Show 2 HAIIN AT WEST POINI Testimony Brought Out by Court of Inquiry CADETS GIVE EVIDENCE Dcclaro That All the More They Brutal Forms of Hazing Are Obsolete Ob-solete That While Bracing Is Still Practiced It Was Against Regulations Regula-tions KellerBoos Fight Is Detailed De-tailed Dead Cadet Was Unpopular With His Classmates He Was I looked Upon as a Coward r t West Point N Y Dec 19Somc Interesting In-teresting testimony was brought out I today by the court of inquiry which I Is Investigating the alleged hazing of cadets at the Military academy herein I here-in connection with the recent death of former Cadet Booz I Thirtyfive cadets were examined during the morning and afternoon sessions ses-sions and of these one was the brother or Lieut Hobson of Merrimac fame another was the son of Gen Phil Sheridan Sher-idan and a third Mark Brooks of Pennsylvania a nephew of Gen I Brooke who is the presiding ofilcer of the court All three told of the hazing they got during the encampment of 1S9C at the time Boor was their classmate and not one of them said that the treatment received on things they had to do were either brutal or degrading HOBSONS WORST ORDEAL Hobsons worst ordeal was when he had to stand on his hoad In n bathtub In which there was about ten Indies of water He said he was partaly strangled but was all right In d fuw minutes Young Phil Sberldan was made to ride a broomstick along the street In commemoration of his illustrious illus-trious fathers ride and he had to keep shouting Turn boys < turn all the time He did not think this was humiliating hu-miliating he said although he did not relish tho task BRACING STILL PRACTICED In nearly every instance the witnesses nesses said that all the more brutal forms of hazing were obsolete and while bracing was still practiced secretly se-cretly It was against the regulations and J any one were detected violating these regulations he would be summarily sum-marily dealt with and severely punish pun-ish d There are about a score or more of Boozs classmates t be examined and there are several of the first classmen 1 I class-men to be heard from as well as some of the officers the court may not gtt through the taking of testimony until Saturday SaturdayWHAT BRACING IS The first fifteen minutes of todays session was behind closed doors When the open sitting was begun Cadet Raymond I Ray-mond L LInton was examined He said he knew former Cadet Booz In 1SOS and he seemed to be In good health He said Booz was not hazed or treated brutally so far as he knew The witness wit-ness described bracing as an exaggerated exag-gerated position of the soldier The drawing in of the chin and the throwing throw-ing back of the shoulders at the same time ORDERS AGAINST EXERCISING Capt Dean the recorderof tlie court naked If a fourth classmah Isun I r popular Is subjected to more biac 3 inj and c erclplng than others On the contrary sir u great deal lf sV replied the witness He is let alone by the upper classmen and members mem-bers of his own class In reply to questions by Col Heln commander of the cadets the witness aald There are orders against bracing brac-ing and exercising and cadets have been severely punished for violating these orders HAD TAKEN TOBASCO Cadqt Stephen Abbott of Illinois the net witness when sworn said he had been required as a fourth classman to take some few drcps of tobasco sauce oft n spoon but AS not forced to do It He took it himself at the order or two upper classmen I was hot but did him no harm Had seen Cadet Booz after thought with Keller and his I left eye was blackened The witness went pn to say that he had never known Boos robe abused or illtreated and denied that Booz was Interfered with on account of his religious re-ligious practice In reply to commandant command-ant the witness said he had known cadets as well as the commandants of the mess table to be severelypunlshed for permitting or practicing restraint re-straint bracing or other exercises on lower classmen cussmen REGULATIONS VIOLATED Cadet Albert B Dockery of Mlssls clppi a questioned at length on military tary regulations prohibiting hazing Gen Brooke read an extract from the United States military regulations prohibiting nearly everything which could be construed as hazing Then the General asked Are those regulations regula-tions violated 7 J i Yes sir replied the MOn M-On being questioned by Col Mills euperlntendqnt of the academy Dock ery bald that if tobasco sauce was not on the table it could be had by asking for it The cadets sometimes called i Hell s uce HAZING DESCRIBED Charles McH Eby of Pennsylvania was asked about the aLl hazing which used to be prevalent but which he said was discontinued about two dlicontnued years ago lie described It as follows 4 Bracing an exaggerated form of soldierly position Wooden Willie continuous gun drill Football lying on back and1 I raising the legs to a perpendicular per-pendicular position and back again several times probably for six or seven minutes Eagllng standing on toes Hanging on Slretcher Hanlln StretchersubDended on hands from bar with feet not on floor Did you ever see a man faint while undergoing any of these exercises was asked and witness replied that he had known a man tp faint under eagllny cxerc e that man being himself He then at the belnS Superlntonaent Mills stood up and gave the court an exhibition of what Is known n bracing KELLERBOOZ FJ GHT DESCRIBED Cadet John K Horr of New Jersey who was present at the fight between fght Keller and Boo and who acted as one of the latters seconds detailed the contest saying The men put their hands up and sparred Keller landed a blow on Bois eye and the latter turned his head Jalel 1s