The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-19
.KTDNAPPINGS START
RIOT BY STUDENTS
Their Officers Stolen, Colum-
bia Freshies Battle Sophs in
Columbia Circle.
POLICE RESERVES CALLED
Four Captives Used to Enter.
tain TOrmentOrs, but First
Year Men Get II Hostages.

The freshman and sophomore classes
of Columbia College, which have been
more or less quiescent for the period
of the war broke loose again last night
and the annual dinner OF the sophomore
class at Reisenweber's Restaurant was
preceded by one of the grandest and
most enjoyable little riots that Colum-
bus Circle has ever seen, because the
freshmen had become very. very angry
when they learned that the sophomores
had kidnapped the four officers of the
freshman class and contemplated using
them in lieu OF vaudeville entertain
mont for the delectation OF the sopho-
more diners.
The freshmen met the sophomores in
Columbus Circle, and it required more
than three thousand enthusiastic spec
tators and all the police reserves from
the West Forty -seventh street police
station to pry them apart. When the
battle was over the sophomores retained
the kidnapped freshman officers and the
freshmen had knocked out seventeen
sophomores and hauled them into the
wilds of Central Park IN a moving van.
Sophomore Dinner II Merry.
At a late hour this morning the sopho-
mores' dinner was still proceeding nois-
fly and a good time was being had by
all. with the exception OF the freshman
officers, who. according to bulletin
were learning how to drink beer out
of a sophomores boot. Freshman scouts
said that II this were so seventeen
sophomores held prisoner in Central
Park were most awfully out OF luck.
For years II has been the ambition of
both classes to capture the other side 5
officers and teach them some manners, TO
say nothing OF giving them a chance to
develop such histrionic talent as they
might possess. But no one was ever
able to do this until last week. when
Ralph Forsytne, chairman Of the sophie
mores' dinner committee and n youth OF
an amazingly agile mind, led n selected
band Of desperate sophomores in raid
and came back with the four freshman
officers-Francls F. Fargo, Ormond De
Kay, Herbert Hassinger and Lester
Watson-securely bound and gagged
For one night they were kept In the
home OF a sophomore officer. and then
they were taken by force down to a
place on Long Island. the name of which
the sophomoress won't dlvulge
The next day after the kidnapping
Forsythe appeared at Relsenwebers and
hired banquet hall for last night in the
name OF the Carson Club, which he said
was a Brooklyn uplift organization.
Monday morning freshman scouts began
getting on the trail OF their kidnapped
officers, so the freshman heads were
taken by their abductors over into Con-
necticut. where they rested at an aban-
doned farm. guarded by sophomores. I'M
til about > o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Tied Under the Table.
Then they were tied and gagged and
bllndfolded and brought to Reisenweber 8
in taNicabs, spirited into the banquet hall
and tied together under the table. with
piece OF bread to eat and lots of things
TO think about. The gags were left in
place except when a guard was there. for
fear the language of the imprisoned ones
would set the place on fire.
The freshmen heard about all this
and mustered all their forces. About
nifty of them drove up to Reisenweber s
about s o'clock with two big moving
vans and surrounded the restaurant. The
rest of the freshmen went to Columbus
Circle. The sophomores met In the Circle
a little after S and started - march to
the restaurant. when they were set upon
by the freshmen. There were about ESQ
in each crowd and the battle ragged right
merrily until the police reserves came.