The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-06-12
Own Son Taken; DediCateS
Rest of Days to AboIiShing
Rough Weeks
STOPPED AT INDIANA u.
Youth Was True to School
Until Death; Wouldn't
Approve Probe.
81 ARCH STEINEL

Out of an empty room at 2G53
Ashland avenue where deaths
fingers fingered long before taking
youth, comes the spirit of d mother
to save other boys III Indiana from
the college fraternity hazing that
she says resulted in her own boys
passing on.
The mother. Mrs. George Stein
metz, has pledged herself to a life
Of educating parents and other
youths of the end that may come
from needless, thoughtless haZing in
rough weeks" in state universities
Her son, George Bud Steinmetz
Jr died May 2 from complications
following a fraternity initiation dur
ing rough week" at the Indiana
university in February. 1928.
Notebook Details "HelP'
A notebook detailing hour by hour
the inquisition her son underwent,
and a paddle with linked names on
it in the empty room are Mrs. Stein
metz battle gerdOnS to abolish uni
versity torture of frat neophytes.
i have forgiven the boys who did
il.
But the system that permits such
cruelties-no!
Il am going to spend my life try
ing to prevent a repetition Of what
happened to my Buddy-boy," the
mother says as she sits in a chair
with the footstool her boy made at
her feet and the notebook in her
hand
This notebook, in her boys hand
writing, terms rough week"-helll
when Bud left ShortTidge in 1926
and went to Indiana he wanted to
Join a fraternity. My husband and
I asked him to wait a while. We
90 not object to fraternitieS, but
we wanted him to know what he
was doing.
He was pledged to the Delta
Chi's. He was a good student, He
was planning to be an architect, to
build homes, and buildings"
Hazed More Than Year Ago
She eyed the electric lamp, the
footstool. her Bud had made her.
Outside birds chirped and sang from
bird houses he had carved.
1T was in February and the first
of March of 1923 that he was hazed
during Rough week He was sent
after rats-rats which he caught
with his bare hands
His health was weakened by lack
of sleep, heavy cathartics, and he
caught cold.
They made him count the win
dows in a courthouse of a neigh
boring county seat.
Rough week ended and two
weeks later he came home.
He was like a plant that had
vilted away. The paddlings, the ex-
pOSure-
He never went back to school.
His weight dropped.
When he entered the university
he weighed 148 pounds. but before
his death. disease-his weakened
lungs-had wasted him to but sew
erty pounds, Just skin and bones. "
Bud was true, loyal to the last,
70 his fraternity and the upperclasS-
men who haZed him.
AS he grew worse we asked him
who they were-he wouldn't tell us.
Loyal to the End
MY husband and 1 wanted to
go to university officials then and
tell chem of conditions. but Buc
wouldn't have it. He didn't blame
them.
Then he died. .....
Would you like to see his room?
I'm keeping it just as it always was
for Bud"
The vacant room carried the spirit
of boydom. Drawings he had made
hung on the walls. A Boy Scout
rock chart hung on side-wall.
Near the right OF the empty bee
hung the paddle and around it tieo
by only a mothers hands was bow
OF black crepe paper.
Mrs. Steinmetz glanced at the
paddle. the paddle that spelled
initiation" "hazing," and caused
her boys death.
The linked names on it-Some o1
them boys who had been in hel
home to be entertained by Bud
seemed like deep cuts on the yellow
wood.
working for Billy
I'm leaving it hang there. Buc
would want it that way" she said.
After his death I heard tina
Rough week still was an instltu
49,. - %be ,,1,iverSifv
Il visited officials and they prom
ised it would be stopped. They sa!
1t is stopped now"
A door opened and an 11-year-olt
bow in knickers entered the house
This is Billy-the only one that
have got left now-now that Bud
passed on
Its for Billy-for all the Billy
growing I'D in the world-that In
going on. trying to stop the 'Rougi
week"