Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-12-28
VERY MISREPRESENTATION
BROUGHT U in THE BOOZ EN-
CURRY AT WEST POINT
YESTERDAY.
MANY WITNESSES EXAMINED
AMONG THEM A BROTHER OF THE
DEAD CADET.
Cadet Willis G. Peace, of North Car
DINA, Gave Some Very Pertinent
-Evidence-He Admitted Some Men
Did Not Know When They Had
Hsxed q Youth Enough-His Def-
milton Of Brutality.

WEST POINT, N. Y, December 27.-
There was an unusually large attend
nee Of spectators at the military court
Of inquiry to-day. Horace G. Booz, a
civil engineer, of Buffalo, and P. O..
Phillips, of East Cleveland, who was
aeralded as a Congressman, but told
me press representatives that he was
aeyer elected to Congress, were the
chief witnesses. III formers testimo-
ny was principally a r%eIutatlon OF the
statements maze about his brother,
president; A. G. Beetham, OF Beliaire.
CORNER Cadet Oscar L.. Booz, of Bris-
toll, IA, who died recently. Several of
the cadet witnesses during the progress
OF the Investigation accused boOz OF
having shown eoWardice in his fight
with Cadet Keller in August, 1898, and
they also accused him or untrthfulness.
Lieut.. Coe, Instructor OF mathemat-
les, in his testimony last week, stated
that Booz was not possessed of suffi-
Gent mental capacity to pass the nee
essary examination at this academy.
Ills brother stated to-day that this
w 90 AOL 0O, 90 LAC Al0iAAO IL
the former cadet had passed his exam
nations at the preparatory school at
BuStletOn, Pa, was suificlent to prove
that Oscar was possessed OF SUFFICIENT
intellect. He tsaid Oscar was not I'M
truthful and he was anything but a
coward.
Mr.. Phillips principal reason for APP
pearing before the our was to show
that he had not visited the academy
in 1898 for the purpose OF saving his
con from being hazed. He stayed here
for about ten or eleven days in AL
gust of that year, shortly after the fight
between Booz and Keller had taken
place. Mr.. and Mrs. Booz stopped at
the same hotel with him, but neither
one of them complained of their sons
treatment. He said that in his opin-
ion Booz was not of the kind of ma
terial out of which good army Off
GERS could be made.
One of the witnesses at the morning
session informed the court that he had
seen Cadet Breth so far exhausted
from severe exercising that stimulants
had to be given him in his tent in
1897. (,
Il the afternoon two other cadets
of Breth's class said they had seen him
in a nervous condition, his body, arms
and legs twitching after he had been
hazed, but one of them said he be-
lieved Breth was pretending prostra-
ton.
There still remain thirteen cadets Of
the first class to be examined. They
all have been away on Christmas fur
loughs and will be back tomorrow.
Some of the present rourth-class men
will also be examined and t. j. Smith,
of Carbonate, H., a former cadet, is
expected to be on HAND tomorrow to
tell what he knows Of the hazing prac-
ticed at the academy. 1t is possible
that the court will get through here
by Saturday.
When the court assembled Cadet
Willis G.. Peace, of North Caralina, of
the first class, was the first witness.
He said he knew Former Cadet Breth
and saw him hazed in the tent of ex-
Cadet Beder, in camp in 1897. The
witness, after being frequnetly asked
to describe the forms of hazing to
which Breth was subjected, replied
II cannot exactly describe them in de-
tail, but / think they were the usual
forms, such as holding out Indian
clubs until it became tiresome, doing
Wooden Willie and other things whicn
were in vogue at hat time. Breth was
a very awkward MAI and did not seem
to be able to do anything right. He
was subject to nervousness and was
easily ratified.
II got a letter from Breth about six
- - g.. L. La lN.1 T. - L.
tried to explain his difficulty in doing
things right while at the post here,
and said that he had been suffering
from sickness all the time he was in
camp. He had hoped to get better in
barracks, but did not"
what was the nature of his sick
ness?' inquired Gen. Clous. Il don't
remember, sir" "Have you got the
letter., mo, sir; l looked for it, but
must have destroyed it long since"
The witness in reply to Gen. Clous
said that he knew of about eight fights
Saving occurred during the first two
years he was in the academy, and about
nine during the next two years.
In reply to Gen. Bates, Cadet Peace
laid that whenever a fourth class man
was in trouble or wanted advice, or
perhaps some article, he would come
% an upper class man for information
d. the loan of the desired article and
ae would invariably get it.
rs there any hatred or feeling in
existence between first class men and
,ourth class menu" asked the general.
Il don't believe there is any feeling
IN the part of the first class men
against the fourth class men, but there
nay be on the part of fourth class
men against the upper class. This may
,e accounted for by the treatment of
he lower class, but this feeling passes
Iway when the cadets are advanced to
The third class"
Peace went OF to say that he did not
consider exercising brutal.
Then you don't think that being
required to exert yourself physically
against your will almost to the point
of exhaustion brutal?" exclaimed Gen.
Bates.
II was exercised myself, sir. and l
did not think it : brutal. 1t was I'M
comfortable, bus 1 never knew it to re-
suit in permanent injury"
The witness said there were some
men who used to haze more than 9th
ers, and that some of them seemed to
be without the faculty of judging when
a man had enough.
After being closely questioned rs to
what he would consider brutality in
hazing the witness replied:. II should