SAY, do you remember the rumpus
that was kicked up just before
Christmas when some Columbia,
sophs tried to extend an invitation to that
fresh Gould kid to attend their dinner?
"Well, -what do you think? A lot ol people
who never went to college and all the
fond parents of mamma-boys- have "been
going around ever since saying what an
awful thine hazing is, and it ought to be
stopped, and the authorities are stony
hearted to let it go on, and we sophs are
Just the cruellest, most impolite boys In
the world. So there!
Bay, they don't know what they're talk
ing about, and, what's more, they
wouldn't be talking now If the sophs had
tried to take any other f reshie but .young
Gould. That's right Just because it was
Gould, everybody in the land talked.
They wouldn't have heard a word about
the rumpus If the freshman had been
Jones or Smith or some other unheard-of
greenle.
"Well, that's on the side. What I want
to say Is that hazing is all right, and if
the solicitous parents of mamma-boys
only knew it, hazing:, as conducted on
the lines laid down by sophomores, has
made a man of many a freshman who,
when ,he left nome,, would "have Jumped
half way out of his skin and yelled
"Mamma!" If you had said "Boo!" to
him in broad daylight.
Hazing is good for a lot of oher
things, too, but first let roe show you
what I mean when! I say It's fine lor
making over mamma-boys into men.
How One Sissy Was Reformed.
There was a kid entered college with
lot last year who was just about the
sweetest little lady you've ever laid
eyes on. Why, once when we'd pro
posed to paint the college fence at night
with our class colors and year, he grot
up In meeting and said, In just the
loveliest voice Imaginable:
"Mother told me not to break any
of the college rules, and I fear I'll be
breaking a college rule if I help you
paint the fence. So I hope you'll excuse
mo and let me stay in my room to
night." Mother said! What does mother
know about college rules? Why, if
we hadn't painted that fence, we'd
have broken a college tradition and dis
SOME FAMOUS WOMEN SWINDLERS OF THE PAST,
mHE methods by which Mrs. Chad'
I wick Is alleged to have obtained her J
money remind one strongly of the
clever schemes of Mary A. Hansen, alias
Kllnk, one of the most notorious "crooks"
In American police history.
Ono of the chief of Mary's numerous
crimes was committed at the expense of
a wealthy New Yorker, Frederick Boh
met in 1SS6. With the help of her hus
band, who was also a criminal, she per
suaded him that a mythical uncle had left
her 5750,000. Tho money was on deposit
in tho United States Treasury, and would
toon be paid over to her, as the Su
preme Court had decided a probate con
test in her favor. But she needed money
for lawyers' fees, and to pay for a visit
' to Washington to draw her legacy.
"What security?" Mr. Bohmet asked.
"Oh, wo shall be able to pay In a few
days, and we will give you a house and
lot. besides, to recompense you for your
kindness," said Mary. "Look at these
documents about the case!" and she
showed him several, which she had con
cocted. Mr. Bohmet handed over 52316. Subse
quently he became frightened and told
the police. While he was talking to the
sergeant at the desk, a woman entered
the station and complained that she had
been swindled out of 00 by the same
person In exactly the same manner.
Mars was arrested and brought to trial,
but she was discharged on the ground
that the money was loaned and the prose
cution had not shown that her story was
false. But Bhe was immediately rear
rested on charges of committing other
swindles. People came forward and de
clared that she had obtained large sums
from them bjVreprcscntlng that the "Sher
iff of Philadelphia" held 511,000 for her
and that she wanted to go to Philadel
phia and get the money. She had de
frauded others by stating that she owned
a number of houses in Philadelphia, and
the deeds were In the safe of a well
known lawyer there. In yet another case
sbo got money by pretending that her
husband Tiad a legacy of 5450.000 left to
him at Hanisbug, Pa., and that she had
just received a telegram which she ex
hibited to "come on and get the money."
It developed that Mary had defrauded
over 30 people by her false representations
within a few Keeks, and had received
over 530.000. The amount was small in
comparison with Mrs. Chadwlck's alleged
operations, but all financial operations,
honest or dishonest, were smaller then
than they 'are now.
