The second-drawer engineering school at the University of Texas swelled with pride when it acquired a top-drawer man: the University of Illinois' Chemist William Bradley, a leading authority on the molecular structure of materials. Masking its joy, as is proper in academic circles, Texas sent out a routine press release announcing Bradley's appointment—and thereby left untold a typical tale of the great game of faculty raiding.
The plot to kidnap Bradley began three years ago, when Texas heard on the academic grapevine that middle-aged Chemist Bradley wanted the help of a bright young scientist to complement his own work. Texas began...