The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-15
HARML ESS HAz|NGOFY ORE
Horse Play Much Rougher at
West Point Than Formerly.
SENTRY DUTY IN A TREE
Clusters Last Sl,sp M sde Up in Laugh
Producing Style - Cold Tramp OF a
Cadet Who Afterward Earned
Fame as a Comm ander,

The statement that hazing at the
West Point military academy has be-
come so brutal that the Washington
authorities have been called upon to
deal severely with all hazers there
hereafter recalls to mind some funny
phases Of "hazing'i at that military
post. What makes them all the fun
nier is that the victims We're, years af-
ter graduating, officers of national rep
utation. Besides, they told of their ex-
periences 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
board of visitors was largely composed
of distinguished men who were cadets
there when Grant was cadet. AS
general of the army he came to the
academy during the examinations that
summer and the old schoolboys used to
regale themselves in the evening in
the board of visitors room, in the base
ment of the hotel. with "reminiscences
of the time when they wore the gray,
bedecked with bell buttons. The heart
and soul of the meetings was Gen.
William IS. Franklin. Professors Peck
and Cappie, the one then a professor
In Columbia college and the other a
professor in western university, We're
not far behind him when hazing stor-
les came into play. Grant, as usual
was always reticent. But at 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 heartily as the 9TH
ers. There was no brutality about haz-
ing in their cadet days. Grant himself
said that, but there was just enough
trickery about it to make it very
tantalizing thing for the unfortunate
"plebe" who was made the victim.
Hancock up Tree.
Winfield S. Hancock was major
general of the army, with his famous
war record fresh in its glory, when The
story of his hazing was told. He was
as piebe taken in badly. You see"
said the member of the board who
spoke of it one evening that summer,
Hancock, like all of us, came to the
academy with an idea that he knew it
ALL He was a whole-souled. manly
boy, and no one cared to do anything
that would be hurtful to him. How
ever, 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 September the fourth
class.
I'VE were all in camp on the plains
Just southeast of the hotel Hancock
was shaken up out of his peaceful
slumbers one night by the officer of the
guard-at least he thought the cadet
who woke him up was that lordly fell
low He was told that one of the tasks
To nhnH
and ask no questions. He got his or
der. 1t was to go up tree near the
old fort near the camp and, rifle in
hand he was to keep strict watch on
the hotel, as it was suspected some
men from New York who were har-
bored there intended to make a stealthy
visit to the camp and make things I'M
comfortable for the cadets valuables
1T was a hot night. Hancock had
only his underwear on, and thus uni
formed he got into the tree. 1t is need
less to say that he discovered no ma
RAIDERS. AS daylight began to break
over the mountains he became painful
ly aware that the early risers at the
hotel were up and doing. In a short
time all the windows were thrown open.
There was Hancock in his raiment of
white and his rifle 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 surprised plebe when he found
he had been fooled. He often laughed
over that 'hazing' when I used to dine
with him at Governors island and talk
over old times
Custer as Victim.
One of the funniest haze happenings,
member of the board said, was just
before the war; when Custer was a
cadet. He was induced to believe when
"plebe" that one 'plebs" every week
had to get up an hour earlier than the