The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-09

Representative Dick, Chairman OF the
Booz Investigating Committee. t,day
submitted TO the House The report s;vi.-E
IN full The result of the committees Ia
6ors at Bristol, Pa, the home OF the ate
West Point cadet, and ~ the Military
Academy The report contains about y.
Geo words. ana gives in detail the meth
eds Of haZing employed by the cadets,
with a recommendation for the suppress
sion OF the brutal practice which has
disgraced and brought into disrepu.e the
Military Academy.
II is not certain. the committee says,
that Booz died from the effects Of hazing.
but attention is called 10 ne tact Of his
death in early manhood
The practice OF challenge fighting IS
commented on as particularly brutal. and
il Is the opinion OF the committee that if
this Is suppressed the troubles at the
Academy resulting from hazing VIII come
10 an end. The report follows II part:
The committee began the taking Of tes-
tlmony at Bristol Pa, on jaaua-= / 1901
and the hearings continued al Bristol.
Philadelphia West Point. and Washington
until january y. 1901.
The committee substantially confined its
enquiries TO the time since June 1881,
when the present senior or first class en-
tered the ACADEMY. During all Of this Pc
ROD new cadets have been placed in bar
racks IN June and have remained there
until July, when they have gone into camp
and remained there until late II August
when they returned 10 barracks. While in
barracks. before going into camp they
a. Cd he c1a
men IS beasts and their quarters called
beast barracks" After the new cadets
have moved from barracks to camp they
have been styled ''piebeiznS' or --pIebes,'
and this has continued until received into
full fellowship at the end OF the first
year While the fourth class men have
been in barracks before they camp they
have been Instructed by the upper class
men officially in charge Of them that they
must always obey orders given them by
upper class men The upper class men a.
the Academy are all substantially on a
social equality, but a great gulf divides
them from Ehe fourth class
The upper class men have gradually
evolved an entire code OF uuwritten laws
governing their relations with fourth class
men, as well as the whole course OF con
duct which should be pursued by the lat
ter Under this code no friendships are
formed between the upper class men and
the lower class men; they have no social
intercourse or relations Except where the
parties have been acquainted before enter
ing the Academy, the upper class man
treats the fourth class man as unknown
a stranger and an inferior The fourth
class man has no right 10 speak socially to
the upper class man, and when he speaks
TO him on business he addresses him as
mister or sir" No fourth class man
should gaze, stare. or even look squarely
at an upper class man, but drop the eyes
when II ones presence. and failure 10 do
so IS q punishable offence.
L Is the duty of fourth class man when
in the presence Of an upper class man to
stand at attention, as f in the presence
OF q superior officer. A fourth class man
should be sober and dignifed. as becomes
one in training for the grave duties of an
army officer, and he must at all times alb
stain from laughing or smiling, upon the
one hand, or looking suIlen. upon the 9th
err The record shows that where a ca
det has looked sullen upon being hazed
he has been called out. and il he smiled he
has been punished.
The fourth class man must obey all
orders of an upper class man and paw
him the same respect due from an upper
class man to the officers Of the Academy.
After the fourth class men 20 into camp
each is assigned. by lot or otherwise. 10
some upper class man as special duty
man, and as such must discharge the
duties Of & body and tent servant He
must sweep his superior's tent, put up
and make down his bed. adjust the flaps
Of his tent, carry water; clean braces
brasses, breast plate. and other trimm .ngs.
guns, bayonets, and swords; clean and
care tcT his clothes taking cut dirty col
lars and cuffs, and putting in clean ones:
take dirty clothes to the laundry and
bring clean ones back, make out hop
cards, copy reports, and discharge 9th
eT similar duties
II is but justice TO say that while under
the cadet code q special duty man is bound
20 do all these things. many of The upper
class men fail TO require that they ali
be performed, but, so far as your COM
mittee have discovered, all upper class
men have required the performance Of
some Of them This special duty coutiu-
ues durirS- camp The upper class men
profiting no doubt by what they have
learned from their predecessors and the
aid Of their Own fertile ingenuity have
resoTted ia more than one hundred dis
tinct methods Of annoying and harassrng
fourth class men Your committee will
not attempt to name or describe them
all, but VIII name number. describing
them briefly when the name itself does
not suficintly do SO They are divided
Into three general classes:
Varieties of Hazing.
First. Things done professedIy for the
good OF fourth class men or OF the service
Second. Things done TO punish fourth
class men for violations Of the upper class
code.
Third. Things done apparently without
purpose, except to annoy. or for the mere
amusement of upper class men.
Chief among the first Of these claims. is
Bracing-This consists in requiring tie
fourth class man to throw his shoulders
back until the blades meet. draw his chin
INTO wholly unnatural degree draw his
abdomen up and so walk that his toes
touch the ground before his heels Il is
claimed this is done TO give a military
carriage but II has the contrary effect !
Il IS such an eZaggeratiOn Of the attitude
OF soldier and is so irksome that when
relieved from constraint the inevitable
tendency is 10 more than normal relaxa-
tion and slouchy carriage. The upper |
class man have required the fourth class
man &c brace al all times on the company
street, in camp. and frequently on other
occasions, and this has on more than one |
occasion resulted in the victim fainting.
Some doubt is cast upon the absolute be |
lief upon the part of cadets that bracine !
Is necessary 10 good military bearing. |
and thar il is their duty 70 practice il 20 |
attain that end as they never brace an
upper class man no matter how slouehY !
he may be Braclng IS prohibited at the |
Academy and has been frequently severely
punished but has been constantly ard de- |
family persisted in up to the time OF the |