The remarkable .feature of the case was
that Maty managed to escape penal servi
V )titfWt MH.fLPflHKm I It t jSP
graced ourselves in the eyes of the
whole student body, and the faculty,
too. Say, do you knov that the "profs,"
who do an awful lot of talking about
hazing for effect, wl.llo they wink the
other eye at us, are every bit as great
sticklers for tradition as we are? That's
right. Corner ono of 'cm with thls ac
cusation and see what he'll say. I'll
bet he'll say something after the style
of Frexie Butler, of Columbia, when he
was asked about the Gould rumpus. He
said hazing was all right, but the boys
ought to keep it from the public, or
words to that effect.
But about that mamma-boy. He
sealed his fate then and there, did Miss
Myers. That night a half-dozen of us,
who felt ourselves ' particularly dis
graced for having such a nice little lady
among us, and not caring to wait until
the sophs went to Miss Myers room,
got through the door by putting our
combined weight -agarnst It, persuaded
the frightened kid to arise from his
couch, and then, seating him on the
table beside his student's lamp, handed
him what the -woman we bought It of
said was a stamped rose pattern center
piece, and thread and needle, and told
him to get to work like the good little
girl he was.
A Lesson In Needlework'.
He got to work. It took him ten min
utes to hook the thread and needle to
gether then.. Jteayens, . ho ( wasn't so
sissy as we had thought and then he
started to do black roses Lord only
knows why the woman gave us black
thread. We let him struggle for half
an hour, spurring him on when hlB
fingers showed signs of weakening, or
spent too long a time sucking his fin
gers, from which he drew blood every
whlp-stltch or so. Then ono of us took
the sewing from Miss Myers' hands and
we all examined it critically and made
suggestions and so on, but all agreed
that he'd done such fine work it didn't
look any more like a rose than my cap
that he ought to finish the piece. So
we set him to work again, and he work
ed and pricked his fingers and sucked
'em and got blood all over the roses
until midnight. We left him then, af
ter we'd carried him to bed in our arms
and fondly and gently tucked him in
and patted his cheeks and said "Sweet
dreams, darling," to him.
The next day the class had another
meeting to arrange for that fence ex
pedition. We'd no sooner passed up the
roll-call and the reading of the mln-
tude. She was committed to a debtors'
Jail on a Judgment In a civil case brought
by one of her victims, but she got out in
a month or two. Then she was arrested
on an old charge, but the grand jury re
fused to indict her because her husband
and accomplice had already served five
years In prison for it
Previous to her great coup. Mary had
commit tod some big frauds of the same
character. In 1B76 she swindled a num
ber of supposedly hard-headed politicians
in Jersey City by representing that Car
dinal McCloskcy held half a million dol
lars In trust for her. When she was
tried for that offense, the cardinal de
posed that he knew nothing about her.
The woman went to jail, but three
years later she was arrested for swindling
no fewer than 20 big firms In the wool
business out of sums aggregating more
than $12,000. Like Mrs. Chadwlck, she
chose for her prey business people who
might be supposed to have their wits
about them, and she always told a story
about large sums of money being held In
trust for her.
Mary Hansen died a few years ago,
after being at large for a long time. She
may have perpetrated other swindles, but
it is generally believed that she lived
quietly and comfortably on the fortune
she had "salted away."
Lena Klelnschmidt.
Mrs. Chadwlck's life as a society leader
in Cleveland recalls the brief glory of
Lena Klelnschmidt, alias "Black Lena,"
a- notorious shoplifter, pickpocket and
swindler, who was sent to jail in the
late seventies, under most dramatic cir
cumstances. Having made a lot of money at her
crooked trade, she decided to shake off
her old associates and pose as a society
woman. She disappeared from New York
and for a long time the police heard
nothing of her.
But she had only moved over to Hack
ensack, N. J., where she built a splendid
house and furnished It in the .most lux
urious style. Costly pictures, statuary
and marble fountains were to be seen on
every hand by her astonished callers.
Her coach was the most magnificent
vehicle the guileless Jerseymen had ever
seen; even the -horses harness was
mounted In gold.
Naturally "Black Lena" began to cut
quite an extensive swath in local society.
