Cries of Catch the nigger! Lynch
him" Kill him, kill the d-n Niger,
can be heard on every side, ana IN tlie
hands of the mob by this time are cluos'
sticks, fence-rails, stones and anSthits
than comes handy and which is thoushe
will be of use. Faster and faster races
+ba negro and faster and faster comes
tho mob. All. we are gaining! Slowly
hut surely the man is being oVertahen.
Minutes mass. and the foremost In the
crowd are within hundred yards OF the
fugitive.
Sut who is this that comes racing dag
onally across the tield-this tau man IN
o,uc2 ',ris Buck Shanks, and the Only
hone for the negro is that he Will reacil
him as soon as the mob.
BARELY SAVED HIS LIFE.
The hundred yards is now htty-noW
twenIv-fve-1low ten yards-and. an!
CORPORAL Jones and Private Greenwood
both members of Company B. have
reacted him with stones. and down ne
goes. Will, the blood gushing from 4
wound in the head. and bang: goes a
NOV from a stick in the hands OF one
of the crowd, and in a moment the
I,oh is all around him. and shouting:
Lynch the d-n Niger" and one
enterprising young man is making
bee-line for a. neighborins well, with the
PURPOSE of securing a rope.
At this critical juncture Buck
shanks arrives, painting, and hardly able
ia breathe. Jumping on a fence, he
wells: battalion. attention. and, dis
cipline prevailing. the men are quiet and
listen. I cannot recall his exact words.
but he called on us to desist. begged us
not to do anything rash that we would
he sorry for afterward. and wound up
by imploring us for 1.-The COLLEGES sake.
for DR.. McBryde's sake the president).
for Gods sake. let the law take It's
course"
Well. that about winds up the story.
We didn't lynch THE negro, which l nave