The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-25
TUB, TUB, WHO'S GOT THE TUB?
This Is the Question That Was Settled
at High School Today.

The High school sub-senior and sub
junior classes got off a scrap" this
morning which has everything in his
tory eclipsed-so far as school fights
are concerned. Several days ago a tub
of the common iron kind was procured,
just of the ordinary wash-tub size. 1t
was agreed to place 1t out on Harrison
street this morning at II o'clock. All
of the boys of the two classes We're
then to pound one another in an at
tempt to keep each others hands off
the tub. At the end of ten minutes,
the side which had the most hands on
the tub was to be declared the winner.
The fight came off this morning on
schedule time and the sub-juniors won.
II made horrible mess and took place
in the rain and mud. About % boys on
eacn side engaged on the battle. Pro-
lessor "A. ]. Stout refereed the fracas.
He stood the boys off 20 feet from the
tub and then blew a whistle. Quick as
a flash the whole aggregation sailed
into the thing. They all met in a heap
in the middle and for the full length
of the time it was impossible to see
the object over which they were fight
ing. Legs, arms and heads were stick
ing around at different angles in a con-
glOmerate mass. Two or three of the
youngsters were pinned down into the
tub and others StOmping around on
top of them. Off to the side on the
asphalt and on the lawns on either
side of Harrison street were rolling,
twisting, wrestling fellows, working
like demons to keep one or other away
from the tub. 1t was very muddy,
sloppy and wet, on both the streets
and the grass. The combatants fairly
wiped up the street with each other
and each others clothes, until it would
have been safe to think that they had
been buried under cavern in a clay
bank.
At the end of the ten minutes the
fight was stopped and every boy had
to stand in just exactly the place where
he was when the whistle was blown
for the end. Then Professor A J. Stout
counted the hands which were holding
on to the tub and the score was IA to
8 in favor of the sub-juniOrS. The jan
itors took the fighters around into the
alley and tried to take off the dirt with
a hose and a few brooms-
Somehow or other. there were no
deaths recorded after the close of the
fracas. That was the miraculous thing
about the proceeding. Beyond the
usual bunch Of bruises; pumps, los t
epidermis, and so on, the injury list
was blank.
couldn't be western. Some one of the
bovs heard of a similar fracas in one
of the towns over in New York and
thought it just the thing for an ed
ucational factor in Topeka So 1t was
brought here and agreed upon-11Bh
school boys would agree on anything
in which there is a cnance to maui
somebody, especially a student from
another class.
The tub was painted with the solors
of both classes and has been kept On
exhibition for the past two days a.
the High school 1t has been mach OF
a subject Of speculation to the stu
dents who were mot next as to wat
if meant. This morning, however, the
Information was passed ttouli1 ma
it meant fracas. 30 between Grass
hours for ten minutes, The whole stu
dent BODY of the High school 6ot out
On Harrison street and watched the
fight. The sub-junior class becomes
the lawful possessor of this wash-day
utensil. and will keep it to wash up
the boys clothes and then as a
souvenir.
The girls Of both classes formed
+banoseives into Red Cross brigades
and attended to the dead and dying
Incidentally they furnished enough
roofing to be heard clear over in North
Topeka