Some people said she was a wealthy Cu
ban widow; others that her late husband
had been a "forty-niner," who struck it
rich; and yet others that she had won a
big prize in a lottery.
But "Black Lena" hxd a more artistic
story than any ef these. She got hohi of
THE "SUNDAY, OEEGOSIAX, PORTLAND, JANUABY- 22, .1905.
Wronrf?
utM and cot down to the real business
of the day. when up JumpsMlss Myers. J
"Mr. President," ne says in . "
that was far from ladylike, Tve been
thinking matters over over night, and
if it's not too late I'd like to have the
place on the committee I refused yes
terday." For a minute we all sat paralyzed. We
hadn't looked for such quick results.
Then those of us who had taken part in
the sewing bee got our senses and led-In
a rheer that made Miss Myers blush with
modesty.
Well, ho got back on the committee, and
he not only carried a pot, but did a big
share of the dobblng; and when some one
proposed that we paint the old dome, why.
wasn't that kid the first to speak up and
say he'd do-lt-and he did, though he had
to crawl up the--8tecp sides and hold on
by the skin of his teeth as he put "1WT.
where all the world could see.
We haven't called him Miss Myers since
then, and he is one of be honored, mem
bers of our class, because hazing made
him see tho error of his ways. If it hadn't
been for hazing the world would have been
afflicted with another "old woman" later
om See the point? .
Eliminating Conceit.
Then there's another good thing that
hazing does. More freshmen than .you
think come to college knowing they're the
whole show. They've graduated with hon
ors from High school; they've told their
proud fellow-townsmen In their com
mencement essays how to conquer the
world in a minute, and pointed out why
the old folks haven't got along better than
they have: they've been escorted to the
railroad station by their best girl and a
band and papa and mamma and hugged
and. kissed good-bye to the seat of learn
ing on the heights, and so they come to
college as chock full of conceit as I was
of Christmas turkey and trimmings about
a month ago." Now, what's worse than a
conceited kid? Nothing much and we
know It, we sophs, as we look back on our
own first freshman days and realize what
Idiots were were, And thank our lucky
stars that he juniors, who were sophs
then, saved us from the penalties of our
conceit So this year, early, -we spotted
the youngsters who had cornered all the
knowledge of the universe and started out
the biggest gossip In the place and whis
pered: "Don't tell anybody, my dear, but i am
the grandchild of a German East Indian
merchant who amassed a colossal for
tune in the spice trade. Poor grandpa!
He died of yellow fever, and left me all
his immense wealth. I don't" know what
to do with It"
When this news spread. Mrs. Kleln
schmidt became more popular than ever,
and her balls and parties were largely at
tended. The leading men of the town
were her Intimates, but tho best of the
women fought rather shy of her.
The manner of "Black Lena's" expos
ure sounds like a chapter from a dime
novel, but its truth Is vouched for by
Philip Farley, the New York detective
who arrested her.
She had fascinated a certain young
married man by her. dashing style and
good looks,, and presently his wife got
to know about It Stung by jealousy, she
dressed herself In male attire and watch
ed Mrs. Klelnschmldt's bouse at dusk.
To her amazement she 6aw that her
husband was watching It also. Night
after night they watched, he being Ignor
ant that she was hidden near "by him.
They both found out that at' dusk It
was Mrs. Klelnschmldt's habit secretely
to leave the "house, unless she was giv
ing, or going to, a party; and that she
went to New York.
The husband followed her one night and
found that she went to a house In New
York belonging to a woman who was ap
parently a friend of hers. His wife fol
lowed behind him and noted the same
fact
Next day the wife told the husband that
she was going to New York. Accompan
ied by an old schoolmate, she shadowed
the house to which Mrs. Klelnschmidt
had gone, and presently saw her emerge
in disguise. They followed her to Broad
way and saw her pick a woman's pocket
and steal some valuable laces from a
store.
The extravagance of the Queen of
Hackensack had reduced her fortune.
Bhe had been obliged to return to her
old ways of making money.
The amateur detectives went to Po
lice Headquarters and reported what
they had seen. The wife arranged with
the captain that she would try to trap
the thief.
