MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME
 
JUMP TO PAGE   100  >  200  >  300  >  400  >  500  >  600
VINTAGRAPH • WPA • WWII • YOU MEAN A WOMAN CAN OPEN IT?

Will Searight: 1907

Washington, D.C., circa 1905-1908. "Searight, Will." 5x7 inch glass negative from the C.M. Bell portrait studio. View full size.


HAZERS BREAK HIS WRIST.
William Searight, Central High Freshman, Refuses to "Peach."
        While conducting a hazing bee, several pupils of the Central High School broke William Searight's wrist. Searight, a freshman, who lives at 1737 De Sales street northwest, loyally refuses to "peach" on his tormentors, but Principal Emory Wilson is investigating the affair and expects the names of the guilty ones to-day. He had a talk yesterday with Supt. Chancellor about it and will make a report this afternoon.
        The "code of honor" which prevails at Central has been invoked by the boys, and the principal is finding it difficult to get at the facts.
        According to the physician it will be several weeks before young Searight will be able to use his wrist.                                                 (Washington Post -- Oct. 1, 1907)

Washington, D.C., circa 1905-1908. "Searight, Will." 5x7 inch glass negative from the C.M. Bell portrait studio. View full size.

HAZERS BREAK HIS WRIST.

William Searight, Central High Freshman, Refuses to "Peach."

        While conducting a hazing bee, several pupils of the Central High School broke William Searight's wrist. Searight, a freshman, who lives at 1737 De Sales street northwest, loyally refuses to "peach" on his tormentors, but Principal Emory Wilson is investigating the affair and expects the names of the guilty ones to-day. He had a talk yesterday with Supt. Chancellor about it and will make a report this afternoon.
        The "code of honor" which prevails at Central has been invoked by the boys, and the principal is finding it difficult to get at the facts.
        According to the physician it will be several weeks before young Searight will be able to use his wrist.                                                 (Washington Post -- Oct. 1, 1907)

 

On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5

Will got over it and lived a long life

Per ancestry.com, ol' Will died just short of his 99th birthday in July 1991, outliving his wife Irma, whom he married in 1917, by nearly 20 years. It doesn't say whether or not he had wrist pain his whole life nor does it say if he ever did turn in his attackers.

Middle name was Hammond

... according to his entry in his senior Central High yearbook.

http://genealogytrails.com/washdc/schools/1911centralhigh.html

The welcoming party

So out of the Force school and into the force one, apparently. He's listed in the Class of '11 Commencement so we can guess he ultimately made a go if it. After that ? The name is fairly commonplace, so we may never be able to trace his bio, but one obit (1892-1991) gives at least a hope of a long life. If it was him, wonder if he named names in the next 84 years.

Will Searight looks smarter than that

I understand there is that age where keeping information away from adults is more important than anything else, more important than punishing peers who assault you. Will doesn't realize that breaking someone's wrist is not hazing and he shouldn't care whether the guys who assaulted him like him or not. Also, if there really was a code of honor, the attackers would step forward and take responsibility. In time Will will probably regret refusing to Peach. Hopefully, he won't have a lifetime of wrist pain to remind him he let his attackers get away.

About "Peach"

Peach as a verb has nothing to do with the fruit. Rather, it comes from the Middle English "apechen," meaning "to accuse." It's also an ancestor of the verb "impeach," meaning "to bring an accusation against."

I hope someone will be able to find out what happened next at Central High. I'd like to think the bullies were identified and punished, although in my experience, that's not how the world works.

Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.