The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-20
LIGHT FLASHED ON
HAz|NG OF CADETS
Standing on His Head in a
Bath Tub.
WATER TEN INCHES DEEP
Hobson's Brother Says This Was His
Hardest Ordeal.
PHIL sHER DAN, I4 RODE A BR0OMsTIcK
Various Other Kinds Of Hazing Described. All
the Cadets Agree That There is Moth
ing Brutal sr Degrading in
the 0rdeals.
WATER TEN INCHES DEEP
Hobsoa's Brother Says This Was His
Hardest Ordeal.
PHIL sHER DAN, Ia, RODE A BRoONsTIcK
lBy the Associated Press.l

West Point, N. Y, Dec. 19.-Very in
teresting testimony was brought out to-
day by the court of inquiry which is in
vestigating the alleged hazing of cadets
at the military academy here, in connec-
ton with the recent death of former
Cadet Rooz.
Thirty-five cadets were examined, one
of whom was the brother of Lieutenant
another was the son of General Phil
Sheridan, and a third, Mark Brooke, of
Pennsylvania, is a nephew of General
Brooke. who is the presiding officer OF
the court. All three told of the haZlng
they got during the encampment of '9S and
said Oscar Pooz was their classmate and
not one of them said that the treatment
they received or the things they had to
do were either brutal or degrading
Hobson's hardest ordeal was when he
had to stand on his head in a bath tub
in which there was about ten inches of
water. He said he was partially strangled
but was all right in few minutes. He
did many foolish things at the bidding of
upper class men. Among these things
we're:
Climbing a tent pole telling funny
stories and trying to sing.
Young Phil Sheridan was made to ride
a broom stick along the company's street
in commemoration of his illusrious
fathers ride, and he had to keep shout
ing turn boys, turn all the time. He
did not think this was humiliating, he
said although he didn't relish the task.
lie saw nothing brutal in any exercises
which he was put through, only they were
t.resome.
Samuel Frankenberger OF West Vir-
ginia Hebrew. testified he had been
hazed in no harsher manner than that
experienced BIZ his class mates. and he
too, said there was no brutality.
Booz's parents claimed that their son
had complained of brutal treatment at
that time. Frankenberger said that II
Booz had been treated brutaly he would
have known of it. Booz's tent mate. Al
bert was also Jew. but Frankenberger
swore that Albert was an uncompanion-
able man and was consequently disliked
by his classmates.
John X Herr, OF New Jersey who was
one of Booz's seconds in his fight with
Keller. told the storv CT the encounter
in which he said "Booz Just kind of laid
down." Herr told how Booz Topped down
without sufficient cause and when he fell
the last time, although counted out, Herr
said Booz was not knocked out or winded.
On account of his actions in the fight,
Herr said Booz was looked uoon as a
coward and nobody liked him afterwards
Herr strenuously denied that Booz was
roughly or brutalIy hazed
Cadet Charles McH. Eby. of Pennsyl-
vania, gave a detailed description of the
different modes of hazing, which he had
undergone He described "bracing wooden
Willie" football" "eagling," hanging
on stretcher." and several other forms of
exercise" which he had gone through.
He never saw a man faint from exhaus-
tion during these ordeals. but told the
court that he himself had feigned faint
while "eagling.
Eby gave an exhibition o bracing,"
which is accomplished by pulling in the
chin and drawing back the shoulders
while standing erect He said this was
an exaggerated form of a soldierly posi-
ton.
None of these ordeals was brutal, he
declared. and he never knew or heard
of anyone who had suffered any in conse-
quence of being put through them
In nearly every instance the witnesses
said that all these forms of hazing were
obsolete and while 'bracing' was still
practiced secretly. it was against the
regulations and if anyone were detected
violating these regulations he would be
summariIy dealt with and severely pun
ished.
There are about a score more of
Booz's classmates to be examined and as
there are several of the first class men