Faculty Minutes, December 27 1853

Title

Faculty Minutes, December 27 1853

Description

Transcribed faculty minutes from December 27, 1853. Mentions an incident in which Davidson students harassed black townspeople and were subsequently suspended.

Date

December 27, 1853

Text

The Faculty having heard that a fight had occurred on the 26th inst., at the lower store, between some of the students and some men from the country, proceeded to investigate the facts in the case. They found as follows:
That there was a wagon near the store, and several negroes, together with two young men by the name of Washam, near it. Two students, Robert H. Neagle and H. T. McDugald, in passing the wagon, accosted some of the negroes, telling them to take off their hats, and on their declining to do so, Neagle knocked off the hat of one of them; these two students then passed on into the store, where they met more negroes whom they accosted in the same way; and McLugald, with a stick in his hand, knocked off the hat of one of them. The two Washams followed them into the store and asked them if the store belonged to them, and repeated the question, when, after some dispute and rough language between the parties, the students came back upon the College Hill to get help; and several other students went down, and among them, J. T. Kell, who, when he entered the store before the other, enquired for the man (or as some have it, the negro) who would not take off his hat. One of the Washams came out of the counting room, and replied to him. Neagle and McDugald came in. after Kell, and after some words passing between the parties, one of the Washams hit Neagle, and then a voice was heard from outside of the door to Kell - "Hit him", and he knocked down Washam with a club which he had brought with him, and Neagle either jumped on him or kicked him in the side, when the other Washam attempted to interfere, but the parties were separated.
The Faculty having deferred final action in the case till January 6, 1854, in order to become more fully informed of the facts, took up the case, and unanimously decided that Neagle and Kell and McDugald be suspended from College till the close of this term.

Publisher

Davidson College

Language

English

Source

Alma