The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-15

1t Used to he Conducted in an En-
tireIy Harmless Manner.


Point Military Academy has become 50
brutal that The Washington authorities
have bcen called up n 10 deal severely with
all hazers there herkafter recalls to mind
some funny phases OF "haz.ng" at that
military post. What makes them all the
funnier is that the victims We're years af-
ter graduating. officers of national reputa-
ton. Besides. they told of their experien-
ces themselves.
The summer Of the year when Grant was
nominated for President for the first time
was great summer at the academy for
old West Pointers. The bard OF Visitors
was largely composed Of distinguished men
who were cadets there when Grant was a
cadet As general Of the army he came to
the academy during the examinations that
summer. and the old schoolboys used to re-
gale themselves in the evening in the
board of visitors room, in the basement
or the MOTEL, with "reminiscences Of the
time when they woe the gray, hedecked
with bell buttons. The heart and soul of
The meetings was Gen. William b. Frank
lin. Profs. Peck and Capp.e, the one
then a professor in Columbia College and
the other a professor in a Western uni
Versity, were not far behind m when
hazing stories anne into play Grant, as
usual was always retiCent. But at times
he was not loath TO draw out some OF his
Fellows about cadet cape.s that were fresh
in his mind, and he enjoyed the remnis-
cences as heartily as the others. There was
no brutality about hazing in their cadet
days. Grant himself said that but There
was just enough trickery about il to make
II very tantlizins thing for the unfor-
tunate ''plebe" who was made the We
tim.
Winfield S. Hancock was a major gem
eral of the army, with his famous war
record fresh in its glory when the story
of his hazing was told. He was as plebe
taken in badly. you see" said the men,
Der of the board who spoke of it one even
ing that summer, "Hancock/ like all of
us, came to the academy with an idea
that he knew ii all He was a whole
souled, manly boy, and no one cared 10
do anything that would be hurtful 10 him.
However, he had to be taken in and done
for. The graduating class had donned the
blue and gone and the third class was on
vacation. So the corps was made up of
the second and fourth classes and the
plebes that would be in the following Sep
TENDER the fourth class.
1--WE were all in camp on the plains Just
southeast of the hotel Hancock was
shaken up out of his peaceful SAUNDERS
one night by the officer of the guard-at
least he thought the cadet who woke him
up was that lordly 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, 1t was TO go up a tree
near the old fort near the camp, and rifle
IN hand, he was to keep strict watch on
the hotel, as 1t was suspected some men
from New York, who were harbored there
intended to make a stealthy visit to the
camp and make things uncomfortable for
the cadets Valuables.
1t was hot night Hancock had only
his underwear on, and thus uniformed he
got into the tree. 1t is needless to say thar
ne discovered no maraudeFs. As daylight
began to break over the mountains he
became painfully aware that the early ris-
ers at the hotel were up and doing. In A
snort time all the windows were thrown
open. There was Hancock in his raiment
OF white and his rife on his arm, seated
up in the tree, patiently waiting for the
men from New York. OF course, he came
down when the real officer of the guard
discovered him. He was a mighty sur
prlsed 'plebe' when he found he had been
fooled lie often laughed over that 'haz-
ing when l used to dine with hin, ar Gov
errors Island and talk over old times,
one of the funniest haze haDpeninps n
member OF the board said, was lust before
the war when Custer was cadet He was
INDUCED TO believe when a "plebe" that one
plebe' every week had to get IN an
hour earlier than the rest of the cores
ana study He was the eject one week. He
did his duty" until an early inspection Of
the barracks was made one morDina Inv tba
superintendent The young "plebe" was
disciplined for doing what he had been or
dered to do, as he thought, by high an
thorlty. custer never forgot the hours of
sleep he had lost and quietly resolved TO
be revenged before he graduated His
7cr6 xxfcie
an extra hours sleep for the whole cadet
corps The bugler, "Old Benz" was
quartered in the soldiers barracks. vay
on the northwest end of the post, near the
river.
Benz was a slow walker, and it took him
long time to go from his quarters to the
cadet barracks due south of the Darada
ground There he took time" from the big
tower clock, and sounded the bugle can
for the cadets to get out of bed One
morning Benz, after his tedious march
reached the cadet barracks. A look at
the tower nearly paralyzed him There
were no hands on the clock BY the time
he had gone back to the soldiers barracks
ana returned with an official timepiece
borrowed hastily for the occasion the
whole cadet corps had enjoyed the longest
sleep on record at the Academy.
Then it was that the sentinels remember
ed that shot had been heard Just at the
preak OF DAY from some quarter near Il q
cadet barracks. But the caE for the cor
poral of the guard and all else that follow
ed resulted in no discovery. No one at
the time ever thought of the clock tower
Custer always got the credit OF knowing
what had happened TO the hands of that
clock.
Probably one of the most serious haze
doings was carried out when Grant and
Pitcher and Franklin, Peck and Cappie
wore gray coats. On bitter cold night a
''piebe' was awakened and hastily made
to put on his uniform-fortunatel his
overcoat, too. The cadets who hustled
him, he supposed, weT5 a special detail
from the superintendent's office. He was
chosen, they tod him. to run the guard. >"
and they told him how to do IT, Then he
was TO go TO old Fort Put, way up
on the western mountain ridge, and do
sentry duty till sunrise. AT that time
he was TO march down TO the barracks
and bring with him a big branch of a
cedar tree as evidence he had been up on
the ridge.
The reader can imagine what sensa-