The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-09-07

DOC 1oyfully returned and told IL
that the freshmen was still holdins
the sack. That helped some The pic.
ture OF poor old Boggs. his clothes
dank with dew. eyelids like lead. and
eyes full Of smoke, waking up TO the
| fact that he had been made the victim
Of vile joke, served as a balm 10 our
! hurt feelings.
| That night the freshman had not
yet returned, and III admit ". began
| TO get a trifie worried We gathered TO-
F., gether in Docs room a1ru talked /,
/! over. About opce every hour some
| one would trot over 10 Bogg's room Il
| see if he had showed up, but there
was nothing doing.
! Along toward midnight, when w
| had half a dozen under our belts. we
| began TO see visions Of foul play. Bob
| Allen started il by telling Of fellow
| who was once hazed on the Same trick
| and who wandered around the woods
| all night until he became daffy. Every
| body knew the story was only a myth
of BObs invented for the occasion !;
| but, somehow, we couldn't help bar
bring up the subject Of the missing
| freshman. After a deal Of frenzicd
| suggestion we decided that we would
| get up early the next morning and 20
after him if he was still missing.
We left the campus about o'clock,
| as none Of US cOud get a wink O.
| sleep. We drove rapidly to the spot
| where We had no difficulty in finding
| the charred timbers of the fire. The
| fire had evidently not been KEEP up
very long after we left as we saw
part OF a soap box which We hal
brought from town still unburned
"A short distance from the fire we
found coat which We remembered
the freshman had worn and On il
farther the shrubbery was bent and the
gle had taken place.
We stood with blanched faces.
Hes been murdered by tramps IT
highwaymen.' whispered Doc Slater,
i hOarsely. Let's get back to town as
quickly as possible and notify the p0-
lice!'
at took a great deal OF urging and
reiteration to make the police believe
our story, and it YVES only after We
had confessed the whole story TO
Prexy that the police would Stir q
foot BOggs had now been absent TWO
days and nights, and the sergeant de-
tailed two officers to return with us
to the spot to make a further exami
nation.
''By Jove, you should have seen
those papers that afternoon. In big
headlines, Docs name appeared as
the leader of a 'cowardly band of stu
dents who had lured an innoc Mt
young man from Arizon&1 10 a probable
death. What those papers didn't say
about us was because there are certain
postal laws of which you all know.
"Prexy got busy and called us all
up on the carpet before him. He
talked low and sadly OF the terrible
death of which we were the cause.
He said he had just wired the parents
of BOggs and that the senior BOggs
was on his way to Lincoln.
1T seems peculiar, looking back IT
it from this distance, but | tell you !
felt like a murderer, and if | looked
like Doc Slater | looked like a multi
murderer. The prexy had wired our
parents, and mine ordered me to come
home at once.
4 was glad to get away, anu lost
no time in getting down to the sta
ton. There | found Doc Slater
But we didn't take the train. a To-
liceman told us that We, were under
surveillance and that We could not
leave the city.
Tuesday afternoon. We had played
Z hot IL e he i
had never met with such dire cOnse-
quences. After all. Were we to blame?
Sure not said Doc Slater, but unnap-
py Bob Allen added: Would a jury
Of our peers think sO?'
"a mighty cavalcade of students and
citizens (the city papers drew a line
line of discrimination between the
wOrdS). under the command of the
military department Of the university
was formed that afternoon which was
TO Systematically scOur The woods fer
the body Of the unfortunate Boggs
The freshman class met and passed
resolutions of sympathy. The uni
versity was closed. Grape was tied OF
the doors Of the principal buildings.
The bell on the chapel was tolled at
noon and the chaplain delivered :un-
eral Grafton.
Barneet passed and took sip of beer
I've often wondered" he cOntinGeG.
refectively, If we would have BEEN
convicted and sentenced TO hang if
Roggs had not returned 10 Lincoln on
the 3:O6 train that afternoon. He had
been TO Omaha 10 visit an old friend,
he said and resented the implication
that he had hppn murdered
The lanky freshman had hunted
snipeS before. and when we started rut
TO scare up the snipes he hiked OUT
quietly and drove back 10 the cam
pus He had daubed his coat up with
some blood and had Planned the de-
ception to queens taste. taking rs
midnight train for the city.
We were gathered together in Does
room that night, discussing a letter
which Prexy had written us indi-