Jim Kershner’s This day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Four Washington State College students pulled a 2 a.m. “prank” in Pullman – a prank which aroused a storm of indignation throughout the college.

In fact, the four students were hauled into college “court” for “grossly indelicate and ungentlemanly conduct.”

“They invaded the college dormitory devoted for the girls at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, overturned the beds in several rooms, throwing the half-awakened girls onto the floor,” said The Spokesman-Review.

This was apparently a WSC Founder’s Day celebration gone wild. Students had gathered on the lawns at midnight, exploding firecrackers and “giving vent to their enthusiasm in other ways not unusual.” But four men got carried away and apparently decided to break into the women’s dorm through a window. Then they proceeded to creep along the hallways.

According to one account, they broke into a room on the third floor and the “more timid of the girls was so frightened she fainted.”

“But her roommate bravely fought to expel the intruders and was injured during the scuffle, which resulted in a hasty retreat of the miscreants.”

At least one of the miscreants was intoxicated.