Dear father. I have just heard the sentence of expulsion pronounced against two of the students. viz Augustus Alston and Leonidas King ; for having on last thursday night, committed violence upon upon the persons, of some of the faculty viz. Mr Betner , Mr Sanders ,—and it is said that Mr Mitchel , the now president2 received several blows, both from Alston and King , though he has [no] appearance of it now. These acts of violence were committed in a time of intoxication. I did not see any of the engagements that took place though one was ensued in thirty steps of my room between, Alston & Mr Sanders after which, Alston ran into my room and requested that I should give him a knife (which I refused) as Mr Mitchel & Sanders had both been upon him. Betner is confined to his room; though not from the blows he received but from spraining his ancle by some means in the contest. A. & King were expelled at a meeting of the trustees to day, and the sentence pronounced by judge Ruffin .3 There have been three others dismissed this session.4 I received your's a few days since together with such clothes as you mentioned. I negnected in my last to say any thing about my gloves. the reason why they come back was becauseI neglected to take them out of the saddlebags with my other clothes, and am glad that they are sent back again. I am well, & all of the students again or nearly so, the deaths (as I before observed) that have occured here were caused by the bilius fever and one by the nervous or Typhus fever.5

1. Leander Hughes Papers, SHC. The letter is addressed "Mr Jno. Hughes./ Patrick, County/ Penn's Store Va."; "via Salem" appears in the lower left corner. The postage endorsement reads "Chapel Hill/7 Octo} 18."

2. Elisha Mitchell assumed the president's duties during the 1824-25 academic year, while Joseph Caldwell was in England purchasing books and scientific equipment.

3. Battle's history of the University contains the following account of the "flagrant outrage":

A. A. and L. K. loaded themselves with whiskey in the village grog-shop, and arming themselves, one with a club and the other with a pistol, "sallied forth for the purpose of attacking the persons of different members of the Faculty." They committed "violent outrages" on two of the persons hunted. (Battle 1:298; see also Faculty Minutes 3:49-50, UA)

After investigating the matter, the faculty met on October 2, 1824, with the trustees living in Orange County: Thomas D. Bennehan, Duncan Cameron, Francis L. Hawks, Thomas Ruffin , James S. Smith, and James Webb.

The young criminals expressed their regret for their misconduct, but it appeared to the authorities assembled impossible that the peace and good order of the institution could be maintained, if such outrages were permitted to pass without exemplary punishment. The said A. A. and L. K. were therefore expelled. As we now say, "the line was drawn" at cudgelling the Faculty with sticks, while looking into the muzzle of loaded pistols. (Battle 1:299)

Judge Thomas Ruffin evidently pronounced the sentence in front of the full student body assembled in Person Hall.

4. Faculty minutes reveal that on September 6, 1824, James N. Forsyth was dismissed for "having disfigured the walls of the College by making vulgar inscriptions upon them" (3:47, UA). On September 8, 1824, James Rhodes and Joseph J. Ryan were dismissed for "making a disturbance in Person Hall on Monday Evening last, when the students were assembled for Public Prayers" (3:48, UA). In all three cases the students either had been before the faculty for previous misconduct or had refused to apologize for their behavior. Upon sending the faculty a letter of regret, James Rhodes was restored to the University on October 11, 1824.

5. Three students died in August and September of 1824 (Battle 1:301). One is unidentified; the other two were North Carolinians William H. Beard and Zenas Johnston (1805-24) , both of whom had entered the University in 1822. Elisha Mitchell , believing that the students had brought their illness from home following the summer vacation, was concerned enough to recommend to the trustees that the University hire a resident physician. On December 19, 1824, James S. Smith, a physician and trustee, endorsed Mitchell's recommendation, but the board defeated the proposal.