The Moss Killers, 1884. (seated in front, l-r) Edward A. Hall, IU janitor “Uncle Tommy” Thomas Spicer, and Morton William Fordice; (back row, l-r) James Zwingle, Alexander McCaughan, David Kopp Goss, Joseph Woods Wiley, and Rhorer Oakes. On the wall behind the group are the weapons they used to spy on the very-married President Lemuel Moss and Katherine Graydon, a single, 20-something professor of Greek. Photo courtesy of IU Archives.



by CARMEN SIERING
photography courtesy IU ARCHIVES

Founded in 1820, Indiana University is celebrating its bicentennial this year. Who knew that you could draw a line from a scandal in the university’s early days to the selection of Herman B Wells as the youngest university president in the country? In celebration, the Office of the Bicentennial is telling this story, the stories of IU’s most influential presidents, collecting oral histories from IU alums, and honoring the contributions of women and minorities.



CLICK HERE TO READ “HOW A SCANDAL HELPED CHANGE IU FOREVER”