THE HESPERIAN
11
Before any more damage could bo done, ho
had put out his light and fled out into the
corridor, wher'3 ho trembled in company with
another member of the faculty, who had
como down from the regions above. The
besiegers could not got in, however, and at
length wont away, after somo ahoutiugs and
hangings on doors. The next day the mat
tor was explained away and hushed up.
But the basement was no ice-house, and the
body that had been left there all these days
was getting "rich." The studonts saw that
if anything further was to bo done with it, it
must bo done at once. They had secured
the skull and determined to complete their
operations at all hazards the next night. It
was Saturday, but waiting until Monday was
out of the question entirely. Everything
wont well, and they sot the wash-boiler with
its contents out to cool in the shadows of the
trees north of the building. But it could
not be hidden from at least one of tho five
senses, and the academic students soon
smcllcd it out. A party, some of whom have
since become famous and who shall bo name
less, made off with it. But thoy soon found
that they "had an elephant on their -hands
which thoy could not accomplish," for what
was to bo done with so horribly smolling an
object. But the Nebraska State Democrat
had said some very unkind things about tho
University in connection with tho finding of
the skul K and they determined to have their
rovengo. Thoy put a polo as long as pos
sible through tho handles and carried it off
down Tenth street to 0. This was done
easily enough, as there wore no buildings at
all on that street north of P. Then thoy
slipped around the corner and east on 0
street to the alloy by Baum's hardware store.
Hero in tho basement was tho Democat of
fice, and they dumped tho entire contents of
tho wash-boilor down the steps.
But tho city marshal 1 had followed thorn
down Tenth strcot. Tho whole procedure
looked suspicious to him and his mind yot
dwelt on the night before. Down by Harloy's
drug , store on Eleventh and 0 streets thoy
spied our excellent chief engineer, John
Green, who was at that time Lincoln's only
policeman. Ho got a whiff of the wash
boilor and at once began closing on tho
centre. Tho only escape was up the alloy;
but this was a blind aliey then and thoy wore
trapped. The police station was in a wooden
building on 0 street, opposite tho Democrat
office and thither thoy wore hailed. John
interceded manfully for them, urging their
youth, their inexperience, and tho fact that
studonts aro privileged characters anyway.
But tho judge was obdurate and had already
ordered their incarceration. Thoy offered
their watches as security for their appear
ance, but it was only the subscription of ten
dollars to tho official oyster and boor fund
that softened his heart. If thoy would only
clean tho mess up . Oh, thoy would do any
thing, ploase, sir ! So John found them
somo pails and brooms and they carried water
and scrubbed and washed and wasted chlo
ride of lime until tho break of day. But it
was weeks before O street enjoyed pure air
again.
Lincoln was a sleepy place in those days.
It was seldom that anything startling hap
pened. Tho University building was tho
most prominent feature of tho landscape, in
asmuch as it was tho largest building in tho
city, and good people had boon accustomed
to waking up in tho early foronoon and look
ing out upon tho expanse of tin roof for
years in tho samo old, mochanioal way.
There was no smoke or mist then, and agazo
at tho stablo tower and roof of tho Univer
sity building seemed to fortify them against
tho vicissitudes of the day. But one morn
ing tho rising populace were dimly aware
that something was wrong. That vague im
pression soon took tangible shape in tho
legond, CASH FOR STIFFS, painted in
eleven-foot letters across tho roof of tho Uni
versity. Who tho artist was is a mystery to
this day.
Up to 1885, tho chapel was a marvellous
affair. Tho platform was directly opposite
its present location. It was bare and un-
iM
m