Minutes of February 21-22, 1851 [An Account of Students Painting Caricatures of
Professors on
University Property, Setting Off
Gunpowder Explosions, Making an Uproar on Campus and in the
Village, and Assaulting the Faculty with Stones]
University of North Carolina (1793-1962). General Faculty
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Friday. February 21st. 1851.
The Faculty met at nine o'clock in the Library, and proceeded to investigate the
particulars of a riot which occurred the night before (Thursday 20th inst).
During the past fortnight, the following disorders have been perpetrated by some
of the students. On two successive Saturday nights, the walls of the belfry, and
in the second instance, the doors of the recitation-rooms also, have been
defaced extensively by drawings and writings in black paint, by which the
different members of the Faculty were caricatured and assailed with ridiculous
or scandalous imputations, and the college property damaged to the amount of a
considerable sum of money. Gunpowder explosions have been made repeatedly at
night before the door of the Laboratory in the
South Building
, as if designed
expressly to annoy the Professor of Chemistry within. One of these was
calculated to endanger his person as well as the building itself. The powder
being put in contact with the door, it was broken through, retorts and other
vessels inside were shivered, and the whole room as well as the passage outside
filled with smoke.
Disturbances were created Tuesday night and Wednesday night last by riding
horses, blowing horns, ringing bells &c. Yesterday evening (Thursday
20
th) an organized party of students, after much tumult
in the campus, proceeded with instruments of this kind to the
village,
creating an uproar about the houses of the Professors, and assaulting one of
them with stones. The Faculty now — 11 o'clock P.M. —
repaired together to the college buildings, and took a memorandum of all who
were found absent from their rooms without any known and satisfactory reason.
This produced a temporary quietus, although the
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riot was not entirely suppressed until one o'clock in the night.
This morning, the following students were called before the Faculty to account
for being absent from their rooms, while this disturbance was going on, and to
say whether they had any and, if any, what participation in the riot: viz, of
the Sophomore class, Messrs
Cobb,
DeRossett,
P. Green,
McClenahan,
McIntyre,
Marsh,
J. T. Taylor,
D. G. Worth
, and
A. E. Wright. Of the
Freshman class, Messiers
Brooks,
Crumpler,
Faison,
E. Graham,
Grimes,
Long,
Sawyer,
Thompson,
W. Thompson,
Walker,
Wright and
J. Wright.
The statements of each were written down by the
President
at the
time, and being read in their hearing before they retired, were acknowledged by
themselves to be correct.
Messrs
Taylor and
Worth
said they were in their rooms and had no connexion with the
disorderly party. (These had been reported absent from their rooms by mistake).
Mr A. E. Wright said he was in
Mr Lawrence's room near his
own, and had no part in the disturbance.
Mr
De—Rossett said
he was not out of the campus, that he went from the
West Building
to the
South
and back
twice, and did nothing more. Mr
McIntyre admitted he was in the campus frequently,
but denied ringing the bell or going into the
village.
Mr Cobb said he slept with Mr
Washington, but declined
to answer whether he rung the bell, or went with the party into the village or was
concerned in painting the belfry.
Messrs P. Green and McClenahan
admitted they were in the campus, but declined to answer whether they rung the
bell, or were of the party in the village.
Mr
Marsh admitted he was in
the campus,
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denied ringing the bell or blowing a
horn, but declined to answer the question whether he played the fiddle or was
one of the party in the
village.
Messrs Brooks, Crumpler, W. Thompson, Walker, Wright, & J. Wright of the Freshman class admitted they were not in
their rooms, when the Faculty visited them, but denied being of the party which
went into the village, or that they had any part in the disturbances in the
campus.
Messrs Faison, E. Graham, Grimes, Long Sawyer and Thompson
admitted they were not in their room, and did not deny participating in the
disturbances which took place in the campus and in the village.
Mr Graham disavowed any
connexion with the explosion of gunpowder against the door of the laboratory.
The investigation being now concluded, a consultation ensued respecting the four
Sophomores and the six Freshman last mentioned who did not deny their full
participation in the riot. It was moved to postpone a decision of the punishment
to be inflicted until the regular meeting of the Faculty this evening. The
motion was carried and thereupon
The Faculty adjourned
Friday. February 21st. 1851
The regular meeting of the Faculty was opened with prayer by Rev Dr
Mictchell
. All the members were present.
The reports of absences from recitation and general deportment were next
submitted.
Mr
David S. Cowan then
appeared at the instance of Prof
Hubbard
, who
reported that Mr
Cowan came
to his recitation in the forenoon in a state of manifest intoxication, so that
it was necessary to send him out of the room
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under the care of two of his classmates. Mr
Cowan did not deny the charge and was
suspended for three weeks.
It was now unanimously resolved that Messrs Cobb, P.
Green, McClenahan, and Marsh of the Sophomore Class and Faison, E.
Graham, Grimes,
Long, Sawyer, and Thompson of the Freshman class, for
participating in the disturbances of Thursday night be dismissed.
After this it was moved to inform these young men of their dismission tomorrow
morning in presence of all the Faculty. The motion was adopted, and the Faculty
then adjourned.