New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-12-18
TIE BOOB HAZING CASE.
MILITARY COURT OF INQUIRY HEARS
FAMILY SIDE.
EVIDENCE TAKEN AT BRISTOL AND PHIL
ADELPHIA- FULLER DETAILS OF AL
LEGATIONS ALREADY MADE PUBLIC


Bristol Penn. Dec II (speciaD.-The Military
| Court Of Inquiry, appointed by the Secretary OF
| War IN investigate the charges that the death or
Oscar L. Booz, the former West Point cadet. was
induced by the injuries he received as result Oh
| being hazed by his fellow cadets In the ACADEMY
| met here to-day. The Court. consisting OF Major
General John r. Brooke commanding the depart
| nent of the East; Acknowledgement Alfred H.
Bates and Deputy Judge Advocate General ). ~
| Claus heard the testimony of the dead eaaet
parents his pastor and the physician who attenaso
| him. and examined also many OF MS rrleRos'
| Comprehensivey. the evidence addueed was that
| Cadet Booz went to West Point strong anu
healthy young man; that shortly after ne ehtered
| the Academy he began writing home, eompialhlns
| of his treatment. instancng particularly hght
! into which ne had been drawn and Worsted' ana
of being compelled TO take dose OF taoascS sauce.
II upon this sauce incident that the eharses
| mainly rest It is asserted that the young cadets
throat was injured TO such extent by the liquid
as TO bring on tuberculosis, the disease from which
| he died
DIR Wallace Beaver the physician who treated
Young Booz while willing to testify that the con-
dition in which he found the cadets throat woulo
| hasten the contracting OF tuberculosis ne apso-
utely declined 10 express opinion as to whether
! the administering Of tabascO GAUGE woulu prouuee
the symptoms which he found in the throat
| EVIDENCE HEARD IN PASTORS STUDY.
The investigation was conducted in the pastor
| study of the Presbyterian church. The local IN
terest in the proceedings was of the keenest nat
| ure The court dispensed with all formantIes Vi
procedure The witnesses were permitted 10 tel
their stories exactly in their own way. ana were
/ not checked when they wandered into extra
| neous matters, any objection made wheh
| witnesses who were momentarily forgetful' were
prompted by those around them the lautuue
given to the witnesses was part OK the courts
plan TO make a deep and thorough inquiry, not
only into cadets death. but into the whole sud
ject Of hazing at West Point.
William H. BOOB. father OF the dead cadet was
first called. Obeying the instruction or the court
to tell all he knew in his own way, he described
the entrance of his son into the academy, and re-
lated that in August, 1898. he received letter
wherein Oscar stated that he had been called out
to fight. had had his eyes blackened and some OF
his teeth loosened Further. Mr.. Booz said his son
suffered from a blow the heart. from which
bruise remained for three or four weeks Inc VIII
ness said he had also discovered that previous 10
the fight Oscar had been dOsed with tabasco sauce.
Colonel Mills said the boy coward!
the old man exclaimed with emotion But ne was
not a coward. He could not fight because he was
weak and had Just come out of the hospital He
did not show any want Of courage but ne was IN
a weakened condition after being in the hospital
Moreover he had been dosed with tabasco sauce
more than despite the statement made by
Colonel Mills that tabascO sauce was not USED at
West Point. We have letter which we Will put
in evidence wherein one of the cadets admits that
tabasco sauce is used at West Point and that II
was given to my son; that is contradiction OF
Colonel Mllls's statement. If abaseo sauce Is not
allowed in the barracks mess 1t certainly Is USED
in the encampment.
IN WEAK HEALTH AFTER REsIGNING.
Mr. Booz went on relate that when his son
came home after resgning he was in weak health
and run down. His throat was so bad that ne
could not even swallow the juice Of an orange
Prior to going 10 West Point he said. the boy was
bright jovial and healthy. Mr.. Booz repeated
some Of the information he had obtained regarding
the treatment his was subjected 10, and when
asked to specify what form the hazfng took he said
that the blankets were pulled off Oscars bed he
was stripped of his clothes and hot grease poured
over him.
Hot grease poured over himr' exclaimed General
Bates. Tell us specifically what you mean by
that"
why. Oscar told me that they pulled his clothes
off him and then dropped hot grease upon him
from a candle"
Did they hold il enough to him 70 scad
him?"
81 guess they were not particular about that
suppose they intended to burn him." the witness
| replied.
''How do you know that your son was dosed
with tabasco sauce?" General Clous asked
HE told me when he came home"
Did he mention the names of those who had
dosed hm?'
mo. he would never tell u.s."
did he mention the class to which they be-
| Onged?"
He said it was an upper class but he did not
| say which one it was"
Did he tell you who his friends were In the
| corps OF cadets?"
mo: he once told me that some of the oadats
were perfect gentlemen. but that there were others
| who were brutes and beasts. remember saving
| TO him: oscar, any one who would force YOU 10
| take tobascO sauce is murderer at heart and 7
| would kill him before would take it, and he an
| swered me- You don't know what the conditions
| are here"
do you know whether he took the sauce under
| moral or brute force?"
1 he
| matter"
'were other cadets treated in the same way as
| your son?'
mo, they not"
| why, in your opinion, your son particularly
selected for hazing?'
Il cannot say, unless il was that the, found hin,
an easier subject"
did you hear Of any other complaints with ref
| erence TO the hazing of 'plebes'? p"
No, but do know that Mrs Grant took I'D her
residence at West Point in order protect her son
| L. S. Grant, 3d.
| How do you suppose she could protect hm?"
We'll. think the influence of a parents pres
ence would restrain the upper classmen to some
extent
| MOTHERS FAITH IN HER SON.
Mrs. Booz the mother of the dead cadet, was
next asked TO testify. She is a frail woman ~
slight while the sorrowfuI expression I,no
her face showed that she was still erievinp, koe,I
over the loss OF her 1t evident also from
| her manner while replying the questioning of
| the court that she held the hazing her son was
subjected TO at West Point responsible for his
death
Her evidence was mainly corroborative of that
| given by her husband. II would take nv sons
word she exclaimed with sob. before that OF
| all the other cadets at West Point He never even
| acted lie, and think all who knew him wouI5