ONCE PROFESSOR, NOW A CONVICT
Item
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Title
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ONCE PROFESSOR, NOW A CONVICT
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Source
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The Washington Times
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Date
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1906-03-25
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page
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4
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Identifier
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https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84026749/1906-03-25/ed-1/?sp=4&q=counterfeiting&r=0.265,0.056,0.485,0.29,0
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Crime
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Counterfeiting
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Subject
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arson
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Gender of alleged offender
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Male alleged offender
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Law enforcement involved
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College authorities
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Stage of the Legal System
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Sentencing
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Location
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Out-of-state, PA
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Length of story
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549
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Description
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ONCE PROFESSOR, NOW A CONVICT
G. H. Stephens Guilty of Counterfeiting
LAFAYETTE FIREBUG
Burned College Building Out of Spite and Served Term.
EASTON, Pa., March 24—The news that George H. Stephens has been sentenced to a term of two years in the Florida penitentiary for counterfeiting is of much interest to members of the faculty of Lafayette College. Stephens was an instructor in moral philosophy and rhetoric at Lafayette for two years after graduating from Princeton in the class of 1895. He came here under an arrangement by which if his services were satisfactory, he was to be made a professor.
President Wurfield, after a year’s trial, found that Stephens was not doing as well as expected, and at the end of two years notified him that the college would have to dispense with his services. This angered Stephens, and though he left town he frequently came back, as he had many friends here.
Mysterious Fire.
Just as the first term of the college year was closing in December, 1897, Pardee Hall was discovered to be on fire. The cause remained a mystery, for it was evident that the blaze started In a portion of the building where there was no fire and nothing to cause one to start Just bore commencement In the following June It was noticed that various t predations were being committed on college property The scats In the chapel tarred the growth of Ivy which covered the structure was destroyed the vines being cut close to the ground and other vld rcc8 of malicious mischief were disclosed.
The college authorities could not as certain that students were doing these things and the students felt outraged that the acts were committed The night before the baccalaureate sermon In June 1898 the authorities thought it well to place a watch In the chapel This led to astounding developments.
Enter Bad Eggs.
A man entered the chapel and approached the organ He set down a basket and then the watchman attacked him but he escaped The bas ket contained state eggs Tho of the visit was evident Stephens noticed on the campus next day and this caused ORe of watchmen to that Stephens bad a kqy to the chapel at one time and t that key was missing.
It was learned that Stephens had loft a satchel in the room of a student friend This satchel when opened gave unmistakable evidence of having the eggs Stephens was followed to a distant city and arrested At first his Innocence of the allegation that he had been In the chapel he finally confessed to all the depredation and then confessed that he had set fire to Pardee Hall All of It was In revenge upon President Warfield for discharging him, he said.
Stephens Convicted.
Stephens was tried and convicted and sent to the Eastern penitentiary for eight years. While he was confined there a scandal arose over tho discovery that counterfeiting was being done In that institution It Is not known that Stephens was concerned In however He professed repentance for his crime and said that he was to lead a proper life The Lafayette College authorities contributed to a fund that was raised to send him to Florida to recover his health and him in the world again.