"She'll' be there, again tomorrow, I
guess," said .the captain. "Walk near
her. well dressed, and she will be suro
to notice you. When you see that she
does, let your friend hand you a roll of
bills. Let Lena see them, and then
put them In your purse. She'll attend
to the rest Bpt you had better put
something else In the purse something
Xot
opnomo
ATAY0R1TE AY(CVm & i
to save 'em. We saved most of them, and
this is the way we did It:
Whenever a country kid leaves for col
lege his home paper writes, him up for fair,
nriri cIvm him. a. tvooirraphlcal send-off
-that makes Mm cfot to be .the" paragon of
all things intellectual. Well, neany au
the conceited freshmen had come from
small towns, for sonte reason or other, and
we sent to thole home newspapers and
got copies containing the encomiums. Then
we went after the freshles with cold type.
We visited. each In turn. Induced him to
mount to the mantelpiece In his room and,
while clinging with his back to the wall,
to read over and over again what his pa
per had T pay-abHtSin. -As he read, we
applauded " and Interpolated good word.
Isn't It? and praised Vach telling point
and vociferously agreed with the writer
that the subject would undoubtedly gain
all the honors at 'college and grab off
everything else In sight
I guess we made each freshman read his
little piece .over 50 times or more, and he
hail to read lb each Time as if he relished
It and put In ihe proper gestures, and ex
plain, when called on, how he attained
this virtue or that chunk of knowledge.
It was all bitter as gall to every man, but
every blessed one of 'em saw the error of
his way, and has gone about In all hu
mility ever since, and is now a decent fel
low. But what if mamma had seen her
precious boy pasted to the wall under
going the torture of reading what a fine
bit of human flesh he is! We'd have been
called horrid old things, sure, when all
the time we were the precious boy's ben
efactors. That's right
Finding Out the 'Squealers."
Well, there's another thing that haz
lng"s good for, and that's for the way it
reveals you to one another. It shows up
that can be better Identified than
the
bills."
A dIamond ring, which had been pre
sented to the woman by a bazaar com
mittee, was put In, and the plot worked
admirably. Mrs. Klelnschmidt stole the
purse, but the two women let her go, tell
ing tho watching detectives that they
would have her arrested later.
A few nights afterwards Mrs. Kleln
schmidt gave her most ambitious ball.
She was at the pinnacle of her glory, be
cause the woman whose husband she had
beguiled had announced her Intention of
being present She was at the top of lo
cal society and had disdained "Black
Lena's'.' previous Invitations, so that her.
capitulation was a great triumph.
When the ball was at Its height the
much-desired guest appeared. She was
in walking dress, and a detective followed
her.
"I'm sorry to Interrupt you all,"
she said, quietly, "but this woman Is a
thief."
The guests stared in amazement
thinking she had gone crazy, but she
continued:
"It's surprising, isn't It? Yet she
picked my pocket on Broadway a few
days ago. There's ray ring on her
finger now. You must all remember
that one you gave me at the bazaar."
"Black Lena" tried to bluff it out.
but she had o give up.
"Well, Tve had a bully good time!"
she told the detective. "I've shown
these silly asses how to spend money.
Are we going over to little old New York
tonight?"
"Yes. Come along!" said the officer,
and that was the end of "Black Lena's"
brief career as a society leader.
" Ellen S. Peck.
Ellen S. Peck, the "confidence queen,"
made great sums of money by Ingen
ius frauds In the seventies and eighties.
Before 1S73 she was a petty sharper, but
In that year she swindled B. T. Babbitt a
soap manufacturer, out of $19,000. and rose
at a bound to a high place In the hier
archy Ht thieves.
Mr. Babbitt had heen robbed a short
while before of more than .5500,000 by some
of his employees. Ellen went to him and
represented that she was a female detec
tive and could get his money back for
him at a comparatively small cost So
plausible was her story that he gave her
the 519,000 she asked and that was the
end of it Or. rather, it was not; for six
years later her husband had the- effront
ery to sue Mr. Babbitt for 5100,000 dam
ages for his action In trying to recover
the money from his wife.
