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BASEBALL SEASON OF 1909 University Team Will Play Much Stronger Clubs Than Last Season. After the glorious season of 1908 it seemed only fitting that we should use our victory as a "stepping-stone" and strive upward for higher and nobler laurels. Then, too, a college never rises any higher nor has any better teams than the ones she plays, and for these reasons, as well as many others, it was deemed best to get out and play larger institutions of more fame and note than the ones we have usually played. Carolina is not in the S. I. A. A., and to continually play such teams is inflicting too much of a hardship on some of the best material in college. This is a State institution, with its law course, and its many other attract ive branches of study, and naturally, we have many students ffom various colleges, and, to conform to the above rules is unfair to the University as well as to her students. There is no doubt that athletics has much to do with influencing a young man in his selection of a college. It works on the same principle that: "It takes money to make money." The college that puts out good, clean, sportsmanlike athletics against strong teams of some notoriety will naturally be attractive to the "sports-loving" young American. Thus it is our aim to maintain this standard and we will naturally draw athletes, and more es pecially the better class of athletes. The baseball team is only allowed six days away from college, and we have arranged games with some of the best teams in the country. Our season will probably open in Columbia, with Davidson, on April 5 and 6. Then there are some unsettled dates until we take the road for our northern trip, April 13. Davidson, this time, is first; the game will either be played in Chester, Davidson, Charlotte, or Salis bury. North Carolina comes next, April 14, and the game will probably be played in Charlotte, Greensboro, or Chapel Hill; then come the two big games with the University of Virginia, April 15 and 16, in Charlottesville, during the big Easter week celebra tion. The 17th is still open, with the probability of filling it either with Randolph-Macon in Ashland, Va., Georgetown in Washington, or the Navy in Annapolis. The team will spend Sunday in Washington and come home that night to be in readi ness for the game with Wofford, April 23, in Spartanburg, during their big spring festival. All the time allotted us, awvay from home, having been con sumed, we wvill probably not take an other trip) unless a game can be ar ranged in Charleston during one of our regular spring holidays. The home schedule is not yet com plete, but after Davidson comes. Fur man, College of Charleston, Citadel, andl probably some others. A good coach will be secured and with the team in his and Captain Bel ser's charge, the best attefltion and training will be given, and every one can rest assured that he will be given an impartial try-out. The expenses, as can bhe readily seen, will be unusually large, and the stud(ents will be called upon to show their willing and loyal "college spirit," both by subscriptions and attendance at games. The Columbia League team has games scheduled for some of the same days as ours, and to a great ex tent our success is left with every stu dent. The Campus Fire. It was on the night of January 17, at i i:30 "Chick" Addickes had re turned from Ben David's, where he had ordered and consumed oysters 12. The "Hoeytite" from the northern re gions had bellowed across and through the campus for the last time and had gone to his lair, Cooley had given his snakes their last frog and kissed each a fond goodnight, when suddenly there was a great commotion over near DeSaussure College, "a hurrying to and fro" like that heard on the campus on the night of the Russell tin-pan commotion. Many of the students were lost in the embrace of sleep, but were awakened by the resounding voices of excited men. "Chick" Ad dickes, sleeping restlessly because the dainty bits eaten had quite bankrupted his sleep, remarked to Youmans that it was "Grease" Graydon from a Sun day night call. Irving Belser, sound in slumber, moved and said: "Be still, Roy." Somebody very tall, by the name of Body, innocently strolling up the walk in front of DeSaussure College, saw a light in Mace's room, remarking that "I will inform the fire company," he strolled down the street by Professor Colcock's house, singing "A bright day is coming, by and by." He reached the fire company's headquarters, and in a pathetic manner notified them that there was a little fire upon the cam pus. Then he set out on his return, feeling like a monk who had be friended a needy stranger. In the meantime tie fire grew and the reflec tion lighted the campus so that Dr. Wauchope's chickens left their roost. The fire company arrived, loaded with chemicals. But it was simply impossi ble to force the door. Mace was in hysterics because of the probable fate of his derby. Someone said "Russell." The tall form touched the door, the locks snapped, the door flew open, "Red" fell in the room on the door. The firemen, taking the rising "Red" for. the leaping flames, emptied their chemicals on his head. Then these chemicals, like Aaron's beard, flowed downward to his feet, and succeeded in moistening those broad areas. About this time Victor Rector, the conquering, stamped out the fire and left the scene, mumbling something like veni, vidi, vici, Victor suni. The derby was not burned ; Russell's hair has been cleaned, his feet dried by twvo of Callison's sheets. Butt the ori gin of the fire is as yet unknown. Some say one thing, others another. The consensus of opinion is that it was a p)remeditated attempt to burn to death Mace, and thus stop .those nightly screams that so upset the nerves of the old lady who delights to hear the Graydon graphophone