The sun., 1900-12-21
NAzING At WEST POINT.
tBy anu, sOWvfssiOv Tihts ~ JHE
CasE ~ ftDtT HRtfW.

shows fhHf We ni'F'" WV '''''"' w
J,p. 1907, and va. Discharged IN Van
nary, Iso.. Tor Dtr'isro' ." M''h"nn"rs
~. was vb.n ,nppfsntl, IN Iio,u" 'ies'th
tn,,,,,,irg 1,uIronV IN the Hoo, Ca'~.
yvsr Poisr. Do ~ Tn" l''t'd sat9'
Army Commi-siDn which ~ I'N''ushins
he charRca 81 brutal h11irc MAD" ~ '"hh'c-
uon with the uolthof oscar l.. b""L' I"im"ip
n cadet hero. hold to-day the niHsl l't't"''-
ing Of any - tho Nv" Wcst Point H'-s'"tS'
In the two hearings ~ vcst"rdaj "hh 'h 'h'
on. Of the dav before tho tNiimohy o' ihru-
her. Of Boo2- class n.one vas 'nF'n inc
.tatetneu. ~ ever cadet examiner WV ",
"a general substance tho -nit'. 1hcy an
solernnlv made oath that boof was haA'a
ma NOR. than other members ui lis class
G.. ,,,,s.s,, testified IA u- wrs oven
b,zeilosthln his ciu-sm ties on 'cco"N "l
h",,. c,de,s ch4r ct,riici u~ nj cl; Of
o,,,r lvcin % ngrt he h'd 0i'r neither olde''
- q, ulfc, ccord,rg to e. let ethics.
h. Wa tho ornndiug rnrty. lhls was re-
,eated over and over again h. 'ort'-eiKht
~ Roo,'. classmates. In addition to that
,h,r. was ungli.ro'i, testimony that an ih-
.t,,ro of n cadet having basco or any other
o,,;,,. NM int, hi, mouth 10y forco WAS never
h.,rd Of although p5qDti, ally al the cadcts
,o.,iaed that the, had boon ordered 10 taSe
from, on. to FIVE drops OF the paper -lhce'
similar tot ba.ro. witF which the cadet mo''
table is supplied. and that they ha' "'o' eu
tho order and had mover suffered the -hIhteS'
III effects In consequence.
There still remained twenty OF Booz's sixty
eight CLASSMATES who are in IN" acaoemy,
and IL was expected that their examinations
would occupy the greater part OF TIC DAYS
SESSIONS, but Tiers was variation OF pro-
grauame Not becauie OF the publications
Ia Yesterdays and to-dav's papers, but solely
tecause 10 was 4 collateral issue connected
with ,he Booz ca,e. the commission branch"d
Of into AZ Investigation Of the career OF Cadet
John Breth of Altoona. Pa, who cied recently
and whose mother wrote - tho mother oi
Boog a letter In watch me -atd that ner son
was also victim OF West Point hazng and
had died In on-e.uence thoreoi. The Rev.
Cornelius g. O'heeie. rector Of the Catholic
Church Of the Sacred Heart at Highland
Falls, whose field OF religious work covers
the West Point military IererNnt!on and tho
Catholic >cadets iu the military academy,
and whose opportunities for knowing what
ls going on in the Military Academy have
been and are altogether exceptional for a
Civilian, was the first witness to testify IN
recard 70 the Dretn case. In answer 10 a
lows:
I knew Cadet John Breth He came to
Highland Falls & prepare for his ezamIn-
alton for entrance to the Military Academy.
He was there about three months He
brought with him a let er OF Introduction 10
me from Catholic priest in Altoona re-
commending hi to my cd ofices and
requesting me 90 have general outlook
for hi, interests. met the young N n re-
peatedly during his residence 10 Highland
Falls and afterward when he was omitted
20 the Academy as a member OF the cadet
corps / saw him severa! times while he
was In camp. Io never coEl9liined TO ne
OF III hellth or Ill treatment / said to him
one day laughingly: well, Breth, are they
hazing your To this he replied al'o laugh
insly. that they we're. but that he did not
rnind H. rather liked IT, In fact. for the fun
there was In To-
'As the time for the January examinations
approached he became uneasy about his
ability 10 pass. In fact II became apparent |
that he was In very great danger Of not pass
ing His anxi iety on this point was COM
municated TO his sister Sho came on from
Altoona to Hi ghland Falls To see re about It
She asked me 10 see Breth's professors or
the au authorities OF the Academy Oh the sub ject
10 crafty her ! did so. I saw the professor
Of mathematics and he told me Breth's
chances OF passing his examination in that
branch were hopeless. The event proved
as the professor had indicated Breth failed
10 pass and no seemed quite broken hearted
because he had 70 leave the Academy.
surely would have known OF IL had he been
subjected to any brutal hazins that tended
II undermine his health. The post physi-
ho f'otbnliN md tho fao nj
would certainly have come to me II It had
.1 1isted. do not believe 1t did exist.
From ny confident ial relations with cadets
here. running through a number OF years !
hgvc been in a position to know all about the
hnz!nc that was going on | have neysr
hnnrd of single instance 0! brutal hazing
beliave in this respect Wost Point will COM
pare favorably with any other institution in
the country / likewise have 20 learn OF
single instance Of a cadet az any faith being
subjected TO taunts or annoy ance OF any
Kind because OF that faith. In regard 70 the
hazinz, there mas been more Of it since 1898.
and a. 20 the general srbjeC- o: hazing. am
forced 10 confcs, thai arTee with the diets
that haZng Is beneficial when kept within
lroper bounds have received many letters
from mothers of cadet, who had read In The
newspapers accounts of West Poirr hnzing
Ind who had been made anxious thereby for
the safety of their sons.
Il invariably wrote In rorly 20 these letters
saving that therc wns 10 cause whatever
for unensinoss, th"t tho haz.uE when & sN-
istcd was very Mild and Involved no per-
soual peril. I consider the average morals
Of the West Point Military Aoadcmy ,tter
than in any other institution IN the country.
Temptation comes To man everywhere. but.
40 far "a temptation can he guarded against,
am sure TINT thu Young men IN III" Military
Academy ar" as we'll protected as in aEv
religious institution Ia the world. | repent
again that never heard of an brutal In ling
md ! have never believed that any existed
here.
Following hard upon Father O'Keef.'s
testimony came still another setback to the
persecution and brutality stories This MAS
In the shape of a telegram received To-day 10y
Col. Mills. .Supcrlnt cndert Of the Academy.
The lending OF this telegram was inst.gat"d
late Cadet Booz. ut Bristol. p n few days
ago Mr. Boo had testified hat the parents
OF cadets had gone 10 West Point 10 protect
their sons from tho hazirg brutalltics OF the
cadets on being asked 70 specify an Instance
he cited Mr. Philips. who has a son in the
acsdeny. as beirg one who had come here
for tho PURPOSE mentioned This came 10
Mr. Phillips's attention IN Ceve and to-day
and he A. once sent to Supt Mills the follow
inT telegram. which was handed into tho
room Will, Father Okccfe was 'estifyi 2.
and was -"ad out hy Capt. Dean n soon as
the wiine-s lCf' the stand
CLEVELAND. Ohio. Dec. 20. 1900.
"Iol A J MA ursf paint !