The Portland daily press., 1901-01-18
CADET PRENTICE's STORY.
Man Found VINO showed son.o consid-
GRAFTON 60 Pfebes.

West Point, N. T., January 17.-when
the Congressional Investigating commit
tee resumed It's examination into the
charges Of hazing practices In vogue 1t
the military academy today. the first
witness called was cadet James Prentice
Of New York. Prentice is the cadet who
reported that former cadss Booz had se-
creted French novel inside an omen
Bible and was reading 1t instead Of the
Bible. Chairman Dick questioned the
witness .olosely in reference TO this Incl
dent and elected the information that
witness did not know for fact that
what Booz had In the Bible was not
lesson leaf or religious publication,
and Furthermore that witness knew that
Booz could not read French. The state
ment had beeu made TO Cadet Burnett.
head of the cadet branch of the Y. NJ. q.
A., over two years after the occurrence
OF the circumstances.
The recollection OF the episode had been
brought out by reading In the newspa-
pers OF the charges made that Booz was
dying as q result of hazing he had re-
csived at the military academy. The
witness said he was always friendly 70
Booz and did not wish to Injure him In
any way.
The witness told OF being hazed by
Cadet Foy during his first yaar at the
academy. He was sick during the day
prior of being hazed and after he had
done 10 eagles became faint ana told Roy
that he had been Ill Foy let up on him
and soolded him for not telling Of his Ill
ness before.
'rhis," said Prentice, "made me very
careful ever since II 1 was hazing man.
l never interfered with q delicate look
ing Cadet. Booz was not q strong look
ing man and always had friendly feel
Ing for him and tried to advise him for
the better.''
While making this statement Prentice
was visibly affected and his voice broke.
de seemed to be on the verge OF breaking
down when in answer to Gen. Dick, he
said:
III | had known anything about 1t be-
fore hand l should nsver have allowed
! Booz TO be called out. l considered that
| he was not physically fit to take part In q
tight "
I'How did he conduct himsslfg
"He seemed to bo obstinate and did not
comply readily upon request to do any
thing by upper oiassmen.
When the COMMITTEES re-assembIed, Gen.
Dick continued the examination of Cadet
| Prem tics
Congressman Wagner congratulated the
| witness for the oonsiderate manner in
which he had treated Booz In not report
! ing him at times when he mad an oppor
tunity and particularly when he did not
| com plain of Booz to his class committee
| on one occasion when his doing so would
have resulted in Booz being called out.
Cadet douglas Macarthur next took
| the stand. When Macarthur was sworn,
| MIR. briggs addressed him and said:
MIR. Macarthur, we have had mass OF
testimony given here regarding your
having neen hazed 80 violently that you
had commissions. The committee Is Ce-
| sirous OF having you tell in your own
way the manner in whicn you were
hazed, the forms OF hazing, tins names
| OF the men who hazsd you and the oonss-
quences."
Macarthur said: 81 Fad been about
a mon tn In tn summer camp of 1922 as
"P lebe, when the hazing occurred
| The account of It which / read in the
ne wspapers was greatly exaggerated. My
| treatment was no more severe than that
given to others and..was In no way calcu-
lated to affect my physical condition
! he described the hazing and said that,
at the time, he considered It cruel and
| still thought SO.
~ had no commissions" he said. II
\ bad what you might call aggravated
cramps and lost control of my muscles.
! most emphatioally deny that 1 was
seized with commissions. l was not de-
| lirous nor out nf my mind"
| In reply to Col. Clayton, Macarthur
| sand the statement that cotton was
stuffed in his mouth was perfectly alb
| surd.
Macarthur WAS very positive in his
| depiais and the ccmmitt3emen looked to
he very much SURPRISED. at the stand he
! was taking.
| At O'Clock the committee adjourned
mt IL o CLOCK.