This week, as the semester came to a close, a new set of Healy clock hands adorned the face of the tower. As Hoyas slowly leave the hilltop, Vox commenters had a few things to say.

Students woke up to replaced clock hands at the top of Healy Hall; it was initially unclear who the mysterious angels were who put them back up. GFK and Admiral Ackbar began ruminating on the possibilities:

GFK: The University did point out that extra hands were available in case the stolen hands were not recovered shortly. They must have gotten tired of waiting and installed the backups.

Admiral Ackbar: Or it’s a trap!

When Georgetown tapped Kathleen Sebelius as a graduation speaker, conservative Catholics condemned the University for its decision to honor a pro-choice politician. not typical anymore proposed we find more ways to incite the anger of the Cardinal Newman Society:

Can we do more things that get the CNS angry with us? As a non-reactionary Catholic, nothing would make me happier.

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Update (5:00 p.m.) : The hands were re-installed on both faces of the clock this morning, Pugh said in an email to Vox. One of the hand sets was previously in storage, and Pugh added that “the missing hands have not been recovered.”

Update (3:00 p.m.): According to Director of Media Relations Rachel Pugh, the hands were replaced by the University.

Some time late last night or early this morning, Healy clock tower’s hands were returned to their original place, safe and intact. It is unclear whether the University replaced them or the thieves.

The clock hands were missing for eight days. The thieves sent an email to the Georgetown community last Wednesday, May 2, claiming the hands were en route to Vatican City.

Vox had the opportunity to speak with one of the former Healy clock thieves from 2005 who preferred to remain anonymous. He alleged that the clock hands are very easy to take down and do not weigh more than five pounds.

He also stressed that the administration should be more accepting of this tradition. “We like to talk about it on student tours, maybe we could actually harness [the tradition]. We could open one of the doors of Healy and have somebody symbolically steal the hands, [the University] could embrace it … but instead they are acting like its unsafe. But the truth is it’s not unsafe at all,” he said. ”To me it’s one of the least dangerous things I’ve done in my life, it’s more dangerous to drive to work each day.”

The damage done in 2005 was under $500 and the two thieves were not expelled for their actions.

Yesterday, the Healy Clock thieves posted on CollegeCraig, a website for students to buy, sell, and trade items, offering to return the clock hands in exchange for the tall order of Jack Jr. and a negotiable two cents USD. The ransom, posted at 2:50pm on Thursday afternoon, is written as a poem.

“We have your key to make Hoya history/ And since we’re not much for the publicity/ we’ll give it back in double, but don’t want any more trouble. The semester is getting late so stand down/ bring us the dog and wait wait wait,” the poem reads. But he’s just a child!

Jack Jr., also known as J.J., came into the world of Georgetown in late March, and is a mere five months old. He currently resides in New South with Jack the Bulldog and caretaker Rev. Christopher Steck, S.J., and reportedly has a “mellow personality.” Jack Jr. is the mascot-to-be of Georgetown.

Whether or not the university will cave in to these demands is to be seen. For now, the clock hands remain under the stewardship of Reaper, Goliath, and Juliet.

Photo: Julian De La Paz

At 2:36 a.m. today, the Voice received an email addressed to “the faculty, staff, and students of Georgetown University” from three people claiming to be the thieves of the Healy Clock hands. The senders, who went by the names “Reaper, Goliath, and Juliet” and sent the message through a hushmail email address, told of how they “gained access to the restricted area above Healy Hall” despite “a series of countermeasures and obstacles.” The email also included a screenshot (again, covering their tracks) of the hands, pictured left, as proof of the senders’s validity.

And for those of us concerned with tradition, the thieves assure us that the hands are currently on their way to the Vatican. Hoya Saxa, Pope Benedict.

The full text of the email is below:

To the faculty, staff, and students of Georgetown University:

Today Vox woke up to the sound of the clock tower bells ringing on this spooky, rainy morning. Something felt amiss, and a quick glance out the window revealed the great gaping travesty on the face of the Healy clock tower. Some time during the night the hands of Healy Hall’s clock tower went missing. Rumors are circulating that the hands were stolen by mischievous seniors on the prowl in the night.

According to Wikipedia, the clock hands are traditionally stolen by students and mailed to the Vatican stamped “return to sender”. The last time the clock hands were stolen was in 2005.

The grand mystery begins, investigative journalism pants are on, and updates to come. Vox suggests you keep your watches on; it’s going to be a long day.

Update (6:30 PM): Clock tower missing second set of hands on back side as well.

Check back later for updates on the Case of the Missing Clock Hands

Photo: Abby Sherburne

Back side of tower

Photo: Kirill Makarenko