by Donna Swagerty Shreve
My sophomore year at U.O.P. in the Fall of 1964, included two of my friends, Kathy and Penny but they were attending Covell College. Classes were in Spanish and English and after four years, each student was to be proficient in both English and Spanish. The population was quite a mix of rich and poor Latinos plus some Americans. Cultures clashes began to ensue.
Leo P. soon became a well-known player from Covell College. He was the leader of a South American mafia. They stuck together and did things for amusement, protection or personal gain. One their members was a pyromaniac and someone in the group always had to follow him and put out his fires to protect him from the authorities. Leo was on scholarship enjoying some new freedoms he had not had in his native country of Chili. One of their members was a rich kid and had an off campus apartment for private parties. Leo was not a classical good looking guy. Rugged would be a generous description. He also was not that tall. At 5’ 9” would be a rough estimate of Leo. Kathy, Penny and I all had the distinction of being 5’10” and I had the honor of being the tallest at 5’10 ½”. We would have left him alone but he messed with Penny.
Penny and I were doing a fashion show together. I had gotten her the job and one of the perks of this job came with a large pitcher of martinis left for us after the show. We stupidly indulged ourselves and that loosened up Penny to confess what had happened to her recently with Leo. Penny had agreed to take a walk with Leo, which led them up to the levee behind the campus. It was there Leo did not take “No” for an answer and raped Penny.
Leo had charm and he was used to getting his way. He worked in the cafeteria at Covell Hall, which housed 400 girls throughout its three floors. Leo had exposure to many potential rape victims. Penny, however, had met Leo at Covell College.
I was so outraged at the crime against Penny that I began an organized plan of revenge. Leo needed some pay back. Kathy and Penny were roommates in Ballantyne Hall that housed just girls. They had strict hours and supervision so rich Latino fathers would let their daughters attend Covell College. Kathy knew of the levee incident and was a willing participant in our plotting.
Halloween approached in a few weeks and word had spread that Leo and gang were coming as Mafia dressed in vintage dark suits, hats and carrying violin cases. The dance costume party was being held in the Elbert Covell Hall, which conveniently was located right next to Jessie Ballantyne Hall. The costume party gave us great cover. The “mafia” let it be known they would be making a grand entrance after the party had started. Obviously someone in that gang was enjoying all of the publicity. We used that publicity to our advantage.
Kathy and Penny dressed as cowgirls. Both of them were wearing cowboy hats and boots, western shirts and short shirts. As the assailant, I needed to be more incognito. I was wearing green face paint with dark hollowed looking eyes. I had topped off the look with heavily ratted and sprayed long hair that exploded all over my head. I wore a long black dress and practical shoes.
Penny and Kathy had gun holsters with loaded water guns. I completed my costume carrying a gift bag full of shaving cream. We had planned our attack and quick exit very carefully.
We arrived on time and mingled with the crowd. As everyone was in costume, we fit right in. Yes, we were all nervous as the stakes were very high. The rumor was that if the mafia was displeased with you, one could find one’s self abducted and taken out and dumped in the lonely country, sometimes minus clothes.
The thugs finally made their grand entrance at the top of the stairs that led down to the main floor where the party was in progress. The five got their grand entrance and spotlight as they pompously came down the stairs in all of their glory. There were even some students cheering.
We were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. When Leo and body guards stepped off the last step, I came up and pushed a handful of shaving cream in his face and yelled “Come” which is Spanish for “Eat it!” Kathy and Penny got in some good water squirts, all on target.
We then instantly exited out the near side door, which lead right to Ballantyne Hall’s back door which we had propped open for our quick escape. Time had frozen for a few seconds. We had the element of surprise and had the few extra moments to carry out our exit.
We were now safely inside where Kathy and Penny lived behind locked doors. They were safe but now how was I going to get home? Various Mafia guys were circling Ballantyne and it was going to be tricky for me to get home without incident. First step was for me to erase remnants of my costume. I showered and I was now in civilian clothes but my hair was wet. I believe I waited an hour and a half and then casually sauntered home where I lived just about three blocks away from campus in my parents’ home.
During the next week, both Kathy and Penny were followed as they went to their various classes. For right now, intimidation was their game. I was an unknown so I had no one paying me any mind.
A few months went by and things had returned to normal but we were not done yet. Another attack was planned as Leo was still up to his usual antics with girls if campus rumors could be believed.
As Leo worked as a dishwasher in Covell Hall, he saw many girls return their trays to his station. He was known as an outrageous flirt trying to make certain girls feel they were special to him. We decided he had a vulnerable spot and we could lure him into our next ploy. We sent him a heavily scented letter via campus mail. We wrote it as some lovelorn naïve freshman girl who wanted special time with Leo as she was certain there was something magical between them.
The letter suggested a 7:00 P.M. meeting on a certain weekday by the tiger statue located behind Covell Hall and along side the administration building called Knoles Hall. The tiger statue was mounted on a five foot high platform made of marble and had several paths to it.
At 6:30 the three of us drove from my parents’ house on the northeast corner of Dwight Way and Alpine Avenue. We parked along the street behind Covell Hall and waited. We had written in shaving cream “COME” right on the wall under the tiger.
We were stuffed into a 1960s Fiat sedan that was smaller than a VW beetle and with us tall girls in it, it had the appearance of a clown car.
At 6:50 two cars drove up and parked along the street by Knoles Hall. Their street was perpendicular to where we were. A scout exited one of the cars and went to check out the area. Leo was obviously not going to make an appearance unless it was worth his while.
The scout came up to the tiger statue and message. He did an about face and dashed back to the awaiting car. We were so proud of ourselves and became a giggling mess. We were close enough to now be discovered and all of sudden it was not so funny any more. They were coming at us now down a one-way street the wrong direction. One of the cars had blocked the road. I was not to be out done. I drove up on the sidewalk and escaped toward the fraternity circle and then on to my house. That tiny Fiat coupe had advantages for driving on sidewalks.
The cars were in hot pursuit but I drove us to my driveway and we dashed to the front door in time. My younger brother was the only one home and he became a bit freaked at our escapade. The house was circled for at least an hour. Realize that the house must have seemed quite imposing to Latino scholarship guys. It was 3200 square feet distributed over three levels. The backyard was tiny as the house takes up most of the space on the lot. I am guessing cultural differences saved us from future pay back. For all they knew, my father could have been very rich with many connections.
My brother’s reaction sobered me up and any more stunts would really have put Penny and Kathy in danger. We all decid
ed Penny had been avenged. What seems to amaze anyone not of our generation is why we did not tell any authorities. In 1964 the thought of informing any authority of a rape did not even enter our minds. We did not want the questions about what the girl had done to deserve such an attack.
1557 words
April 22,2015
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 