While the Blue and Gold horde literally slumbered on its feet last night, a band of twenty intrepid wearers of the Cardinal whisked the precious implement from under the nose of the Berkleyans in whose possession it had rested since that fatal day in 1899, and brought it back to the Stanford campus.

A fake newspaper camera with an ink bottle for a lens and a home-made tear bomb were the hoods pulled over and thrown into the eyes of the Californians. While part of the twenty men rode as guards on the armored car that was conveying the Axe from the Greek theatre, scene of the Bear's annual Axe Rally, to the Berkeley bank where it was kept sequestered, a group of pseudo-photographers occupied the crowd's attention with their apparent efforts to get a picture. Then, flash! a tear bomb burst in the middle of the startled Berkleyans, a surge of Stanfordites closed around the custodian of the Axe as he attempted to step from the car, and the Axe was gone before the Californians realized what had transpired.

Now the Weapon lies safe in the vaults of the Board of Athletic Control.

The news of the steal spread like a prairie grass blaze. From a hundred sources in the Bay City, the story came that the Axe had been recovered. But not until those twenty hardy souls made their appearance on the campus and led a mass of cheering Stanfordites in a triumphant parade past the Row and Hall was it accepted.

From the newspaper office of the Daily Californian last night came congratulations on the recovery of the Axe and the detailed story of how it was accomplished. Following is the order of events in the Cardinal triumph and the California catastrophe:

The Axe was taken from the First Berkeley Branch of the American Trust Company at approximately seven o'clock last night. According to bank officials, receipt for the Axe had previously been given them supposedly by its outgoing custodian. Merely as a courtesy to the Californians, an armored car was loaned to them by the bank. The Axe was surrounded by the usual freshman guard.

At the rally, Norman Horner, '31, and varsity baseball pitcher, was named new custodian of the Axe, which was put into the armored car while the rest of the rally program went on.

On the return to the bank, the car started so quickly that the entire freshman convoy was unable to keep up with it. It reached the bank with only a small guard, and backed up to the curb next to another car containing, to all appearances, a group of news photographers trying for a picture. The entire proceeding was held up while the fake picture was snapped, the delay allowing the Stanford men to get to their previously assigned positions. As Horner, Axe in hand, stepped out of the car, an arm went around his neck, dragged him back, and while a tear bomb, suddenly thrown, scattered the crowd in fear, the Axe was torn forcibly from him.

A shout by one of the Stanford men drew the attention of the crowd, who, thinking he had the Axe, surrounded him while the men with the Axe made a slick getaway.

At midnight, reports had it that fifteen carloads of students had left Berkeley, Stanford bound.