The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-21
Fraternity Boy Inhales Smoke
Becoming Unconscious.
Now Another Plan to Stop Mos.
quitoes Is Wanted.
A STRENUOUS NIGHT.
Cry Warns Companions Who
Rescue Senior.
BOmbardment OF One Lonely
Pest the Climax.

After spending a night with both,
the members of the Delta Phi frater-
nifty, Washburn college, are unable to
state which is the most destructive
and the most dangerous to the hu-
man being-fire or mosquitoes.
For more than week the frat
boys have been fighting mosquitoes
with fire and smoke. Last night they
fought both with the pesky mosquito
at the bottom of it all-and they
decided that the little buzzing sting
err who f1its around at night is one of
the worst pests in America-to say
nothing of Topeka.
There is one member of the frater-
nifty who will remember for years his
experience with mosquito and the
efforts he made to combat the little
Scoundrel' will go down in the col
lege annals as one of the bravest bat
ties off the football field.
All College Hill is talking about it
this morning-and somewhere lodged
comfortably in one of the big outside
rafters of the fraternity house sits a
little good for nothing mosquito-a
mosquito who will launch forth tonight
and with his fat sides full of Delta Phi
blood he will make one more slip
through the screens
Found George Unconscious.
Here is the story:
About 3 O'Clock this morning, while
all of the fraternity men were Sleep
ing soundly after an evening of sing
ing and studying in the chapter house.
muffied yell was heard by Wistar
Williams. the big ex-football star, who
lives at the fraternity home.
Rising in bed he listened and across
the hall he heard a repetition of that
yell--a yell that reminded him of days
gone by when a football opponent
would give a cry from the bottom of
the pile as a big Washburn toe was
showed into his face.
williams jumped from his bed and
rushing across the hall he beheld a
sight that he never will forget-and a
sight that few students on College Hill
will forget.
There stretched out III the middle of
the bed was w. Roy George. a college
senior. His mouth was wide open, his
eyes were bulged and blood shot and
means that can not be explained in
black type were issuing from between
his clenched teeth.
But this isn't all
Under his head were the remnants
of a pilloW-the rest was burned to
ashes and the smoke and flames were
creeping nearer the tangled brown
hair. The blankets thrown aside from
the student were smouldering and the
mattress was smoking and burning on
the edges.
The curtains on the window nearby
were ablaze and the room was filled
with suffocating fumes.
BY this time the entire fraternity
house was aroused and frat men in
pajamas of every color filled the halls,
the room itself. When the situation
was sized up one man ran to the bath
room bringing back with him shaw
ing mug filled with water. Another
stumbled sleepily downstairs to hunt
the number of the fire department in
the directory.
Resuscitated in Open Air.
The friends of Roy George in the
burning room lifted him from the bed,
took him to the outdoor sleeping porch
and poured cold water on his face and
hands. A medical student took charge
and after a few minutes of diligent
work the student was brought to his
senses.
He had inhaled smoke and flames
until unconscious his hair and
eyebrows had been singed. Outside of
this bruises and burns and good
scare he was as good as ever.
1t was several minutes before the
fraternity men could extinguish the
fire in the room. When the fire was
put out the bed carried from the
house and things we're quiet once more
Young George was asked the origin of
the fire. Were you smoking in bed?
Were there matches under your pill
low? Did some one play a joke on
YOU? was it spontaneous combustion?
What could have caused fire of this
kind?
Raising his hands to his head for a
minute and bringing back to memory
the events of the evening before,
George explained:
at had placed joss sticks in my bed
and didn't know that they would
catch the clothes afire."
But why joss sticks?" was asked.
ITO keep out the mosquitoes, of
course" answered the serior who is the
college hero today.
And as the fraternity brothers who
had gathered around him held their
breath IN wonderment a buzzing noise
was heard above their heads.
1t grew louder and louder-fnally a
little speck no larger than g. pin head
sailed majestically toward the open
window. lit on the edge of the screen,
poked his head out of an opening and
with a final buzz he flew from sight.
Three shoes, four hats, six fountain
pens and a meerschaum pipe bonn
barded the hole in the screen-but it
was too late-Mr. Mosquito had gone. |
And tonight twelve big healthy fra
ternity college men will wait With |
raised clubs for our mysterious friend, |
the mosquito-but joss sticks have |
been barred forever from the Delta |
Phi home.