grapple. But, howvever this may be, it is still true that Mace is still alive and fat, his derby is unhurt, and Rector is Victor. Judge Gary has granted bail. to Moody, charged with arson with intent to burn Mace. He will be triedt on February ist. It will be recalled that Moody coached the Faculty team in their game against the team of Captain Gene Sulliven. Recorder's Court on the Campus When Judge Gary opened court on Monday morning, a few desperate characters were in the prisoners' box. Clerk Littlejohn read the list of sin ners, the first of which was Mademoi selle, who was charged with unlady like behavior in second Math., the said defendant having thrown a pindar shell at Buie, which struck him in his e,xternal occipital protuberance. "Dill," who is a niighty man, appeared and testified against her. Seminole Offi cers also testified against her, but Judge Gary overruled his testimony, as he is a business partner of Buie. After hearing all the testimony pro and con, Judge Gary was shocked at the behavior of the said defendant, but as this was only Mademoiselle's sec ond appearance in court the Judge al lowed her to go after instructing her to read "good morals and gentle man ners." That celebrated jurist, ex-Judge Fromberg, appeared in the interest of Buie and Officers. After threshing the graft case out it appeared that Buie and Officers had made suitable settlements with all their creditors. The Judge therefore dismissed the case. By far the most serious case of all was "Red" Russell, Bealing, Alexan der, and Hearst, charged with arson, which is a capital offense. "Red," who appeared to be the chief conspirator, testified that his reason for attempting to burn Mace up was that he was a public nuisance, his yelling every night disturbing the campus. It seemed that the said prisoners had built a fire in front of the fireplace and then locked the door. After the fire spread it attracted the attention of all the students, who found the door locked. While they were searching for an axe to break the door, "Red" quietly placed his "No. 41" against it, and it flew open. The fire department was called and the fire extinguished. A most amusing thing was the firemen mistaking "Red's" hair for the fire, and they consequently deluged him with a four-inch stream. The evi dence clearly showed that they were guilty, but Judge Gary was con strained to dismiss them, as they were trying to rid the campus of a notorious criminal, one Mace, alias "Bulldog," alias "Derby Mace." The Judge finally' dismissed thenm with a word of warn ing not to take part in such an esca pade again. The docket having been cleared, the Judge dlismissed court, sine die. When the Recorder adjusted his steel-bowed spectacles and judicial frowvn Tuesday morning there was but one culprit before him. "Your name ?" "John L. Sullivan, sir." Well, John L., you are charged wvith wilfully, maliciously andl feloni ously publishing, circulating and dis semina'ting sundry and several libelous statements about your fellow-students in the Gamecock. Are you guilty or not guilty ? Yes, or no?" "No, sir, I-T.--I-." "rhe 'I's' have it, and you are ad judged liable for libel. The sentence of the Court is-" "Make it short, please your Honor," faltered John L. "Certainly-only five words long ten dollars or thirty days." "But, Judge, Doney meant to steal a march on the boys-" "Larceny, five dollars more1" "I mean, your Honor, that I did it just for mischief." "Malicious mischief, ten dollars1" "The Court is mighty hard on me for .an innocent joke. I take life as seriously at -tiines as anybody, but-" "Homicide, twenty-five dollars1" "You misunderstand me, judge; I did not mean to commit myself to the propo-" I'll commit you to the proper place for such w1holesale offenders. Re member, you are on oath, and tell me the whole truth." "Why, Judge, I never told anything else in my life-" . "Perj ury, ten dollars more I" "And this," John L. burst forth in dignantly, "is a court of justice I" "Yes, young man, and, therefore, an object of contempt. Ten dollars for contempt of courtl" "But, Judge, I've been perfectly re spectful in my demeanor--" "It's not a question of demeanor, but of misdemeanor, sir." "Why, if it please the Court, I'm fined about seventy-five dollars merely because I held some of the fellows up to ridicule to take the conceit out of-" "Highway robbery, twenty-five dol lars I" "Judge, can't we compromise this thing?" "This Court doesn't compromise. Your fines up to the present moment amount to ninety-five dollars. Have you anything more to say ?" "Judge, I believe, if it's all the spme to you, I'd rather you'd do the talking awhile. It's less expensive. As I fig ure it, imy words have been costing about two dollars per, which beats Rudyard Kipling at his best-" "That is irrelevant, sir." "Yes, sir; I think so, too. I never did admire Kipling-" "Incompetent, I mean, sir! And now, as your -total fines aggregate nearly one hundred dollars, if you pre fer, I'll give you twelve months-" "Thank you, Judge. Give me twelve months and I'll raise it or raise-" "Well ?" "That's the name sir, but you got the initial wrong." "Young man, I was going to say that I'd give you twvelve months at hard labor, if you p)referredl it." "Oh t Well, Judge you'll admit me to bail ?". "To lbail hay on the State Farm, yes. Now, young man, I shall be as lenient with you as possible, owing to mitigating circumstances. I at first thought that you would exhaust the criminal catalogue in your carnival of crime, but I have noted wvith approval that you omitted treason and piracy. In recognition of this hopeful symptom of reform I shall allow you twenty four hours in which to pay your fine, or serve your term of confinement." "Your Honor, I'll never forget this, the proudest moment of my life I PIl raise that fine, if it takes me ten years to do it 1" " Dick P."