The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-17
Says He Thinks the Haxing of Mac
Arthur Was Atrocious, Base, Detes-
table, DKsgraceful, Odious,
SHAMEFUL AND SHAMELESS,
DISHoNORABLE, DISREPUTABLE,
HEINOUS, ILL FAMED, WICKED.
Nefarious, Outrageous, scandalous,
Ignominious and viIIainous-Gen.
Dick Warns the Cadets.

| >
| WEST POINT, n. A., Jan. 16.-The con-
gressional committee put in good days
| work at the West Point Academy to-day.
| While they relaxed for few hours in the
afternoon to witness drill of the first class
| cadets in the riding school, they got down
| to the bottom of the hazing practiced at
| the academy during the last four years.
| and while at least dozen other witnesses
| have yet to be examined in this connection,
| the committee has laid out the work for
finishing the inquiry before the end of the
| week
| Three witnesses were examined during
| the day. They We're Cadets Mahaffey, Dock
| cry and Pegram. All three were thoroughly
examined by Congressman Wanger. briggs.
| Smith and Clayton. Not point was missed
| by these gentlemen, but what the witnesses
received at the hands of these investigators
| was nothing 10 the experience in the hands
of the chairman. General Dick, of Ohio.
| The general questioned them in his quiet,
suave manner, and led them on by easy
| stages to the point he desired. Then, like a
bolt from the clear sky, he let loose his
| torrents of scathing sarcasm, every word
of which cut deeply and made each of the
witnesses vince. All three of them left the
stand IN a hreathless condition and in a
worse state of mind and body than if they
| had just been compelled to go through the
entire curriculum of hazing which, accord
| ing to the evidence adduced at this investi-
| cation, consists of a half hundred different
forms.
Cadet B. o. Mahaffy, of Texas, who was
| classmate of former Cadet Booz, was
called and sworn. Judge Smith examined
the witness and after perusing Mahaffy's
testimony he said that the evidence given
| by the witness this morning was i'm no
way different from that on the military
court record. The witness admitted that
| the purpose of calling out fourth class
man was to have him whipped He had
never heard of a fourth-class man win
| ming in a fist fight with a high class man,
but had known of two such fights that
DocKERY SCORED.
| Cadet Albert z. Dockery, of Missouri, ac-
knowledged that he had exercised young
Macarthur. who was with five or six other
| fourth-class men.
What was the reason for hazing Mac
| Arthur"
For not bracing hard enough" replied
| Dockery.
''You are satisfied you hazed Mr. Mac
| Arthur and that he was sick I'm fact, had
convulsions after it?'' asked Mr.. briggs.
did you think it was cruel?"
Eyes, sir"
well young man, for information I will
! tell you that / think 1t was atrocious, base,
| detestable. disgraceful. dishonorable, dis
| reputable, heinous, ignominious. fll-famed
| nefarious, odious, outrageous. scandalous,
said r ANA fHe and
of adjectives almost took away Dockery's
| breath.
Judge Smith got Dockery to admit that
when he found that Macarthur was Ill he
| felt anxious on account of his responsibility
| for the young fellows condition
Instead of exercising this young man to
such a degree, why did you not give him
HE could have fought instead If he had
lochosen to do So
''Can you think of anything more cruel
| than to exercise a man into conyulsions?"
mo, sir
"was there anything soldierly about it?''
mo sir"
| General Dick then made the witness adj
NIT that he was worried and went to Mac
Arthur's tent. 1t was dark and he could
| lust see Macarthur lying still on his bed,
and that fearing detection. Macarthur was
'"Then you and the others who took part
| in the hazng of Macarthur were afraid To
| report his serious condition, fearing that by
doing SO the facts would become known to
| the authorities and you would be dismissed
from the Military Academy"
General Dick switched to the methods of
| calling out fourth class men and pitting
them against well trained upper class men
He warned the witness against the practice
and scored him heavily for taking part in
unmanly methods of practically forcing
newcomer to sure defeat and a sound drub-
hing at the hands of picked representa-
tive of the upper class. The witness was
then allowed to go.
PEGRAMs TESTIMONY.
| Cadet John c. Pegram, of Virginia, fought
with F. M Smith, of the third class. in
barracks, on Nov. last. He was awarded
| the fight on a foul and was in the hos
pital for week after 1t.
| In reply to Mr.. Wanger the witness told
| of seeing Cadet Haskell lying in a faint in
| the sink After further testimony Mr.
| briggs shot a volley of adjectiyes at the
| witness and asked him If he did not think
all of them any one of them would be
| applicable in describing the inhumanity
shown by the cadets who hazed Macarthur
| and Kensel Pegram said he did not, and
then Mr.. briggs threw up his hands, say
| ing That's all, / don't wish to say any
more"
Judge Smith took Pegram in hand and
asked him what right had he or any other
calet to asperse the truthfulness of man
who said he was faint or who had tainted.
''You upper class men arrogate to your
selves the right to judge whether fourth
class men are truthful. You think that
your standard of truthfulness is so excel
lent that you can tell with almost super
natural certainty whether a man is lying
or not" said Mr.. Smith.
az don't think so. sir.
well you certainly act as IL you were
possessed of some infinite power in that
respect. You should belong to the medical
corps You'd be an invaluable addition
to ii, when you are, as you say. able TO
tell the following morning whether a man
had tainted the night before" said Judge
Smith with biting sarcasm.
General Dick took the witness to task
about hazing in general, and began by
asking Pegram who were the best football
PLAYERS baseball players, fighters and
most expert hazers in the academy.
General Dick read some letters written
by Former Cadet Booz, and when he came
to the point where Booz spoke of the re-
port against him for facing in the wrong
direction when relieving guard, Pegram
said: "Booz lied in his answer TO that COM
plant. / was present at the time with
Corporal Caples, who made the report
This assertion on the part of the witness
did not strike the chairman as being char
table and he tried to get the witness TO
admit this, but Pegram was adamant.