The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-01-09
BOOB and BRET'H CASES
congressional Committee Hears More
Evidence on West Point Hazing.
HARRY BRETH TEsTIFIES.
Brother of the Dead Cadet Tells of
Visit He Paid to the Military
Academy In August,
1907.

Philadelphia. Jan. S.--1'he COMPRESSION.
M committee which is investigating the
hazing Of fourth class cadets at West
Point Military academy resumed the TAX
ing of testimony.
Harry Broth OF Altoona, an etcr broth
er Of John Breth, whose death is also
under investigation, was called and told of
a visit he and his sister pGlA his brother
ut West Point in August, 1897, a few
months after his admission 10 the acad-
envy John, according to Harry, was
rather nervous and had peculiar twitch-
ing of the face Harry is slightly deaf,
and his brother described to the sister
how he had been hazcd. John said he
had been exercised until he was rendered
unconscious and was revived with wills
! ky. Harry said that hazing had become
SO severe that extra guards had been put
ON duty, and John said that such Il pro-
ceeding was unusual.
When the cadet returned home after
having been found deficient III certain
| studies in 1898. he seemed rnwell and
never was III good health after that.
| Iucicn Alexander. secretary of the
| board of examiners for the admission Of
law students TO the Philadelphia bar,
| who had refused 10 give the result Of
Oscar Boo2's examination on the ground
| that he would he iii contempt of the
courts under rule Of the court was re-
called. He again refused to answer the
committees question, but as he was de-
| sirouS of assisting the committee he said
he had personally applied TO the court of
common pleas aud had been granted il
rule permitting him 10 make answer. He
then testified that Oscar Booz failed in
the examination, he having Il general
average Of 80. Mr.. Alexander said he
attributed his had showing to BOOKS poor
eyesght. II was the boards experience
that young men who had successfully
passed the examinations for admission to
West Point had little difficulty in passing
the boards examination.
Harry Hreth Recalled.
Harry Breth was recalled, and he sub
mitted three letters written by his broth
| er while he was a cadet ut West Point
In one letter John told of having received
Il large number Of dement's. This, he
said. was not the result of cnrclcsSncss,
us the rules were very strict in regard 70
tidiness. lie had little time to keep his
belongings in proper order, as he was
compelled TO neglect his duties by reason
of his having to attend soirecS, which
was one Of the forms Of hazing III vogue
ut the academy.
Another letter stated that one night
s'some of the worst fellows in G com
pany" took John and three others to a
tent and forced them 10 undergo ex-
cessivc exercising John was made to
brace" "eagle," "wooden Willie" put on
a raincoat and with Il cape covering his
head, hold out dumbhells.
Mr.. Breth. the father of John, was
called. 1t was his firm conviction, he
said, that the excessive hazing his son
underwent made him chemically nerv-
Gus, broke his health and reduced his
vitality to such an extent that the young
man was unable to fight the typhoid
germs.
/ George l.. Smith Of this city, who was
mt West Point from June, 1886. to June.
1887, described the hazing as he knew it
at that time. Wesley Merritt was then
the superintendent, and lie was very
strict, more so, he thought, than the sue
ceeding superintendent. There was nc
brutal or eXhansting hazims while he
was at the academy.
The committee then adjourned, to meet
next at West Point.
The sherman In Typhoop.
San Francisco, Jan. S.-'The United
States transport Sherman was caught il
typhoon off the Japanese coast on Dec
Is. The waves broke so high that the
hurricane deck was flooded. One of the
port llfeboats was smashed into kindling
wood and another had to be out adrirt.
All The windows on the port side were
stove in and the roof of The cabin was
taken off bodily and piled mp around the
smokestack. The ends Of the staterooms
We're stove III and tons Of water almost
flled the rooms. ]. Il. Duff was hurled
with great violence against a chair. sus-
tanning IL fracture of thraa ,ihe ,n1 ,,,,,o