Mexico weekly ledger., 1900-12-27
Disgusting RsYslatiOn.

The published testimony secured
by the committee appointed to lnyes-
tigate the hazing Of a boy named
Booz, by West Point cadets, which IS
alleged to have caused his death, is in
the highest degree disgusting. So far.
there is nothing that goes to prove
that the death Of Booz was caused by
hazing, but it is a faint inference that
the treatment he received fastened a
death that must have occucred early
In life from natural causes-heart
trouble and consumption. Among
civilized people 1t is customary-and
the custom has almost the force Of
law-to speak nothing but good Of the
dead; how disgusting, then, to hear
these classmates and schoolmates Of
the dead and buried Booz te~stifying
that he was dull and a coward. II
this were any defense against the
charge OF causing or Fastening of his
death, it might be excused; but had
Booz been the yeriest blOckhead and
coward ON the face Of the earth, that
would have been no excuse for pour
ing hot sauce on his tongue or for
bracing him or for playing any Of the
diabolical little meanness that West
Pointers seem TO think they are
privileged to practice on the boys
fresh from home and their mothers
apron strings.
There is to us In the wild west some
thing humiliating In the present sci
Of West Pointers ideas Of what con
stitutes humiliation. Cadet aftel
cadet has testified that he has beer
ordered by upper classmen to stand OIL
his head in a bathtub in ten inches o
water and then the question Is asked
"Did you feel humiliated?" and tn
answer is mo" They have beef
commanded to hold out their tongue
while upper classmen dropped no
sauce upon them. And the question
is asked: "Did you feel Inundated?
and the answer is "No." They hav
been forced to expose their toes fc
inspection while hot candle greas
was dropped on them; and when tn
question is asked: "Did you fe'
humiliated?" and the answer is "No.
Can anybody tell what under Heave
, will humiliate a cadet?
But how about the coward Boo7
/, Weak in body, some Of them say; mig
to the gates Of death, as the sequI
shows. Forced to fight for a cau'
which Gen. Brook and the cadet WI
brought. on this contest pronounC
unlawful even according to IL
strange customs of West Point. Aft
4, being bruised and cut over the ey
the doomed boy begs to be beaten
more, but they try to force him
stand up and be battered again. ]
the wild and woody west when a ms
says enough" his opponent stops;
he doesn't, the crowd forces him
stop. But Booz's opponent testlh
he struck him in the back twice as
tried to leave the fight. He struck
e dying boy.
b. But, you say, boys will be boys. "
they will: and some Of them will
fool boys and others mighty bad bo
and they should be punished and tn
taught to be better. Now, that Ct
gress has a chance at this nest Of b.
ish cruelty, IL ought to teach thu
Y young men such a lesson that I'll
&c hereafter will feel Inundated VIII
any OF the disgusting toe inspectioI
hot grease, hot sauce or any OIL
tyranny is put upon them. Tea
young soldiers that highsense Of hor
that prevailed among the knights
olden days, any one Of whom wo'
have thought his honorstained by ST
n n Illumination and wound have a
ne before he would have submitted.
But, we suppose, that kind of Oh
Ia. airy, still to some extent charac'
90 istIc OF the south and the barbar'
west, cannot survive in the Ell
least. At least, so 1t appears to an
0rn EOOI