away He tried to avoId Keller who Bald Stand up and fight Then BooK th went down from a light blow and did not wont to get up a I Ho was helped up but went down again two or three times and wanted to quit He got 1 blow In the body not hard enough to knock him down Booz flopped down He cried and said he would give uP He was not knocked down He jUt laid down koetcd HIS OPINION OF BOOZ After the fight continued the wit ness I told Booz that his actlonu were cowardly and were so regarded by the others and that he could only re move the stigma by fighting another Upper classman his own size or Cinailer but he paid no attention to c 1 Had he a mark on his body Yea he hod D black eye Referring to bracing the HncB jjjjrjtjjjjjjj said he would not brace nn under clansman In the presence of an ofticcr ea charge because he would be severely punished The witness In speaking of the treatment by bracing etc of lower classmen for offenses was asked by lasslcl OriCniCs Gen Brooke what were considered offenses Well should they refuse to comply with an order from an upperclassman upper-classman providing the I order would not brine credit on the lower classmen class-men and also It they walked In a I slouchy manner was his definition FULL OF CONCEIT I Continuing ITorr said that many fourth classmen on their arrival at the academy were full of conceit which 11ld to be taken out of them Describe the conceit said Gen I I Brooke Tho witness hcbilalod but after a suggestion from Col Clous he said Some of them arc conceited on account ac-count of wealth and others on social slundincr position or superior Intellect Then these me treated by the upperclassmen upper-classmen this way In order to bring them to a realizing sonse ot the fact that they are no better than anybody else suggested Gen Brooke Exactly Exact-ly I sir r 4 J BOOZE WAS UNPOPULAR i Cadet < 5asad Kansas testified that I i Cadet Boo wn unpopular on account t ofhis cowardly conduct in his light R D Vallliiiit of Arkinsas knuv Boo but not very intimately He knew that the former cadet was not very popular but the witness never knew I Of his being hazed He himself was I hazed had taken part in pillow lights and a rat funeral The latter was held in his tent I RAi FUNERAL DESCRIBED 1 The boqly of n yead raV was placed on top of fl box and i towel laid over j it Four lighted candles were plactd on the cornejs of the box A high jnlcar was appointed who read from the black bool 4 What Is that asked Capt Dean The regulations of the Military academy sir wes the reply Continuing Contin-uing Valllant said Hewers were placed around the body of the rt The services ser-vices lasted about half an hour Several Sev-eral upper classmen took photographs of the proceedings after which the rodent ro-dent was burled SAINTLY MITCHELL He had heard the president of the Y M r C A called Saintly Mitchell butt but-t was not done In disrespect All the cadets he said looked up to MI Mitchell James A Shannon a cadet from Min Yiesota said there were about five lights between fourth and upper classmen class-men during the campin 1898 It was the rule he said if i two man had a disagreement dis-agreement and they were of unequal size one of the other would choose a man to replace him so a to equalize matters I HOT GREASE ON HIS FEET Cadet Benjamin Miller of Virginia said hot candle grease had been dropped on his feet and the same was done tc Booz It did not hurt Samuel Frankenburger of West Virginia Vir-ginia said he had been hazed by exercising ex-ercising bracing and other methods some of which were injurious He said Jn religion he was a Jew but tho he had never been slighted or annoyed on account or his religion by any of 1ho cadets nor had he known any case af a person being annoyed or Interfered Inter-fered with on account of his religious views He knew Boos and also his tentmate Albert the latter was a Jew but there was no discrimination In his tase on account of his religious belief but companionable man he was not 0 mal S WOULD BE A COWARD Fred W Helnrichs of New York said that a man who would not light when jcalled out would be looked down upon but he knew of no case in point A man who refused to fight on religious grounds might be regarded with contempt con-tempt but he never heard oC such an ins lance B O MahalTey of Texas said he knew Booz who was unpopular on account af his cowardice I met Booz In the bathroom about three days before her he-r I knew he was in disfavor for his actions and > said to him Why dont you brace up Y Call somebody out and redeem yoUrself I gave him this advice because I had heard men fay things to him as they passed which were of such a nature that I should nave resented them He left l three days later His eyes were weak but I would not have known it only that he was attending at-tending hospital OTHER OPINIONS OF BOOZ Walter K Wilson of Tennessee had seen Booz the night of the fight His eye was black but he could not say what kind of spirits he was in as he did not talk to him Wilson had had his feet Inspected and many other little lit-tle things but it did him no harm James M Hobson Jr of Alabama a brother of Richard P Hobson said that Booz was disliked for his lack of physical courage Burt Phillips of Ohio after tolling about the hazing > f 1S9S was asked If he were not the man mentioned by tho father of Boo lu his testimony the other day Gen Brooke read from the transcript of the stenographers notes in which he stated that Phllllpss father came to West Point In 1898 to prevent his son from being hazed The witness said his father came here but he was not aware that he came for such n purpose after which the court adjourned until 930 oclock tomorrow morning |