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Reporters Were Cornered

Reporters Were Cornered image
Parent Issue
Day
13
Month
March
Year
1895
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

TIip Sigma Sigma liili school initernity held au nitiátion on thefair ground Friday nitrli t. Ittook place in the octagonal building oc the south side of the ground, where one or two nöctiiral "jamborees" have been held before. The Couribr and two other press reiireseutativea went up t take in tiie exercises aml were not accorded that áegree of hospitality and vvelcome that ife supposed to be tlie just due of the press. In fact their presence was looked upon as an intrusión. The fráternity npplied severa! daya ago to the inaiiageiuent of the fair ground-, asking for peruiissiou to uiake use of the octagonal house last evening. They were refused. Wben asked. why the)' wanted that particular building, 110 reply was made. BuL there is a shower bath in it. The management told them the water was turned oft', but the boys said they knevv how to turn it on. They said that oneof the directora had given bis consent to using the building, but upon inquiry he said lie had given no such consent, and wanted the whole lot arrested for trespass if they entered the grounds. But upon looking tiie matter over it' was decided that such a course woiild créate a useless scandal. So to see tliat no harni was done, the néwspapers thought it best to keep au eye on the situation. Tlieydidnot iet tuitiated. but carne awfuüy near it. The exereises of initiation are veiy syfetematic. Wlien tlie nieuibers of the press arrived, there were Wo of the fraternity boya there to reeeive them. Instead, however, of giving the grip, they passed coldly by 011 the othe side. This was about eiiht o'clock Soon two more inembers carne. Other put in au appearauce, and iinally tw others came witli the initiatory sacriñce He was blindfolded. One of his escort climbed tho high fence, and the others pushed and threw the initiate oyer. II went down with a dull thud. Soon an other bevy of inembers carne, and b 9:30 the fan begau. The press, insteat of being given seats in front, wereobliged to make provisión for theinselves. The victiin inside was evidently having a warm time. Apparently he was being made to run the gauntletand every tire he went through someone had a whack at him, wbile the whole lot bleated like a goat. First, there would comea vigorous slap, and iinmediately a subdued 'Ouch !" Tlie iuitiate was to all appearances in decolleté attire. The shower bath had not yet been brought into requisition. One of the press gang became too interested at this point in the program and unceremoniously lowered his dignity by attempting to crawl into the window. He broke a slat off and in an instant the war cry resounded inside and the press took to its heels. Tlie whole fraternity took alter three hannle.ss and defenceless newspaper men. The Jatter had two barbed wire fenees to get over. The reporter who had nueed the alarm was behind, and wlien he carne to the rirst fence his pursuers were close upon bina. Shaking them off he went over the fence, leaviug a generous portion of his left pantaloon leg. The three reporters went over the secoud fence just intime to escape capture, and pursued hy tlie raUDle tliey rail into the ofhce ot tlie strect car barns, iollowed hy cries of "Kill the spies," "Break in the door," "We'll stay here all iiight." They vvere armed with ferocious looking clubs, and fearful looks, indicative of awful vengeance, wrinkled their brows. ïhere were between twenty and thiriy such brows wrinkled. The three frighteiied(?) newspaper men cowered in one corner of the office in expectation of an awful fate, perhaps tbat of beiug smoked ont. They pleaded(?) with the street car men for proteetion. A sniall 2x4 Scotch terrier volunteered issistance, and the reporters grew gradlally oahner. Finally someone went to ,he telephone and called for Marshal anfieldto come up and finish the iniiatory program. Then a car got ready ;o start for the city and the three reporters, guarded by the Scotch terrier vnlkpii f rpmhlini'l vf 'y) nut, tn tliñ par 'liev were nut even sliot at. At the end of the th;it leads to he barn, another car was met containDg Marshal Bánfield and part of liis irce. They proceeded to the fair round and broke up the initiation, aking twenty uames and an inventory f articles used in the course of the proram, some of which would better not ;e raentioned in polite society. Thns endeth the first chapter. This tory may be continued and it may not. 'lic boys promised in all sincerity of mrpose to see the newspaper people gain. F. E. Mills denies emphatically tliat. ie gave the boys a. written permit to go n the fair gronnds last night or gave iem keys to the building, as the boys re reported to have told Marshal Bariield and others that lie did.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier