300 Yardling Rioters Flee Cliffies, Doggies

"Amnesty! Amnesty!" was the cry last night as 300 freshmen stormed across the Yard and on toward Radcliffe to kick off the Annual Spring Riot.

"What do they mean amnesty?" asked one freshman of another as they puffed up the red brick sidewalk of Garden Street. "You know, that's so when we get caught they won't punish us," said the other.

But amnesty wasn't the only issue. Slogans ranged from "Nikko!" to "Pants!" to "Underpass-underpants!"--a clever dichotomy.

Unmuzzied

The riot ended nearly two hours later, at 11:20 p.m. when Cambridge Police brought out a great big unmuzzled German Shepherd, who growled and bared his teeth and scared everyone away. The rioters were at Lesley College then, and things were getting a little out of hand. Someone broke two windows on the second floor of Lesley's White Hall.

Other Highlights

Other highlights of the riot, termed one of the best in years by seasoned observers, who refused to be identified:

* A student squirted a loaded fire extinguisher at a gray Oldsmobile on Shephered Street. The car's windshield got foamed up.

* Students outside Lesley hoisted a University policeman on their shoulders and cheered him loudly. As he waved his hat to acknowledge the plaudits, someone grabbed it and came away with a souvenier.

* Cliffies lured freshmen in close to Bertram Hall with the promise of panties, then unloaded buckets of water on them. Several freshmen, enraged by the treatment, formed a human pyramid up to the second floor window. One student got inside and opened the door for 25 others, who were immediately tossed out by a University cop.

University Police were seen taking bursar's cards or names and addresses from three students. Dean Watson took a student's card early in the affair but gave it back right away.

The riot began at 9:25 p.m. when students from Wigglesworth and Grays Halls attacked Holworthy Hall with water balloons. A firecracker exploded, and freshmen rushed their dormitories and began milling around in the Yard.

The freshmen streaked out the gate by Holworthy before a lone cop could lock it up. They poured across the Cambridge Common to Radcliffe, then came back through the Common toward the Houses. They ran around Quincy's courtyard for a while, then took off down Mass Ave. with 30 upperclassmen added to their ranks.

Tactics

In the Square the riot seemed to fizzle. Students tried to get back into the Yard. But in a brilliant tactical maneuver, police shut the gate on half of them, thus splitting the ranks.

But the students regrouped around Holworthy Gate and began to move to ward Lesley. A Cambridge Police car shined its bright lights at the crowd in an effort to turn it away. But one student yelled, "Charge!" and the rioters went roaring past.

They reached Lesley at 10:30 p.m., picked up some more pants, the cop's hat, and two more extinguishers, then took off for. There they broke into several Houses. After police chased them away, the rioters went back to Lesley, where the dogs appeared and the riot ended.

Mrs. Bunting's cigars were reportedly left untouched.