Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-12
Superintendent Of Military Academy
Discusses Hazing.
THINKS PRACTICE is DYING OUT
Efforts to Create a Sentiment
Against Fighting.
BROTHER OF BOOZ PRESENT

| ing at the United States Military Academy
| there was an unusually large gathering OF
| spectators in the examination room. .
The first witness called today was Col
| A. L. Mills, superintendent of the academy
| He was sworn last Wednesday, when the
| committee reached West Point, and he was
asked to resume his testimony in regard
| to his acquaintance with the long-standlng
| traditions of the academy.
A few minutes after the superintendent
| took the stand Horace Booz of Buffalo
| entered the room and took seat beside
| Sergeant-at-Arms Casson He is a brother
| of former Cadet Booz, whose death, it is
alleged, was superinduced by the hazing
| which he received at West Point during
| the summer encampment of 1898.
Judge Smith, the Iowa representative.
questioned Col. Mills. The witness sald
| that he graduated from the west folht
| Military Academy in June 1879 during
| his experience as cadet, he said, fourth
| class men were required to be obedient ana
respectful to the upper class men, but not
| in the same measure which they would be
| Obliged to recognize the authority Of an
| academy officer. The same demerlt system
which now exists was then in vogue.
No ScrappinR Committee Then.
"Did they have class scrapping commit
tees them" asked Judge Smith.
| They did not"
"Did they have fist fights to finish
| with referees. seconds and timekeepers?'
"Not that l can recall. l think there were
only three fights during my academic term.
| The Sc were Of an impromptu nature, ana l
| think the contestants We're all hrst-class
| men,
"Has 1t been a practice Of cadets to as
| sign sore or weak eyes as reason 1or
| resignaton?'
NO, sir; the cadets geheraIly aSsish III
| reason" %
questions bearing the surveillance OF the
movements of cadets at night ana eilciteo
the information that no officer ls supposed
| to be awake all night In order TO see that
the cadets do not get outside OF the post
reservation.
Questions bearing on the summary eXpul-
! sion from the academy of former CADETS
Bender and Lane in February, ls59. me
men had been guilty of breaking mo the
| executive building where they falslfed the
! records of demerits They took off demer-
| its from the records Of thirteen cadets. IN
Guiding their own but did not ADD demerits
| to the records Of any others. Lane con-
| fessed his part in the affair and also owned
I'm to his having assisted in burglarizing
| the cadet commissary This confession was
| made to Superintendent Mills, VINO as
missed the men at once. Ihe colonel eA-
| nIained that he thought this the better
| wav az he did not care to let the entire
| cadet corps know Of the aTalr. as tney
| would in case the men were tried py court
| martial.
| Cadets Aided in Catching Culprits.
| Colonel Mills said that many of the ca
| dets acted with commendabe spirit and
| zeal in ferreting out the perpetrators of
| these outrages and reporting the facts at
| their command to the authorities
| Judge Smith then asked the superintend-
ent about the action Of the authorities to
suppress fighting or punish those persons
who took part in these affairs. Colonel
Mills said that despite the vigilance Of the
| academic authorities these fights were kept
| solely within the knowledge Of the cadets
| themselves He said that only two fights
| had come to his knowledge, and these were
! made known through the fact that two ca
case was that Of Cadet Carrothers, whose
| Jaw was broken by Cadet Shannan. The
| colonel said that the surgeon reported that
Carrothers was evidently injured In fight.
and when Carrothers was asked for in
formation he declined to give it. This was
| in the summer of 1899
The second case occurred about a month
and half ago. Cadet Pegram Of the pres
| ent second class was reported by the sur
gaon as being laid up in hospital from
the evident effects of a fight. This fight,
| the colonel said, had evidently occurre4 be-
| tween second class men.
dets who had been fighting did not usually
| show marks Of punishment that might at
| tract attention of the officers.
What the Testimony Shows.
well, we have had testimony here that
| two-thirds Of the fourth class men, gener-
| ally the defeated parties in fights, have
| had to go to the hospital for treatment"
| said Judge Smith.
Col. Mills then went on to explain that
| the enforcement Of regulations was almost
entirely intrusted to the ten tactical Off
| GERS out Of seventy-one army officers at
| the post.
| "Why are not all the officers required to
| report evidences Of violations as we'll as
the tactical offcers?"
| That is not the policy, SIR
! "Why?"
| well. If officers were required to do so
| they would be considerably handicapped
| In the performance or their dutieS,' re-
| piled the colonel.
II don't think 1t would take much of
| their time to report evidences of the dozen
| fights or so that occur during year." ex-
| claimed Judge Smith.
Col. Mills then went on to say that he
| believed fighting would soon cease in the
| Academy, and he felt confident that the
| best method of abolishing fighting and haZ-
| ing would be the creation of a sentiment
! among the cadets against such practices,
and he stated that he was striving to stir
up such a sentiment
| Col. Mills was then requested to make a
| general statement in regard to his efforts
| to detect and punish those who practiced
| haZing. He read long list of punshments
| after telling of his efforts to suppress haz-
ing of all kinds. The list of punishments
| was similar to that which he presented to
the military committee of inquiry last
| month.
| The remainder of the morning session
was occupied by Col Mills. He read sew
eral letters and records in regard to the
efforts of the authorities to effectively sup
press hazing at the academy. The commit
tee adjourned at o'clock until 2:30.
Cadet o. N. Tyler of Maryland, one of
| Booz's seconds in the Keller fight, was on
the stand yesterday afternoon and described
the fight. He acknowledged that he had
told Booz that he was a disgrace to the
corps. This was in the evening Of the day
of the fight. In reply to Mr.. Driggs the
witness said that he had been exercised
almost to the point Of exhaustion.
What heinous crime were you expiat.
ing?" asked Mr.. Wanger.
L II had done nothing, sir. was walking
| up the company street, when Cadet Har-
lee. who is now out Of the corps. met me