The San Francisco call., 1905-02-04
Clarence Lubben of
Alameda Is
Victim.
SPINAL DISEASE
FOLLOWS INJURY
School Chiefs Fail
to Find Authors
of Mischief.
INVESTIGATION
PROVES FUTILE

ALAMEDA Feb. 3.-Clarence Lub-
ben, the 9-year-old pupil of the Long
fellow Grammar School, who has been
lying i'll for several weeks at his home,
$50 Pacific avenue, died at 11:40 o'clock
tonight from spinal meningitis. His
disease and resulting death were
caused. it is believed, by the rough
usage the lad received at the hands Of
his schoolmates, who tossed the little
fellow in the air in imitation of hazing
as practiced in large educational insti-
tutlons. The boy has been sinking for
some time and hope Of his recovery
was abandoned several days ago.
School Superintendent Fred T. Moore
to-day conducted rigid investigation
Of boy pupils at the Longfellow Gram
mar School in this alleged case of haz-
Ing. Mr.. Moore was unable TO fix the
blame or responsibility for the Lubben
lads injury upon any of the boys ex-
amined.
After carefully considering the situa-
tion last night and obtaining all the
Information possible from the newspa-
pers and other sources Superintendent
Moore to-day decided thoroughly to in
Nestigate the haZing of the Lubben
child. He went to the Longfellow
School and with Principal Carl ]. Phil
ippi, Janitor James Burton and De-
partment subjected all the students
whose names had been mentioned in
connection with the affair to a search
ing examination. The boys were sum-
moned from their class rooms to tell
what they knew relative TO the af-
ialr. Numerous discrepancies marked
the testimony given by the lads whose
ages ranged from Z to Il. Some said
that young Lubben was tossed on the
10th Of January and others that he was
tossed on the 18th Of the same month.
NO TWO witnesses agreed as to the time.
pace or persons concerned in the
bouncing"
Several boys said they thought three
lads had done the tossing The superin-
tendent then picked out a pupil about
me size OF Clarence Lubben and or
oere him 10 lie on the floor while three
other boys were told to toss him in the
ar. They were unable to do so.
LITTLE INFORMATION GAINED.
Principal Philippi and Janitor Burton.
who had done some detective work
among the pupils in the school ward
gave Mr. Moore the evidence which
they obtained and which the Superfn-
tenoent made use of in examining the
young witnesses Nevertheless, the Su-
perintendent and principal were unable
TO accuse any Of the boys questioned
OF having been implicated in the alleged
hazing Of a schoolmate, and the fur
ther the investigation proceeded the
more remote appeared the possibility of
definitely charging any boy or number
Of bows with having injured Clarence
lubben.
Among the lads questioned were Ed
win Schroeder, Lumen Chandler, War
ren Fisk, Lawrence Steele, Albert Rid
ley, Ellis Kiser, Samuel Havery, Albert
HASTE, George Gull, George Blum, Har-
~ Havery and Melville Brown
Concerning the investigations in the
hazlng cases Superintendent Moore
said:
The Lubben child may have been injured
While engaged in bouncing with other BOYS
hut VIC could learn nothing definite. Some of
the boys said they remembered that Clarence
vas with them when they tossing up
oiher ooys. but had no recollection of ever