Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-01-16
A HAZING THAT FAILED.
An Attempt at Hazing at West Point
That Failed of its Objects.


N. W. Hawkinson. who represents a
twin city paper house and often comes
to Bismarck, attended the West Point
military academy back in the eighties.
Poor health forced him to retire, but he
was there one year, enough to know
something about hazing. u-
Mr.. Hawkinson tells of an attempt on
the part of classmen to rub it into a
freshie that did not end like the Booz
deal, not at all.
''The upper classmen had forced me
to do lot Of foolish stunts" said MIR.
Hawkinson, land we're laying for my
roommate. He was tall, ungainly fell
low from Kentucky, clumsy and awk-
ward. do not remember ever meeting
such chunk OF awkwardness before.
have never heard of one since.
"a half-dozen of us freshmen were
together in my quarters one night when
some of the upper classmen appeared
1t goes without saying, of course, that
we fairly hated anything in the shape of
an upper classman after our experience
with them. They began by asking US,
one by one, if we did not love the upper
classmen. We were mighty quick in
saying 'yes-all except the Kentuckian.
He simply drawled out that he didn't
think he did.
"That was enough. They left, and we
knew the Kentuckian was in for it.
felt sorry for him. He semed such an
innocent, inoffensive cuss that you would
lend him your sympathy on any grounds
In fact the whole crowd felt so sorry for
him that they had little to say about the
prospective trouble-seemed like talking
about the dead to the chief mourners.
''The long and short of it was that the
upper classmen insisted that my Ken
lucky friend had to fight. knew what
that meant, nothing,more or less than 60
ing against the best science and strength
combined that they could select. He
asked me to help him through it, and
again / became sorrowful as I pictured
him lying in heap at the conclusion of
the first half of round one. But I agreed
to act as his friend and second.
'sTbe scene occurred in the basement
of one of the halls Several of the up
pers' we're there. If you could have seen
my awkward Kentucky friend as he
gazed at the gloves, you would have felt
that it was leading the lamb to slaughter
in the literal sense. But he pulled them
on and shambled into the center of the
room. Opposed to him was big ath-
letic fellow who possessed plenty of the
fstic science.
''sThey began easily. All that the
Kentuckian seemed to be doing was an
attempt to keep out of the other fell
lows way. But the upper class man
soon made a vicious rush and swipe.
The Kentuckian's legs became tangled
but he fell out Of the way Of his oppo-
nent- His awardness seemed to save
him. The upper made another rush
and again the tangled legs carried their
owner out Of harm. ESs.s+.Ea G. : ..s :, :z.4-
i SIT 55s'I was fun for the upper. He smiled
and prepared for another rush. This
Time 4 thought my man would go out
sure. The upper came like d cyclone.
but the Kentuckian side-stepped and as
the upper went By him he landed like a
thousand Of brick. s5s55 ..s5.zs. 35zzSs
81 hey carried the upper class man to
the corner os the roosn. ~ friend
quietly pulled of the gloves and went
out. + afterWard learned that he was
9ar from q novice ID the use OF the
gloves, and he certainly had the strength.
There was 20 need Of az investiga alton
ii that instance. Z