The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-11
HARMLESS HAl|NG Of YORt.
Hancock. In seanty Raiment. Once
DID sentry Doty In . Tree-Cus-
ter's Last sleep made Up I'm Laugh

hazers there hereafter recalls 20 mind some
funny phases OF naxing at that military
post WHAT makes them all the fUanier Is
that the victims were, years after gradu-
atiug- officers Of national reputation. Be
sides, they tod OF their experiences tn n-
selves.
The summer Of the year when Grant was
nominated for president for the first time
was great summer at the academy for CID
West Pointers. The board OF visitors VAS
largely composed 90 distinguished men *ae
were cadets there when Grant was a cadet.
As general of the army he came ~ the
academy during the examination that
summer. and the old school boys ussd 20
regaie themselves in the evening in the
board Of visitors room, in the basement
OF the hotel. with "reminiscences OF the
time when they wore the gray, bedeckei
with bell buttons. The heart and soul Of
the meetings was Gen. William b. Frank
lin. Prots. Peck and Cappie, the one then
a professor In Columbia college and the
other a professor in a western university.
were not far behind him when hazing stor-
les came into play. Grant as usual, was
always re,iceni. But al times he was not
loath to draw out some OF his fellows about
cadet capers that were fresh In his mind.
and he enjoyed The "reminiscences as hearth
y the others. There was no brutality
about hazng in their cadet days. Grant
enough trickery about IL 10 make Il a very
tantalizing thing for the unfortunate
"plebe who WAS made the victim.
Hsncock Up "a Tree.
winfield $. Hancock was major gen
eral Of the army. with his famous war
record fresh in It's glory. when the story
Of his haz;ng was told. He was as piebe
taken In badly you see.' said the men,
Der OF the board who spoke OF /, one even
Srar f}nyzH I- al an
us, came 10 the academy with an idea that
he knew j. all He was a whole souied,
manly boy. ard no one cared 10 do any
thing that would be hu-tful 10 him. How
ever he had 10 be taken In and done for.
The graduating class had doomed the blue
and gone and the third class was on vaca-
ton so The corps was made up OF the
second and fourth classes and the plebes
that would be in the following September
the fourth class.
we were all in camp on the plains Just
southeast Of the hotel Hancock was
shaken mp out OF his peaceful siumbers
one night by the officer Of the guard-at
least he thought the cadet who woke him
up was that lordiy fellow. He was told
that one OF the tasks OF a good soldier was
to obey orders and ask no questions. He
got his order. II was TO go up q tree
near the old fort near the camp. and. rifle
In hand. he WIS 10 keep strict watch on
the hotel, as Il was suspected some men
from New York who were harbored there
intended to make n stealthy visit 10 the
camp and make things uncomfortable for
the cadets valuables.
at was hot night. Hancock had only
his underwear on and thus uniformed he
got into the tree. Il Is needless 10 say that
he discovered no marauders. AS daylight
began to break over the mountains he be-
came painfully aware that the early risers
ct the hotel were UP and doing. In short
time all the windows were thrown open.
There was Hancock IN his raiment of white
and his rife on his arm. seated up In ths
tree patiently waiting for the men frorn
New York. OF course. he came down when
the real ofricsr OF the guard discovered
him. He was a mighty surprised plebe
when he found he had been fooled. He
often laughed over that 'hazng' when
used 70 dine with him az Governors is
land ana talk over old times"
Custer as Victim.
One of the funniest haze happenings, a
member Of the board said. was Just before
the war. when Custer was a cadet. He was
induced to believe when ''plehe'' tina. one
'picbe' every week had 10 get Up ar hour
earlier than thu res; Of the corps and study
He was the elect one week. lie did his
duty until an early inspection OF the bar
racks was made ore morning by the SUPER
plined for doing what he had been ordered
to do. as he thought. by a high authority.
Custer never forgot the hours If sleep ne
had lost and quietly resolved 10 be reveng-
ei before he graduated His revenge vas
queer one, fer It resulted in an extra
hours sleep for tho whole cadet corps
The hugler. Old Benz" vas quartqred iY,
the soldiers barracks, Wsy on the north
west end 90 the post. nesr the river
Benz a slow w !ker and II took him
long time 70 go from his quarters So the
cadet barracks. due south Of TIE parade
ground There he ''tcek time II. m the big
tower clock ana sounded the bugje cali for
the cadets - set nut ~ bed One morning
| Benz after his tedious march reached the
| cadet barracks. A iook At the tower nearly
/ paralyged him. There were no hands an
the clock By The time he had gone back
/ to the so.diere' barracks ana returned
| with m official tincptece Borrowed hastily
/ Ter t1e occasion. the whele cadet corps had
| enjoyed the longest sleep on record az tie
| academy Then K was thss the scrtineis
! remembered taat a shot had been heard
| jus; at the break CO day from some guar
! ter near the cadet barracks Hut the call
] for t,e CofEorai - the guard ara All else
/ tta, followed resulted IN no discovery. No
Z ore a. the ZINE ever Thought Ct the clock
/ toser Custer aisavs got the credit u
/ knowing what had happened TO the hands
I OF that clock
Cold Tramp of .'Ptebe."
| Probably ere ~ she most serious haze
/ 6oinRs was carried oait when Grant and
! Pitcher and Franklin. Peck ard Cappie
] wore gray coats on bitter cold night
i "Tiehe' Was awakened ana hastily
J made "a pat on his Uniform fortuna iely.
! hts Dverccat too. The cadets whS hus-
! tied htTn he supposed. we're q special He-
/ tail from the superintendent office he
/ was chosen. they told him. - IRAN tire
/ guard" and they told him bow TO do 4.
| Then ~ was - go 20 cid Fort Put. way
/ up or the western mountain ridge. and
| 30 sentry duty TIL sunrise ~ that time
|. re was 20 march down - the har~ac Ks
/ ana briag Nth BIN hig branch q q
/ cedar tree az evidence tse had N*eu Up or
| The v3Sre TIE Teaanr can imagine what
! a sensation the ptnr 'TsIehe' made whoa
covered vrith snow ara nearly trozer 90
] death re staggered d0wn the 'eia BARK
/ road into the hafrark yart Rith a huge
( cedar branch in his sfl~areG arms. The
I cs,fe' who wss thus haxe3 became