Evening journal., 1901-01-08
SAY BULLIES
run WEST POINT
Former Cadet Burnam Was
Star Witness Yesterday
WITNESS IN LEGAL TANGLE
Evidence Produced HhiIh May Re-
sSnIt in Radical Reforms at the
Military Academy
WITNESS IN LEGAL TANGLE

Philadelphia, Jan. S.--According TO
the testimony adduced before the con-
gressional investigating committee,
which is inquiring into the charges OF
hazing at the West Point military
academy, Oscar L. Booz, OF Bristol, Pa,
and John e. Breth, OF Altoona, Pa, had
a rought time of It during their "plebe"
year at that institution. The star wit
ness yesterday was former cadet An
thony J. Burnam, Jr., son Of Judge
Burnam, of the court of appeals Of the
state of Kentucky, who was Booz's
tent mate while in camp. The commit
tee also heard for the first time testi-
mony in regard to the experiences Of
Breth from the lips of his father,
brothers and sisters.
Burnam, who was dismissed from the
academy for deficiency in studies, said
Booz became unpopular after his fight
with Cadet Keller. Personally. he was
a good fellow, but the cadets of the
upper classes always taunted him as
a coward During the y months Bur
nam was at the academy there were ten
fights and as far as he knew no one
was punished. Abused cadets, he said.
feared TO make complaints because
all the more miserable for them Booz
while in their tent had told him of
how upper class men had compelled
HIM to swallow tabasco sauce under
penalty of being called out" The
fourth class men were allowed their
liberty on Saturday afternoons, ac-
cording TO the regulations. but tho
upper class men would not allow them
I 20 lanrra If fhDNr Nf.nf.nasnH anf
the ''plebes' as rule would be punish
cd for it.
In the case Of Breth it was testified
/ by members of his family that be died
| of typhoid pneumonia, but that he sui
fered from nervous prostration as ;
result of his alleged i'll treatment at tn,
academy Breth told one Of his broth
ers and sisters thet one night he wal
hazed three times by three separate
sets of cadets. He stood the first two
ordeals. but was rendered unconscioul
from exhaustion by the third set
When he became conscious he foun,
the hazers rubbing him vigorously. an,
they appeared to him to be frightened
A cadet named Bender made him si
on the point of a bayonet while Ben
der played q violin. He fell off tn
bayonet and was made to sit on i
again.
Breth told his relatives he was pu
through all the various hazing exer
cises, which resulted in him being lail
up in the hospital with nervous pros
tration. Breth wrote home to his fam
I lily that the surgeon said it resultel
from overwork but this he >said wa
not so. His brothers and sisters want
ed TO make complaint, but he told thon
not To do so. as he feared the cadet
would haze him more severely. II
was compelled to often eat soap am
chew the end of ropes, which his rela
tives believed impaired his indigestion
Cadet Breth was discharged from tn
academy for deficiency in mathematic.
After he left the academy he told hi
brother that West Point was the hes
institution in the world, but added tina
the place was run by the upper elias
men" Today the Breth family wi
submit further evidence in the way {
letters from the cadet while he was a
West Point.
The committee got into a legal tar
gle with Lucien Alexander, secretar
, of the board of examiners for the aC
mission of law students to the ba
The committee wanted to learn whi
sort of average Booz made in his e,
, animation, but Mr.. Alexander refuse
to state except on an order from th
court of this city, believing that und'
a rule of the courts he would be
, contempt for making such informatio
public. He persisted in his refusal, a
though he said he would cheerful
| give the information If the court woul
permit him. and the committee ALLOW
ed him until today to choose whethl
to be in contempt Of the courts
Philadelphia or the United Stat
house of representatives.
The committee will probably col
clude its work here today and will b
gin the taking of testimony of u
cadets at West Point tomorrow.