Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-12-21
THE BOOSE CASE.
An Enormous Mass of Testi-
mony Being Taken.
Boose Had Treatment for Lung
Trouble Before Entering Academy.
Ha,inq Of Certain Nature Shown But Nothing
Brutal Proven.

West Point, n Y, Dec. 20.-The mill
tarv court of inquiry composed of Gems.
Brooke, Bates and Clous got through
mass of evidence today, and, tomorrow,
the cadets of the first class, among
whom are Frank Keller, who fought
Boose, and some of the men VINO saw
the contest will be examined.
The court expects to have all the evil
dence collected by Saturday evening
but Judging from the large number OF
witnesses expected to be called there
NAV possibly be an adjournment until
after the holidays.
The name Of former Cadet John F..
Rreth of Altoona Pa, who it is alleged
died IS months ago as result OF bru-
tai haZng at the West Point Military
Academy. was associated with that of
oscar L. Boose at the inquiry, today.
Rev. FIR OKeefe. the Catholic pastor
here. who was personally interested in
Breth testified that the young man
never complained to him of haZng,
but he seemed to look on it as mere
fun. Breth was discharged in January,
1898. for deficiency in his studies.
The medical records We're produced
and they showed that Breth was in the
he was treated for external hemor-
rhodes and the second time for "A
hours. suffering from light fever. He
was treated another time in his room
for acute indigestion and in conse-
duence was excused from sections for
one day.
Superintendent Mills emphaticaliy
denied that Breth was injured while
4 hD hn
ti0ns to that effect were absolutely
false.
The medical records also show that
Cadet Boose was excused from one
drill while suffering from acute diar-
rhea, and this is the only time which
he seems to have been treated for any
trouble while at his post
one Of the witnesses, today, said he
had seen Boose "braced," and then
said he had heard Boose frequently
told ito blow the foal off himself"
Roose was seen to take three drops of
hot sauce by Cadet Bull and this young
man also testified that some of the
fourth class men filled the pepper
sauce bottles with tomato catsup so
as TO deceive the upper class men.
Cadet Cowles of Kansas, who knew
BoOse in a preparatory school near
Philadelphia told the court that Boose
was being treated by a local physician
for some lung trouble and was also
taking exercise for expanding his
chest, the year prior to his admission
to the West Point Academy.
In refutation of the statement made
by Cadet Boose's father. Congress-
man Phillips of Cleveland, Ohio, sent q
telegram to Superintendent Mills of
the academy. denying that he ever
came to West Point for the purpose of
protecting his son. Cadet Burt w. Phil
lips from being haZed. This was sub
mitted to the court and by direction of
the court it was attached to the rec
OrdS.
The court went into executive session
at go o'clock this morning, and at $50
the doors were opened.
Major Charles r. Hall. 81 Infantry,
treasurer of the Military Academy and
quartermaster and commssary of cadets.
introduced two bottles of colored sauces
which he said were the only kind of trop-
ical sauces in use in the cadet mess hall
since he took charge, three years ago.
Tobasco sauce was not in use in the
81 academy.
The next witness was Cadet VIM. ii.
Cowles of Kansas. He knew BOose but
was not present at the fight. He de-
scribed the hazing ordeas in the summer
of '9S and said he had undergone every
thing that his classmates went through.
He had taken couple of drops of hot
sauce from 4 spoon. When asked to de
scribe the sauce the witness said: We'll.
the bottle which / saw in our tent was
labeled tropical peppers sauce.
The witness, when asked again about
Cadet Boose said: II prepared at the
same school with Boose ana did not con
slider him strong fellow. We Were at
St. Lakes school at Bushtown. Phladel-
phia. in the fall of %. G. II. Strout. the
principal. told me once that he did not
expect Boose to pass the examination TO
enter here. RooSe was examined by
physician ana was developing lung and
chest capacity
The next witness. Herbert Il. krumm OF
Ohio. told the court that among other
things, he had been made to eat 20 prunes
at one sitting ana at another time had
10 swallow Il bowl of molaSSeS and six
slices of bread.
Cadet Henry T.. Mitchell of New York.
said that he had seen every man i'll the
present first class taking part in the haZ-
inty Of the fourth class men in IS.