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Students of 1876-77

November 3, 1905, V. XXIII, No. 24

CHAPTER 66.

The school year of '76-7 brought a large number of very strong students. I shall first give the names of a number of Philos who entered that year for their first term. I shall only name those students whom I can place in their respective societies and will have to omit some of those as the list gets to long. First on the list I find J.M. Brown, H.C. Campbell, and J.L. Hampton. They were our first students from New Lexington, Perry county. I have lost track of Brown. Campbell is on the Pacific coast, is rich and prosperous and married a handsome Normal girl, one of two twins, a Miss Swigart. J.L. Hampton resides in Columbus and married my favorite niece, Ida A. Lehr, the most radical Franklin of all Franklins. Lulu Black, Laura Young, J.W. Zeller, I.N. Kuhn, Harry Cotton and H.H. Negley are not in the race with Mrs. Hampton. Then comes that celebrated Philo trio from Van Wert county, W.O. Bailey, L.W. Fairfield are joint owners with Prof. L.M. Sniff, of the Tri-State Normal school at Angola, Ind. They are both strong, good men. Fairfield was one of the best debaters ever on the Philo stage. I shall ever remember the contest between him and Aaron Cook who now resides in Canton. Prof. Bailey married Dora Smtih, of whom I shall speak later on.

And what shall I say of my friend L.D. Wisener? He was a student of the Normal, "off and on," at least fifteen years. It would be impossible to enumerate all the good he did for the school and for his society. He was a fine debater, a good scholar and an all around good fellow. I esteemed his friendship very highly. C.S. Barron now a Reverend, came that year, yes and the Drown girls, Eva and Zula. Eva, now Mrs. Eva Grand still writes to me about once a year. Who could forget her or Clara Maxwell, or Hattie Montgomery, later Mrs. Henry, or Hattie Cox, May Davison, or Carrie Vandervort, who was the very embodiment of culture and refinement? And that year found "handsome" Frances Brown in the Normal. I could not forget my old friend D.H. Crites, now a banker in Lima, nor must I forget Will C. Fahl, the musician, nor J.F. Miller now a prominent attorney. W.H. Mustard who prospers in business and married that excellent lady and good teacher, Lydia Jane Bybee. A.B. Nichols is now Rev. Nichols. He is eloquent. W.L. Stratton came from my Wayne county home. Nearly all the Wayne county students joined the Franklins in those days. Then there were the cow boys, Cunningham, the Kelleys, J.C. Harvey and L.A. Post. Rev. J.C. Montgomery entered that year. He was a good student and a good man. He has crossed the Jordan. Among the other Philos whom I remember are W.H. Roasberry, W.N. Unkfer, R.S. Banks, H.E. Hord, Ella Huston, Nannie Jacobs, Nannie Johnson, L.F. Pontius, Henry Marriott, Lizzie Patrick, Alanson Rogers, Lafayette Riggle, Harvey Shaw, and E.O. Wickersham. Mr. Wickersham for many years sent the Lehr family a gallon of fine Logan county maple syrup. May his years be many and his shadow never grow less. He was one of the disciples of Asa Elliott. Nor must I forget Philip Smith who traded societies with Mr. Zimmerman after the fight. Neither must I forget those loyal Philos and fine ladies, Ida Harvey and Mrs. Eliza Kyle. Miss Harvey died some years ago. Frank Hard, for many terms a Philo worker and a good student, joined that year. I shall never forget E.O. Loveland, one of my best friends. He often called to see me. Frequently he would say, "You ought to employ L.M. Sniff who was at Fostoria with Prof. Richard. He is a fine teacher." Later we employed Prof. Sniff. Mr. Loveland wrote many letters to me after he left school. I love him and esteem his friendship. He is now with the great majority. I will never forget him.

Alvena Foucht, a member of that noble Foucht family entered that year. I still meet her at Winona Lake, pleasant and good as ever. Mr. S.H. Detweiler, of Allentown, Pa., entered that year. He came from the Pennsylvania home of my parents. I shall name Frank McLees last of the Philos whom I remember of the new students. I do this because sometime in the Spring term of 1877 he and others whom I forget, but three I remember, three Franklins whom all the Franklins of the early days remember, tried to play a huge joke on the Faculty. It was spoiled by Prof. Maglott. He and Miss Sisson, now Mrs. maglott, were out studying astronomy a beautiful May evening. About midnight Prof. came and called me and told me while he and Miss Sisson were "looking at the stars" he overheard some one saying they would go to some pasture field to get a cow to put into chapel hall. I got up, put on some old clothes of which I had a large assortment and put on an old slouch hat and started forth to see what was on tap. I walked along slowly and when I got near the campus I heard peculiar whistling. I answered. Soon I saw some one approaching from what is now the Young corner. He came up, raised my hat and exclaimed, "Oh, war!" "Pardon, Professor, I didn't know it was you. McLees got us into this trouble. He told on us. We'll go for him. But get those two coming there, Tom Black and Frank Roberts." We whistled; but when the boys got within tow they broke and I after them. They gained on me; but I knew where they roomed, over what is now Kemp's drugstore. It was Eugene D. Bosworth who told me that the fellows coming were Black and Roberts. I went to their room. Some one, I do not remember now who, was sitting innocently studying, now about 1 o'clock a.m., I said, "Where are Mr. Black and Mr. Roberts?" Without a smile he replied that he guessed they were in bed. And they were. That is where I found them. They as well as I, panting for breath. I enquired of Black by saying, "What is the matter, Mr. Black, are you sick?" He said no. I told him I thought he was the way he breathed, I said I would feel his pulse. I found he still had his coat on. I told him he was too warm and began to throw back the bedding. He and Roberts got up out of bed, boots and all. We all had a good laugh. They all blamed poor McLees for betraying them. He told the boys that they had played such tricks at Northwood college in Logan county. I did not give the boys my informant. Mr. Black was an excellent Franklin worker. He resides in Kenton and is a successful attorney at law. Mr. Roberts is in the far west and has been very successful in business. I have not heard from Mr. Bosworth for some years. He was strong in debate and in the classroom.

Note: In the article last week it was stated that the citizens furnished $8000 for the first O.N.U. building. The figures should have been $3000.