The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-03-30
.SOPHS PUT FRESHIE
CHIEF NEAR DEATH
Blackjacks, Chloroform, Dark
Taxis, Locked Cabins
and All.

Gustave Kemonsky. aged IS. son Of
William Kenonsky OF 26 Wavs street.
Stapleton, S. T., and the president OF the
freshman class at Cooper Union. who
had been missing sincs last Friday, re-
turned to the bosom of his family yes
tarday afternoon with a narrowing tale
of adventure by land and taxicab. It
was so narrowing, in fact, that his
father went at once to the telephone and
called the Stapleton police station. de-
manding that instant arrest and prose-
cution of sundry members of the Cooper
Union sophomore class on list OF
charges beginning with kidnapping and
ending with the worst things the police
could find out about them. But Gustave
objected
mo, father" he said. TT was only
joke"
And SO far nothing has been done
about arresting anybody, although MT.
Kemonsky considers it a queer Joke.
compounded as it was Of one blackjack
ing. one chIoroforming, one wild ride
in a taxicab from New York to Troy,
forty-eight hours in a deserted cab with
out food or drink, frantic poundings on
door, one rescue by poor but honest
farm hand and walk Of six miles from
Troy to Albany, all mixed, stirred we'll
and seasoned by anxiety. But Gustave
insists that it was all joke. reasoning,
he said, that If he gets after the sopho-
mores the sophomores will do things to
him that will be really unpleasant.
A Tale or Real Kidnapping.
| Gustavc told his adventures last night
| after he had spent several minutes In
hearty and sympathetic consultation
with a beefsteak, and what he told will
make the amateur but eager kidnapers
of Columbia and New York universities
i'll to the point of death Gustave said
that when he left Cooper Union last
Friday four members OF the sopho-
mores, masked and twirling blackjacks
nonchalantly, met him and without pre-
amble or referendum cracked him on
the head with the heaviest of the black
jacks. Gustave smiled and shook his
head. and another of the sophomores
gave him a wallop.
This staggered the president Of the
freshman class. He leaned against a
pillar Of the elevated railroad to get his
breath. but before he got it the four
masked sophomores uttered sibilant re-
marks and closed in on him.
Mercifully. they did not strike him
again with blackjack. but one pressed
handkerchief laden with chloroform
to his nostrils. He whitfield and in re-
Spouse to an earnest invitation whitfield
again. Two whiffs were enough. He
became unconscious and. of course. limp
as q rag. so that II was easy for the
sophomores to bundle him into taxicab
and whirl away with him at top speed.
The president of the freshman class of
Cooper Union does not know what route
the kidnapers travcrsed he does know
that he awakened Saturday afternoon in
deserted cabin on farm near Troy.
Alone I'm FoodIess Cabin.
He was alone, he found, after consid-
cradle yelling. and the doors and win
dows of the deserted cabin were stout
oak that defied his pushings ard beat
ings.
Sunday. Gustave said. he passed in
wishing for something to eat. Monday
he spend pounding on the door of the de-
serted cabin with hris fist and Tuesday
l he spent kicking at the door with his
feet, alternating right and left. The feet
got the results. because Tuesday after
noon farmland. wandering about on an
errand or something. heard the kickings.
But Gustave Kenonsky did not faint
when deliverance came to him. He did
not even stagger, for he recollected that
he had an uncle in Albany. and Albany
is only six miles from Troy. lie stepped
forth, gave one thankful glance at the
sky and turned to the honest farm
hand.
Much obliged" he said. and straight
way set out for Albany, unmindful of
the fact that he had been many hours
without food or drink and that he sur
fered from blackjackings and chloro-
forrnings and taxicab springs. He
walked to Albany. ate and slept and
then telegraphed his father that he
would be home on Wednesday. which
he was. His folks had been worrying
although they had received telephone
call saying that ne had been kidnapped,
but would be released soon.
Gustave said the reason the .sopho-
mores kidnapped him was because they
wanted to break ZIP the dance OF the
freshman class at the Waldorf last Sat-
urday night. But they didn't break 1t
up, because things had been paid for and
the class faIt that IL would be n shame