The San Francisco call., 1905-02-03

ALAMEDA, Feb. 2-Unconscious
and dying as result of hazing said
to have been administered by boys
larger than himself at the Longfellow
public school, little Clarence Lubben
lies at the home of his father, John
Lubben. $50 Pacific avenue. He has
only short time to live, the doctors
say. Since Sunday the child patient
has been in comatose condition with
brain fever and in his delirium the suf-
fering lad occasionally cries out the
names of boys supposed to have been
implicated in the rough treatment that
brought him to Deaths door. Two
other cases of hazing, one at the Long
fellow School and one at the sMastiek
School, where the victim was forced
to eat matches, have come to light. 1t
is said that there are still other in
stances of cruel treatment prac-
ticed by pupils which have resulted in
injury and sickness to the students tor
mented. Concerning his sons case
John Lubben said:
Clarence Is my only child and from what
the physicians tell me will be childless soon
and all because of the brutality of boy pupils
at the Longfelow School who tossed Clarence
up in the air and permitted him to fall with
force upon his back and injure his spine in
such manner that brain fever has developed
From what Clarence told me the boys who
tossed him were much larger than he was.
They caught him by the feet and arms and
threw him up as high as they could.
This happened at the noon recess Tuesday
January 8. the day after the schools opened.
When Clarence came home he complained of
severe pain in his head and told me that
he had fallen. He did not tell of how he
fell and / gave him some simple home rem
edies, expecting that he would be ali right
the next day. He appeared to be somewhat
better on Wednesday and ! sent him to school
in the afternoon. After attending school for
a few days he again complained of pains In
his head and spine and would linger in the
house. Twelve days ago he was forced to
take to his bed and then it that 1 began
an Investigation of how Clarence came to fall.
learned from a son of Detective George
the air by other bows and when asked INTO U
son whether this was true he said 1t was
and that he was afraid to tell me or to tell
Principal c. ]. Philippi for fear that the
boys would call him stool pigeon and whip
him.
lieve were implicated in the hazing of Clar-
ence and will divulge them when the proper
time comes. spoke to Principal Philpp
about the brutal affair and he said that he
thought the students had imbibed the hazing
spirit from what they learned of the methods
used at the universities / mean to have this
hazing affair investigated thoroughly 1t
is disgrace that such brutalities should
exist In the Alameda school department.
son OF Mr.. and Mrs. George johnson. a
nefghbor Of ours, was also haZed at the Long
fellow School about the same time that Clar-
was. The Johnson child was severely
hurt in the head by being thrown into the
air and allowed to fall upon the ground. My
son has been unconscious since Sunday and
In his ravng he mentions the names of boys
who ] think and who others have told me
were responsible for hazing Clarence. The
doctors hold out practically no hope for the
recovery of my child.
A. M. Vivier, proprietor of the West
End Pharmacy, asserts that his IL
year-old son was forced by some of
his schoolmates, to chew matches at
the Mastick School ten days ago and
that when he reached some he was
taken with violent vomiting spells and
was seriously i'll for four days.
School Superintendent F. T. Moore
said tonight:
heard nothing of the alleged hazing of
ths Lubben boy until this evening. I now un-
derstand that Principal Philippi had endeav-
ored to discover the identity of the boys who
are said to have tossed the Lubben lad into
the air and allowed him to hit the ground
upon his head and back but had failed to
do 50. From what understand the injury
OF the Lubben boy sustained in a game
and not as result of what might be termed
hazing. The Vivier boys father spoke to me
about the match eating matter, but / believe
that the boy placed the match or matches in
bis mouth as a dare and not because he was
compelled to do 1t by other boys. Principal
Philfppf has made report to of the
Lubben matter and I never heard of the john
son case until tonight. As yet no complaint
or demand for an Investigation has been fled
with the Board of Education.