New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-28
THE OUTRAGE AT VEST POINT.
A BUSY DAY WITH WITNESSES

BUSY DAY WITH WI1NESSES.
MANY PERSONS EXAMINED WITHOUT MUCH Sue
CEss-TREATMENT OF CoLoRED CADETS IN PAST
YEARS.
TFRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUNE''
WEST POINT, n. Y, April 27.-FOr an hour
or two this morning the arrest of Ryan, the saloon
Keeper perjury before the Whitaker Court OF In
QulTy, was the general theme OF conyersauop'
The arrest is thought by persons to be unnpor
ant but there s least prominent member OF tho
Court VINO thinks that Ryan might tell q
story that wOnld mako sensation Tue
greater part OF the two sessions OF the Court to-day
was spent In examining drummer-boys, policemen
and others engaged about the post, with the
hope of finding cew leading to the
discovery of the writer OF the anonymous note OF warn
ing Whitaker None Of the witnesses, however,
knew anything about the note.
At the opening Of the morning session 25O slips OF
paper containing specimens of writing by cadets were
given to w. Z. Hagen, OF Troy, "mechanlcai
and chemical expert Of general handwriting for COM
parison with the note Of warning.
William II. Brooks. tho engineer in charge OF the
steam.heating apparatus In the barracks sald
he had suspicion that Whitaker bad
an accompce." few minutes after
o'clock on Tuesday morning, April g. Lewis
Simpson camo into the b0ier-room, and ne
was there again when Whitaker was seen
going to the hospital. Simpson said that there
would be big time through tho cOuntry that
and tr"t he would probably be gradu-
ated It would be possible, he said, for any one to
enter the boer-rOOm in the night and to throw any
thing into the fire. This, however. was denied
later by Patrick COfTcy, the fireman. who said that
the door was night of April 5, and that he
was in the all night either awake or" snoozlng
CoHey did not hear any noise al night.
At the afternoon session Surgeon Alexander
was recalled, and said that the large
blado Of Whttaker's penknife was open when
it was found on tho floor Of the room. There was was
a ~ foot or two away from Whittaker's leg.
Cerk McEnany Of the once, teshned s S
similar hIS A to the one found in Whttaker's room.
from those issued to the cadets in 1873. Mr. Townsend
took Off his own neckte, and that too, was similar 10
| the one found. eXceDt MS 10 a few stitches. ...
In an interval when there witnesses present,
| Recorder Sears said: "A good deal OF unfavorable
| the letter which Whitaker wrote TO his mother
few days after the assault and IN which ne mas peen
the letter and word is Of not of - cut the lobes
or aud not of his ear-so that the charge OF exaS-
Lrutcnant John Biselow. ir who TaS graduated IN
June 1877 was then called and testified as TO the oon-
duct Of the cadets toward Cadet Fiipper who ca:s
matc Of hs when the two were IN the academy. tne
understanding was hO said, that those CADETS were
nor to be hazed or devIlled cat all, and a. far
as my observation goes they were not 10 DC 6OrHeu
nevnr 5hIe saw S or knew Of Flpper being deved
nazed" .,-.,....-. i. o,o,,o, o0a ,ho
latter returned the blow did any one ever eupose that
The rescntDg the blow would ever be punished OF re-
| nrOycd I" Lieutenant BRelow SAID az nrst tnat ne
didn't know, but added that " another nad proEOKeu
the quarrel ho shouldn't have been afraid OF being
Cadet Adiutant Carter said Cadet Whitaker was
treated with uniform kindness. He was meyer subjected
10 doying as the other cadets were, aud never had
do anything for tho upper classe: hS eva was wS hi
treated too. By the cadet officers IneVer knew OF nis
heiup unnpcessa reported. Twas Que OF the cadets
| I'm charge OF the candidates when Mlnple,
another coored cadet the last one before @
| speak OF those in the classcs over Mhml
| was better than that shown to the otheE
cadets for tho simple reason that he was cooreu ana
wee wanted 10 treat him with kindness. He never had 70
II wish to ASK You general question:" said Recorder
| Sears. Have you or have any other OF the csdets
| ever had any letters or Instructions or advice
| from home or from Congressmen. or from any
ono in tho country at large, enJoning you SteS Go
| ored cadets socially the same as you do the other
cadets !" mo, sir" replied tho witness. never nad
any advice in regard TO choosing my assoelates. -
Have any Of the other members OF inc cleS Oeeh "
| instructed I" "Eot that know Of" -. ,.
said that he was appointed at-large from ohlo
| by General Grant when no was PresidenL 40
The opinion of the class at the time, Cadet McDOnae
suspcnsiOn OF year was pretty severe penaty iof
| Knocking Whittlker down. -,
TO Mr. Townsend-Cadet Carter said that one cadet OF
the frat class Peck had spoken to whitaker since INC
and aterward he said TINT there was no one IN
his class whom he had not spoken to otherwise than
Charles T. Hill, the hospital steward testified tna
on mo dav when butcher was at West Point, Dntcners
SON after having met his father at tho Post ONCE haG
| said that the latter had been making 100
of himself; had been talking too loud: ana had DeeI
otn~ things that were not rue This closed the testi
m0ny for the day, and the Court adjourned uhth ~
| nj