The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-29
R[ACK HAND SCHOOL SCARE.
WILLIAMSBURG CHILDREN CIR
CTLATE SILLY STORIES.
Attendance In Six schools Cut Down Ma
terially Because Of Tales That the
Buildings We're TO he Destroyed
Police Called On to Calm Pupils.

Police Called On 70 Calm Pupils.
Silly stories circulated by children and
believed by their parents have materially
decreased the attendance at six public
schools in williamsb urg since the be-
Ginning Of this school week.
These stories have all been woven around
the Black Hand" and, according to the
warns told by the school children and elabo-
rated by their parents the BLACK Hand"
has sworn to do dreadful things to the pub
lie school buildings OF Williamsburg,
Who started the stories, no one knows.
The school authorities would like to know
and 80 would the police. District Superin-
tendent W. A. Campbell Is in charge Of the
schools in the Williamsburg section, and
the first he heard Of the scare was on Mon
day morning He had started out to make
tour of inspection OF the schools In his
district and as he left School las, at Noll
street and Central avenue, friend stopped
him.
superintendent, what Ia all this talk I
hear bout the Black Hand threatening
to blow up School 1882
THAT Is news to me, said Mr.. Campbell,
sand it is too absurd to talk about"
Maybe it is, said the superintendent's
fTtenu, DuI, Ill JHe btkIue HedIu TWO bCuooi
children say it was so.'
Supt. Campbell laughed and went on
about his business. He thought no more
about the yarn his friend had told him until
noon. Then he was visited by one OF the
principals from a school near 145, who came
to him with the story he had heard early
In the day.
All the pupils in my school are talking
tba ,r;p
cipal, "and I can't learn where the talk
started. The children, however, are ex-
cited and they seem to feel that something
dreadful Is going to happen"
Supt. Campbell told this principal to go
back to his school and to urge the teachers
to tell the pupils how ridiculous the stories
we're The principal followed Il d, instructions m
had quieting effect on the pupils. All Of
the children went home at the noon hour
end told what they heard at school. When
school convened In the afternoon there
were few Glasses but had dozen absent
Before the first school day Of the week
was over the story that started In School
las had spread to all the nearby schools
The schools that were in for a scare were
%, -, SO, III and 14l. The last named is
attended solely by girls, and IS Is boys
school. Those two schools are on the one
block, and f%1s pupils attend them.
When the schools were dismissed on
Monday the pupils went 1os home sD taa tSss
Black HAND. Tuesday morning teachers
and principals found hundreds OF children
lingering outside Of the schools, too scared
70 enter. The boys at IS we're 90 afraid
the Stage street police station TO send two
men to calm them.
Two uniformed cops were sent to the
school, and they found the greater part Of
4 + ALL
told the boys there was nothing in the
Black Hand stories and managed to calm
them. The policemen stayed on duty all
during the school hours;
The same state OF affairs ruled at School
n. Two policemen had to calm the pupils
there. These were the only schools where
the police were called to quiet the pupils,
but the teachers and principals had to
work like beavers at the others to attain
The. parents began to appear at the
schools on Tuesday to demand first hand
Information OF the teachers as to when
the schools were to be blown up BY the
swers Of the teachers and principals many
Of them descended on School III, at BUSH
wick avenue and Stage street. where Dis
trict Superintendent Campbell has his
Hs o tSa and ns sas no 's a
tention should be paid to them. Sensi-
BE parents followed his advice. but there
were manywho didn't.
These were the parents who kept their
yesterday. The decreased attendance
became very noticeable In the schools on
Tuesday. In one class In School III four
teen pupils stayed away. Most Of them
stayed at home because they didn't want
to be killed. The children thought the
sBlack Hand" was to do its deadly work
some time on Tuesday. The scare was
still on yesterday, however; for there ap-
son. To Principal Vallette the father said
that he wanted to enter his boy at the
but we can't take him here, for he lives
In the district taken In by School IS. said
s1know be does, said the parent, .and he
was going to that school, but now it is
Burned down." said Principal vallette.
-, Sure. :. said the parent the Black Hand
The matter was brought to the atten-
ton OF Supt. Maxwell, and the district super
intendent reported to him that he had had
considerable trouble, Mr. Campbell said
Il don't know how the stories started.
but there is no question that many children
were badly scared. Several children told
me that they had heard that letter had
been printed In some paper saying that
schools. No such letter was printed. Of
gained great headway. The only founda-
ton for the story, as far as can find. is
that a brewery in the neighborhood Of School
las received a Black Hand letter month
The police looked for the writer of that
letter. but did not get him. That was the
last heard Of It, think 1t more than likely
that some OF the children living near the
brewery kept that threatening letter fresh
in their minds, possibly from hearing their
parents discuss It. Once the children
started talking, It was easy for their silly
twaddle to spread
CHILDREN STILL ON PART TIME,