Mrs. Peck was concerned in scores of
similar swindles for larger or smaller
amounts between the years 1878 and 1S3.
One of her frauds was very much like
OnTour
the squealers and shows who has nerve
-and can be depended on ifrthe friendships,
the emergencies and the tight' corners of
the college World. Men Arid all this out
about one another in the inquisition of
business; we can't find all this out about
one another In the classroom, because the
profs ruje there; 05 on the athletic field,
because a man can be champion hurdler
of the college and the worst sort of a
squealer on the- side, for all. his mates
know; or In the social life of the college,
because It's ruled -by the laws of polite
society; -so . we're forced to discover all
this by hazing, to a large extent and
such has been the custom for hundreds of
years before us, and will continue to be
for hundreds of years after us. That's
quite a lot of reasoning for a soph, ain't
it? But now let me show you what I
mean.
Last year when we had been freshmen
about two months, a half-dozen of us
were politely asked to meet a like num
ber Of sophs In the woods back of the col
lego at 9 o'clock that night With fear
and trembling, as the novel says, wo met
them and were told that the sophs pur
posed being our hosts for the next few
hours, and would give us some lively
entertainment according to college tra
dition, and did we want to Join the Great
that of Madame Humbert's, and it Is
conceivable that the notorious French
woman may have taken a hint from her
career.
She hired a compartment In a safe de
posit vault and forged upon the rent
receipt specifications of diamonds and
other valuable securities. Then she pre
tended that she could not get at the com
partment because- the articles In it were
the subjects of litigation precisely the
Humbert method.
By exhibiting the receipt and telling
this sjory, Mrs. Peck raised many
large loans one of them from a noto
rious "fence," who was himself an un
usually shrewd sharper
Ellen had. Indeed, no Idea of "honor
among thieves." She would rather swin
dle a thief than an honest man. As a
police Inspector who knew her well says,
"she delighted In outwitting professional
criminals and Invariably succeeded In her
tricks." She also acted as a "stool pig
eon" for the police and brought about the
arrest of the notorious Julius Columbanl.
Columbanl had broken Into a house on
Statcn Island In 1SS2 and stolen 514.000
In bonds. Two years later he met Mrs.
Peck at the Astor House and suggested
that she should give him 53000 for 510.000
worth of bonds, which he had not been
able to negotiate. They haggled over the
price, and then -arranged to meet again
and conclude the bargain.
In the meantime, Mrs. Peck went to the
police and told them all about the matter,
offering her aid to entrap Columbanl. De
tectives were put at her disposal, and she
arranged to signal to them as soon as she
was sure that Columbanl bad the bonds
on his person.
The man and woman met and entered a
saloon, "shadowed" by the detectives.
"It's a damned risky business," Colum
banl growled, as they haggled again over
the price of the bonds. "I don't like it at
all! I don't trust you, somehow!"
"I'm taking most of the risk," retorted
the woman. "I'm playing my good, money
against your doubtful bonds."
Columbanl looked at her suspiciously,
his eyes blazing with anger, and asked
abruptly:
"Do you know Inspector Byrnes?" the
very police officer to whom she had be
trayed him.
Without the flicker of an eyelid the
woman replied that she did not
"Well." said the man, "If you give me
away I'll kill you. I've got a pistol and a
knife here now. J've been in state prison,
and I'd sooner kill myself than go back
there. The keepers are all down on me
because I rounded on them when I gave
evidence about prison life before the As
sembly committee. They'll kill tax by
inches if I ever get back into their
Life!
Squared Circle of the Knights of the
Freeze? We said we did, and then we
were blindfolded and led heaven only
knows where, and at last were made to
stand still and told' that we were EOUig
to have our feet and arms bound, well,
there was a shindy right away, and 1 11
bet those sophs got some hard knocks
they looked It next day, anyway but at
last they got us tied up. and before we
knew It we were rolling down a bare
steep slope and one after another going
kerplunk! into the creek at Its" base.
After we had been considerately fished
out and had regained breath, ono of the
fellows got an awful attack of weak
knee3. He stormed and protested that
he wasn't being treated right, and de
manded that he be untied, and swore he
wouldn't cro any further.
