New-York tribune., 1920-03-11
Police Join In
AS Freshmen
Battle Sophs
Columbia First Year Men,
Besieged at 'Endicott
Hotel Dinner, Quickly
Accept Challenge to Fray

By the time the reserves from a
third police station had arrived and
some one had sent in fire alarm any
one with an undamaged eye could see
that the 1920 dinner of the freshman
class of, Columbia University at the
Hotel Endicott last night was destined
to be a success.
The fire engines arrived before the
dinner really began. In front of the
hotel 200 or more freshmen were try-
ing to enter the hostelry. Three hun
dred sophomores were trying to keep
them out, and a hundred policemen,
considerably mussed up. were trying
to sort out the com batants, with no
success whatever.
For time the police debated on the
advlsability of turning the hose on
the crowd to dampen it's warlike ardor.
and several who had thrown themselves
INTO the center of the fight, with the
laudable intention OF stopping it,
crawled out, demanding bitterly that
l.
tional Guard called out.
Plate Glass Window Smashed
AT about this stage of the proceed
'ngs some one threw some one else
through the plate glass window of tho
L. ID. Shire shoe store in the Hotel
Endicott. Neither thrower nor
throwee was injured, but the window
was practically ruined ~s
AT $3.50 the dinner began to be q
success. At that time the freshmen,
VINO had gathered at rendezvous near
10th Street and Jerome Avenue, dis
EN- bar kcd from an elevated train at
Elghty-llrst street, serene in the be-
llet that they had eludcd the sopho-
morcs and would hold their anpua]
feed amid disappointing quiet.
The first freshman off the train
peered over the rail and down into the
faces Of 500 sophomores gathered
ABOUT the foot of the elevated stairs
wearing the expressions of coon dogs
about likely tree.
tor minute the about-to- be as
saulted hesitated, then Stewart Chase.
tackle on the freshman football team
pushing forward, and demanding "Bovs
are You with me ?" rushed down III ~
stairs. They were with him, momen-
tarily at any rate.
There then ensued as gaudy fight
as ever cop waaed into or pot boosted
out OF. Doleful sounds arising on the
qulet air {of evening gave neighbors
lhe impression that a couple of train
wfecEs' WI M pogrom and feeding time at
the Zoo had all happened at once.
me policeman on the beat took one
looK at what was going on, or as much
OF 1T as he could see, and sought q
telephone, with his coattails stand;nr
out behind him and his hair standing
up on top of him.
Police Reserves Called
10 the lieutenant on the desk at the
West Sixty-eighth Street station came
Dreathlcss voice shouting things onlv
half distinguishable, but what he heard
was enough to set him believing for re-
serves and patrol wagons.
BY the time they arrived at the
fray all formality Of behavior or dress
had vanished among the contestants.
Things had been done to faces. that
made them unrecognizable even to the
fondest mother. Certain of the fighters
had been stripped piecemeal to prize
ring attire, and then some.
Inc reserves attempted to arbitrate,
and retired after surprisingly brief
attempt to previously prepared posi-
tions, from which they telophoned for
reinforcements. West Tooth Street sta
tlon had forty men to send. These,
after looking over the battle-ground,
telephoned down to Forty-seventh
Street for further drafts, and if pos
sibe some field artillery.
Meanwhile, the fight had concentrated
about the entrance to the hotel, which
sophomores had barricaded and were
holding desperately. Here sudden
sortie by the sophs captured thirty
Continued on paqe siaht