Feeney, Gold Coasters Tiff Over Car

Father Leonard J. Feeney's palace guard disturbed the holiday quiet in front of Adams House yesterday in a series of Junior clashes between the forces of St. Benedict's Center and the Gold Coast.

The sole upshot was a criminal charge of "blaspheming" leveled against Lawrence R. Holland '52 by a female Feeny disciple, believed to be Catharine Goddard Clarke, author of The Loyolas and the Cabots," a history of the Center.

Hostilities commenced about noon, when Henry B. Burnett, Jr. '52 parked his car in front of the Center on Arrow Street and started to repair his accelerator. Holland and James S. Nicholson '54 stopped to superintend.

At this point, Father Feeney emerged from the Center and told the boys to disperse. He accused them of turning the place into a "Jewish garage." Apparently mistaking Holland for Earl Kramer '54, whom he had driven away with the same accusations a week before, Feeney said. "I told you to stay away before, you dirty Jewish mechanic."

Feeney also told Nicholson, a Negro. "That's a fine thing--enslaving yourself to these Jews. Is that how you expect to become white?"

Later in the afternoon Holland drove his car up in front of the Center, where it was immediately surrounded by the Feeney group. Rather than risk a fight, Holland moved his car further up the street. The Feeneyits stayed in front of the Center for most of the afternoon, glowering at passers-by.

After lunch, the two forces regrouped. The Feeneyites patrolled the area in front of St. Benedict's Center, while the Adams men stuck to their side of Bow Street.

Arrival of a patrol car summoned by Feeney brought the disturbance to an end. A woman identified as Mrs. Clarke charged the slowly retreating students and poluted out Holland to the police officer. She claimed he had been blaspheming during the morning incident.

Asked to specify the language Holland had used, she said she couldn't think of anything in particular. Holland asserted he would be glad to defend himself in court, claiming he could produce about ten witnesses to testify that he had not blasphemed.

When the last of the mob had dispersed, the policeman returned to the station to file the complaint. The Feeney squad sat for the rest of the afternoon in the Center, staring out of the large plate glass windows.