The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-05-13
The Whitaker mystery.

| Some contradictions in Cadet Whittg-
ker's account OF tbs West Point "out.
rage" are worthy Of ncfe. Whitaker
said on tho next. day after tho outrage
that he was awaked by man ajumping
right ON" him in his bed; he looked
sharp and saw three men, two tall and
one short, and all masked; he fought,
hut was choked until "almost aufiocated''
(no marks on his throat,) He was struck
"a heavy blow on the left teinplep {no
marks there); also con the noson (no
| physical evidence of it), with something
hard" presumably the eame thing for
both blows; and the man who hit him
| shouted" thnt they wonld kill him If ha
made noise. Then they cus his ears
with what no thought was o knife.n,---
Then they tied his feet. All this had
happened on tbs o:d in tie Grst nara.
tive. "Then thoy tied my feet and my
hands with atrips Of white crosshelts and
laid me on the floor with my feet toward
the bed in the little alcove you sec there
and my head toward the wall. Next
they tied my feet 70 ahe iron bedstead.p
He asked them to put o pillow under his
head. They did this and went away
quietly, and when they were gone he
tried to gnaw the straps from his hands,
but could not (were the hands marked
with seethf(; shouted, but not very loud,
and then laid down and remained three
hours ain stupor from blows reciysd."
His gtupor was thin of both ends.-
He heard his tormentors when they won't
away, for he says he was afraid to all
out last they should return, and no
heard Cadet Burnett in the morning and
did not answer, because he thuughtis was
turn Of his tormentor5. It seems odd
that though he heard Bnrnett's voice he
did not hear the reyeille. To DR.. Alex
ander Whitaker said that one of the
Iuco chit him with that Indian club"
and thas he was also hit on tho nose, and
~ knew nothing moro until you found
me-" He received by shis account two
blows, one on the nose and one on the
left temple, in ono account with some.
thing hard" in another with the club.
In his testiIS 0ny four days later he seid
hewas hit on the head with o looking
glass, and the looking glass is in fact
found broken; also that he wac hit "with
fist" He saye, 81 was etruck twice !;
the first blow was o. my forehead !; /
think 1t was the blow of fist, but It may
nave been an instrument lie expiic-
lily states On each occasion that he was
struck twice. In his testimony he says
the blow on his forehead was with O fiat
or club, and this may be the same blow
that he refers to elsewhere as delivered
on the sleft temple" though the LEFT
temple Is not tho forehead. CONSEQUENT.
ly the blow on his ucse mus thaye been the
one given with tto looking glass, thoug...
he says explicitly In his testimony that
they hit him "on the headn with the look
ing. gla-A. Perhaps IN Intelligent cadet
may confound his forehead with his left
temple. but not to know his nose from his
head would be great reproach to the
instruction given at West Point, and not
to be able TO distinguish between blow
from fist and blow from an Indian
club is at least creditable to the fist.
But from some one Of these two blows,
delivered in about four places with at
least three weapons, he became ancon.
soious and "knew no moro" till next day.
1t could hardly have been the blow with
the looking glass that did this IL he has
the natural Uranium of his race. Yet
whatever other hurt he received was
given before the ears were cut, before The
hair was cut; hefore he yes put on the
floor, before his feet were tied--for ali
that time he Gays he fought. It is
strauge that Whitaker was not able to
unite ne bands on his feet. There is
not vigofeas human creature fiat men
expected) who, with only his Lakles and
his wrists tied, aud he on his back, conld
not so bend his body as to have nearly
the full use Of his hands for operation on
knots tied ct his ankles and Whitaker
had light. It 10 unfortunate also that
he ha9 the details Of his story little
mixed that he gives the order of the
incidents differently in his testimony and
in his fiTst narrative; because any COM
fusion like this clouds the operations of
investigators, and it would be a great
shame 70 the government service If al. its
authorities together, including the Exc
cutive and o grand jury, fail to discover
the real cnlpEit or Uulprits.-Neao York
Hera!d.