The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-12-20
B00z INQUIRY.
Nothing Disclosed Yet to Show
That Dead Cadet Was
Cruelty Hazsd.

West Point, n. ", Dec. 20--For the last
two days Gen. Brooke. Gen. Bates and
Gen. Clous assisted by Capt. Dean have
been probing and investigating charges
OF brutal hazing at the military academy
I'm connection with the recent demise of
former Cadet Oscar l.. Booz.
Forty-eight classmates OF the deceased
have been examined under oath before
the court of inquiry and not one OF them
has testified to the effect that brutal haz-
ing was INDUCED IN.
They deny that Booz was treated in any
manner worse than they themselves Were
by upper classmen and all agree I'm say
ing that the ordeals which they were
made To go through were not Injurious
either mentally or physically.
The assertions OF religious discrimina-
tion have also been refuted by every wilt
ness, cadets OF Hebrew, Catholic, Protes-
tant Presby terian and other denomina-
tions testifying that no religious preju-
dices existed I'm the academy.
Only one thing charged by the parents
OF Booz has been sustained and that Is
that Booz and Keller had fight some
time early I'm Aug, 1898. III Booz received
serious injury in that bout none OF the
ionlookers thought 500
Those who saw the fight. say he was
lVt fhJAitu, DNl AnuA hhiNr NrANNf AhSH
son summed up the feeling against Booz
in his testimony yesterday when he said
Booz was looked down upon for his lack
of physical courage.
There are still twenty men. OF the Sec
ond class TO he examined and as several
OF the upper classmen will be called as
we'll as some officers, the investigation
may not CLOSE before Saturday
The court went into executive session
af @. n atalanE this mnrnipQ and at esl0 the
doors were opened. Major Chas. IL. Hall.
second infantry, treasurer of the military
academy and quartermaster and commis-
sary officer Identified bottles of red
,colored sauces which he said were the
only kind Of pepper CT tropical sauces
in use In the cadets mess hall since he
took charge three years ago.
Tabasco sauce was not in use in the
academy. The next witness was cSdet
Vim. III. Cowles, of Kansas. lie knew
Booz hut was not present at the fight.
He described the hazing ordeals In the
summer of es and saiu he had undergone
everything that his classmates went
through.
He had taken couple of drops OF hot
sauce from spoon. When asked TO de-
scribe the sauce the witness saidi We'll.
the bottle which l saw In our tent was
labeled tropical peppers sauce.
The witness, when asked again about
Cadet Booz said: ''I prepared at the
same school with Booz and 4 did not con-
slider him a strong fellow We were at
st. Lukes school at Bushtown, Philadel-
phia. I'm the fall of 97 C. H. Strout, the
principal. told me once that he did not
expect Booz to pass the examination to
enter here. Booz was examined by
physician and was developing lung and
chest capacity"
The next witness. Herbert a1rnmm,
OF Ohio. told the court that among other
things that he had been made TO eat S5
prunes at one sitting and at another time
had to swallow bowl of moiasses and
six slices OF bread.
Cadet Henry f. Mitchell, OF New York.
said that he had seen every man I'm the
present first class taking part I'm the haz-
ing OF the fourth classmen I'm 'ss.