"Very well," said the sophv. and untied
him and let him go, and neither they nor
we have had anything to do with him
ftlneft that nlKht. Tou see. hd squeaiea
because he was getting a few hard
knocks, and the boy who doesn't keep a
stiff upper lip in college, come wnat may,
Isn't liked any more than the man who
weakens every time an 111 wind blows his
war.
Well, the five of us who were left were
put through the paces for fair. We were
run a couolo of miles so we'd warm
up; then when we reached a bridge over
the same creek Into which we had xouea.
we were lowered Into it by means of a
rope and once mora thoroughly soaked.
Then more running, this time xour miles.
with switches to urge us on and a sopho
more as a load on your back every once
in a while. Eventually, we reached the
spot where the feast wa3 spread, and we
all sat down and ate and sang college
Bongs and were "Jolly good fellows" with
one another, and thenceforth have been
good friends, because we had been tried
out and found out one another. Hazing
is at the bottom of many a friendship.
Show nerve anywhere and you'll get
credit and everybody likes to have
BY BASSETT STAINES
clutches. So, If you give me away, I'll
kill you and myself, too."
. To emphasize his threat; Columbanl
took a revolver from his pocket and lev
eled It at the woman's head. '
She was "grit clean through."
"So you've got it out at last, have you?"
she sneered. "You coward! I'm a woman,
but no man ever frightened me yet Look
here! I carry one of these thlng3 my
self." She drew a revolver from the bosom of
her dress and pointed It at him. So they
stood fon a few moments, rigid as statues,
each having the other "covered."
The detectives, watching outside, saw
the incident and in their excitement made
an incautious noise that betrayed their
presence. Columbanl darted past them
and escaped, throwing away his stolen
bonds. He was arrested next day, con
victed, mainly on Mrs. Peck's evidence,
and sentenced to 11 years In State prison.
Mrs. Peck was even more successful
than Mary Hansen In dodging prison.
Sho employed the best counsel out of the
proceeds of her numerous swindles and
exhausted every legal expedient to ot-feat
Justic She swindled Babbitt out of 519.000
In 137S, but she was not sent to jail until
1SS5, when she got four and a half years
In the penitentiary for defrauding a lead
ing life Insurance company out of 53000.
There were many other indictments
against her at that time; Indeed, she had
been made the defendant In not fewer
than 21 civil and criminal cases.
On the other hand, she and her husband
had brought 15 civil actions against her
victims, similar to the suit of 5100,000
against Babbitt That was her favorite
plan for delaying justice. As soon as she
had swindled anybody, she would bring
an action against him, either In her own
I name or her husband's, and pose as the
in j urea party.
Bertha Heyman.
Bertha Heyman, alias "Big Bertha,"
was another famous "confidence queen"
contemporary with Mrs. Peck. Her oper
ations, however, were not so extensive or
picturesque, though she Is supposed to
have made hundreds of thousands of dol
lars out ot the business. Inspector Byrnes,
formerly .head of the New York Detective
Bureau, regarded her as "one of the
smartest confidence women in America."
Sophie Levy.
Another woman "crook" who made
large sums of money in the seventies and
early eighties was Sophie Levy, alias Ly
ons, a blackmailing adventuress. She was
the wife of a notorious bank burglar, and
their two sons became thieves. Her own
mother was a shoplifter, so that the fam.
ily affords a good argument for believers
nerve. Then, too, Tiavlnj
sort - of healthy-jwhat do
Kyou call It ccmaraderie, and such a stats
Is good for one and all and the college, to
P&oot
Ask the Old College Man.
Just you ask an. old college man what
rho thinks of hazing. No, don't aek It
that way ask if be think hazing is a
good thing. Ten to ona he'll say- yes.
and maybe he'll add: "If it Isn't carried
too far." Ask him If he ever know; per
sonally, of its being carried too far, and
he'll say no, more than likely. Well, he'll
be telling you the truth in all his replies.
Every once in a while you hear of hazing
being carried too far, but not often.
