Dear Editor,
It is my hope that this account of collegiate pranksterism will not demoralize the present stalwarts of Hillsdale College, but this being the season when the cauldron boils, I’ll chance it.
Just ten years ago this Hallowe’en, we accomplished our dastardly deed. [A few of us] suggested we at least try to place a cow or something on the porch of Central Hall.
Unable to locate a suitable bovine, we chanced upon a sway back nag somewhere north of campus. To this day, I’m not sure how we got the hoss across campus to Central Hall. I do however recall Martin N. climbing a drain pipe and going through a skylight and opening the main doors of Central. It was quite a struggle, carrying, pushing, and pulling the nag up those long steps.
Once inside, we were at a loss as to what to do. Someone suggested taking him up on third floor. However, our enthusiasm was waning, so we tied him to Dr. Mauck’s office door and scattered…
Well, this ain’t a deathbed confession, only a wish that I were a student again at Hillsdale so I could do it once more.
Sincerely yours,
M.D. Van Landingham, Assistant Professor of Education, Western Michigan College
The Hillsdale Collegian – October 30, 1952
