The Mystery of the Cadet Diary #4 (Orange Throwing and Ash Cans) (And Girls)

Continuing with the diary entries. These have more drama and my sense is that he found girls standing in the "sally port" nearly as as attention-getting as the incident involving cadets throwing oranges at the Cadet Commandant and the flying ash cans:

Friday -- Feb 14 (1936)

Wineberger inspected the rear rank at inspection this morning and gave me one merit for excellent rifle. I ought to have had one on my brasses also, but he wouldn’t commend me on them. I sure worked hard enough on them.

It was announced in the mess hall that we would be restricted again this weekend on account of bad weather and conditions in the city. It’s awfull (sic) pretty weather we’re having but the surgeon doesn’t seem to think so. As soon as the rest was given, everybody started yelling at the top of their voice and beating on the bread trays. It took them about five minutes to quiet down.

Something is going off tonight I’m almost positive. I’ve never seen everybody so stirred up. We beat Carolina in the boxing match tonight. Col Gaston came over here after the boxing match and was standing out on the quadrangle. About half the barraks (sic) came out on the gallery and started hollering at him. Everybody was making some sort of crack at him – telling him to get the hell out of here. Some even went so far as to throw oranges at him

Saturday-Feb 15 (1936)

I knew something was going to happen last night and sure enough about 3 o’clock it sounded as if the whole barracks were going to fall in. Somebody had thrown some trash cans off. It was sure planned well – you couldn’t hear anybody running or any doors slam. We tried to cut on the light, but they had thrown the main switch while they did it. I was almost back asleep when Thorpe and Wineberger came in. They looked at the alarm clock to see if it was set but thank goodness it wasn’t. They went in everybody’s room and felt some of the boy’s pulse to see if they had been running. I woke up this morning and looked out on the quad. Great God There (sic) were fourteen as cans down there. Moss took a picture of them. There was also a lot of toilet paper and a great many liquor bottles that had been thrown off before call to quarters last night. After breakfast all the freshmen had to go down and clean all that mess up.

I really put out on the room this morning but didn’t get but one merit. It was a good thing because Shumate was mad about those ash cans and gave a very rigid inspection. He even pulled boys for not having shoe laces in shoes that they weren’t wearing. There were about ten or twelve boys that got pulled for having a mess hall glass in their room. I gave mine to Taylor and he put in (sic) his strong box.

Walked two tours today. I got out ten minutes early on the one before dinner to get dressed for guard mount. I’ve been on guard 2 times now in the past month. Thats (sic) way too often.

We got three tables together tonight and played ping-pong in the room. Taylor, Fortson, Larkin, Joyce, Moss and myself. Just a little while ago some girls were standing in the sally port and everybody came out on the gallery and started yelling at them. I’m forced to knock off and go meet the relief formation, cause (sic) I don’t want another 3 and 3.