The record-union., 1899-11-27
BRUTAL AND BARBAROUS.
INHUMAN TREATMENT OF
"pLEBES, AT WEST POINT.
Conpelled to Undergo Ior'"res
which Ruin Health anu
Main, the Body.

Ever since the encampment Vi 'ie
cadets began at West Poiht 'iis ya
there have been repeated stories u naA
Ing of the most brutal klnd lillicteo W
upper classmen on the plebes. AS Often
as renorted these stories have been de-
MED and strenuous efIortS nave oeeii
made by the authorities and the lrlenus
of the institution to prevent their CIR
culation for fear of the damage 1t might
do 10 the character OF the men III lhe
institution, the pain it would cause 10
the parents and relatives OF the boys
who have suffered, and the poSsioie ei-
feet it might have on the minds OF the
young men who are anxious TO get aP-
pointment to the institution IN oroer
that they may follow military career.
1t is as foolish for the authorities 10
deny that there has been great zeal
of hazing going on at West POINT inns
year as it is for an outsider to say that
energies to the task of suppresSlng IT,
the authorities have not bent all thelf
They have done their best, but certain
things have gone on in spite OF tnem
and in defiance of the stringent reguia-
tions that they have formulated and
have honestly tried to enforce.
The subjoned communication was
written by cadet, whose name is not
printed for the reason that the knoWl-
edge that he had exposed the doingS in
the institution would subject him to un-
told annoyance and probably TO social
ostracism as well. 1t was written by
him, as it is printed in the "Sun,' with
the hope that it may aid the authorities
in their work of suppressing the bru-
talities that are practiced, or, further,
that it may call forth a proper investi-
cation by higher authorities that will
put an end to them absolutely. The
things that are told of in this commune
cation, the Sun is informed, are all
things that the writer himself saw IN
the institution. There is nothing sec
ond handwriting told that somebody
else said.
To the Editor of the "Sun"-Sir: In
view of the efforts making by the West
Point authorities to put down hazing in
the Military Academy. an unvarnished
story of just what these abuses are,
whence the difficulties met by the Off
Gals in their efforts, and a glance be-
hind the scene at the inside working OF
this famous Government school Will
prove not uninteresting reading to the
American public.
The subject is not entirely a Few one,
except in its true light. Frequently ar
ticles on West Point hazing appear in
newspapers, magazines, and weeklies,
and almost invariably the matter is
treated lightly. The conclusion of one
of these surface observers is that were
all college hazing as harmless and con-
ducive to general good feeling as that
carried on at West Point, the hue and
cry continually raised on this subject
would be speedily dropped" Appended
as body matter to this as a rule have
followed accounts of humorous situa-
tioEs in which the new cadet figures
with painful prominence This to these
writer's forms the. sum total of West
Point hazing. The one making such
statements merely declares as plainly
as words can that he has not investi-
gated the subject on which he writes.
There is slight parallel between
West Point and college hazing. 1t OBJ
lfalns only to the extent that in either
case the victim is the new student--in
the one case the "plebe'' in the other
the freshman" In West Point the
three upper classes indulge in it at will:
In the colleges the sophomore alone
stoops to it,
II is the purpose of this letter to treat
only of hazing abuses which may and
90 result in permanent injury to The
plebe The really amusing things which
are OFTEN eXacted from the new cadet
GO not enter into this at all. They are
harmless and legitimate. Personal pride
may De shattered in their practice. but
that Is an injury which not infreouent
iy proves beneficial 1t is the infiio-
tlon OF forms of abuse which are care
1uiIy concealed from the public eve. vet
Whlch are as religiously adhered to and
practlced as if they. We're part of the
government plan of instruction. that
We nave to deal with here.
lhese abuses, or tortures-for, they
are nothing else-all fall under the gen
eral name of exercising" They are
known in the corps as "eagline."
sweatbaths, hanging on stretcher.r
piepe rest, box holding" wooden
Willying," Ginning" foot balls
qualifying" These are the severest
iofms OF hazing at West Point. They
af1ord no amusement to the inuuisitor.
Ihey simply torture. exquisitely tor
ture, the plebe. The infiicting of the
entire category, or part of it, copsti-
tutes soiree," and according to the
amount of exercise exacted, is called a
hght or a heavy soiree, as the case
may be. The term in itself is local in
its use, and has no significance outside
of its application here.
The rules and regulations of the
academy provide that the cadet shall
hold himself in an erect and military
position. The new cadet is required to
keep his shoulders back and his head
erect and to bend forward slightly at
the hips. 1t is the one rule which the
upper classmen insists on seeing kept.
And of course he carries it to the ex-
treme. Talking in ranks is forbidden,
yet when the fourth classman falls in
with his company in the battalion,
there is a continual volley of extra or
ders directed at him by those not au-
thorized to give them, to get these
shoulders back get that chin in. >
till the cadet is in such position that
he walks with difficulty and his car
riase is most painful and awkward
coupled with each order is always d
threat OF trouble" This will be pres
emily explained
Now. in The event of the fourth class
mans inability to satisfy his tormentcr.
If he smiles or makes oral protest, he
Is told to report around to some fell
low plebe's tent. or it may be his OWE
usually one just opposite the year
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