The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-11-11
A STRENUOUS TIME.
Reading Accounts of Strenuous
Events Reminds Snyder of an
Event During College Days.


Event During College Days.
To the Editor of The Robesonian;
/ have recently been reading
accounts by different men Of the
most strenuous events of their
lives, and it has put me to think
ing of some things that have
happened to me during the short
time that have encountered the
earth's surface. l have gone
'possum and coon hunting by
night, have fished for cat during
the dark hours of the morn, have
missed morning lessons and have
seen the teacher Strengthening
out the pliable hickory switch;
went through somewhat of the
lite war and have participated in
many a deadly breach; but some
how or other | never was panic
stricken but once, and that was
when I was in college, now some
years passed,
The colonel under whose juris-
diction / lived, moved and had
my being, belonged to the old
school of disciplinarians whose
words were law, and whose ac-
tons admitted of no appeal. In
those days there were no foot
ball or baseball games to distract
the ambitious youth from the
high contemplation of the beau
ties and excellencies of the dead
languages, and the delightfulness
of integral calculus, and other
'et ceteras'' that filled up the
entire day. It is true that some
of the boys did drink a little
whiskey now and then in order
to relieve their mental strain, |
and as there was no prohibition
then they We're. not much to
blame. Gov, Swain was then pres
ident of the University and was
one of the grandest and greatest
of men at least | thought so at
that time. TWAS as much as a
freshman's life was worth to at
tempt to speak to him, and there
was always a war of offence and
defense between him and the
sophomores. The juniors were
allowed some. privileges, and
when one became a senior he
was allowed occasionally to shake
the presidents hand.
But started to tell of the in
cident referred to above. There
wasn't the best feeling between
the students and the county peo-
pie in the vicinity of the college,
occasioned principally by the mis-
behavior Of. the boys when out
on country junketing. On one
occasion the writer was one of
half dozen boys who hired hack
one night to go out some miles
in Chatham county to hear eel
ehrated preacher who was hold
inga protracted meeting. We Il
hadn't gone far when some of
the fellows began to pull sundry
suspicious-looking bottles from
under their seats, and then Ill
feared we were in for it. By the
time we arrived on the grounds
some of the crowd were not in a
fit condition to attend church,
and the police, getting out war
rant, were proceeding to arrest
us, and would have done so if
grand old Cozart hadn't drawn
his pistol and threatened to shoot
the first man that dared to Law
his hands on US, and at the same
time ordering us to enter the
carriage, which we speedily did, |
and soon were safe in our rooms. |
II the police had succeeded in ar
resting US their intention was to |
land US in Pittsboro jail. It was
during the Interference in our be-
half OF Cozart, who was one of
us. that the strenuousness of
the occasion occurred; for felt
that when the colonel heard of
our imprisonment life would have
no further interest for me.
Snyder.
Red Springs, N. c., Nov. 6,
1909.