We're human, Just like the rest of the
world, and we dont believe in piling It
on too hard, and often when you hear
that some of us have done so. If yoird
take the trouble to Investigate you'd find
that the tale was the' work of some
squealer who'd exaggerate, just like tho
Gould affair was exaggerated by outsid
ers. Why, those sophs didn't want fo
harm tho child. They just wanted fo take
him to" their dinner that was all. And he
fired a pistol at 'em! Huh! Do you know
what he should have done when he saw
the sophs bearing down, on him? Faced
'em, rolled up his sleeves and said: "Now,
come on, one at a time.' They'd have
done so, and the child would have won
their respect. As It is now well, say, I'm
thankful I've taken my knocks with grace
and been taught some needed lessons by
them, and made some good friends among
the hazers in the bargain. And I got all
that was coming to me no more, no Jess
Just what the average freshman gets,
that's all. Don't look as if I'd been
bunged up for life, do I? Well, I guess
not; and I'll tell you, right now, it'd be
a darned sight less wearing on me to take
a hazing than have to do a page of Hor
ace over again. It'd be more fun, too.
You bet!
Wont more reasons why hazlng's a
good thing? Wish I could tell., you now,
but it's the hour for Philosophy No. 2.
But there comes Prexle across the
campus. Tou go down to his office, get
him to talking, and I'll bet he'll give you
a long string of reasons. One will be that
it's a fine thing for keeping the college
spirit up to top notch. Prexle ought to
know. He's seen sophs hazing freshmen
every year since the seventies; and ever
since I've been here he's winked at the
good old custom, and once I saw him
smile when: a prof told him what he'd
heard had happened to a bunch of fresh
men who came back from their trials
with beautiful red and blue stripes tha
college colors between their shoulder
blades. Prexie's all riiit, and he's on
of the reasons why hazing Is not wrong
not on your life! Copyright 1905.)
GUT T. VISKNISKKI.
in the theory that crime is a hereditary,
disease. - ,
Mrs. Levy made her debut as a black
mailer by decoying a. wealthy Boston
merchant to her room at a hotel. Shf
threatened him with exposure If. he did
not fill out a check "for 510,000. He did so,
but it happened that his bank account
was a bit short of the amount Ques
tions were asked and the plot exposed,
but the merchant refused to prosecute.
Sophie was, therefore, able to go on with
her nefarious work, until it was estimated
that she had extorted over 5200,000 from
various persons in known cases.
In one case she. did not even visit or
threaten her selected victim, who was a
prominent man in Grand Rapids, Mich.
She merely sat down every day, for weeks
on end. In front of his house the Infer
ence being, ot course, that she had a
claim on him and was merely waiting for
him to acknowledge It He didn't When
he could stand It no longer,, he turned
the hose on her, and then thrashed a
man who ran up to take her part. That
ended his persecution.
Sophie served several short terms In
prison, but never received adequate pun
ishment for the outrageous manner In
which she blackmailed scores of business
men In all the big cities of the country.
BASSETT STAINES.
Science for the Young.
Thoughtful llttl Willie Frazer
Carved Ma name -with father's razor;
Father, unaware of trouble.
Used the blade to Shave his stubble.
Father cut himself severely.
Which pleased little WUHe dearly
"I have fixed my father's razor
So It cuts!" said "Willie Frazer.
Mamie often wondered why
Acids trouble, alkali
Mamie, In a manner placid.
Fed the cat boraclo acid,
"Whereupon the cat grew ' frantic
Executing- many an antic.
- "Ah I" cried Mamie, overjoyed,
"Pussy is an alkaloid!"
Arthur with a Hztted taper
Touched the Are- to grandpa's paper.
Grandpa. leaped a. foot or higher,
Dropped the sheet and shouted ,Fir!'
Arthur, wrapped in contemplation,
"Viewed this scene of conflagration.
"Ihlz." he said, "conflnns my notion
Heat creates both light and motion,
Wee, experimental Nina
Dropped her mother's Dresden china.
From a seven-story casement
Smashing, crashing to the basement.
NUia, somewhat apprehensive.
Said: "Thi9 china is expensive.
Yet It proves by demonstration
Nev-Voa'a law of gravitation."
t-Saturday Svtnlnx Voic
!