The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-01-01
WEST POINT OFFICERS.
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PACED

very large onel and explained to them
IL they would agree not to submit 20
hazing and promise not to haze any
themselves. they would rid the
! academy o. a foul blot on It's rcputa-
tion. Soon afterwards they appealed
TO me 30 be released from his agree
meut, but I refused.
Il also heard" continued the wItness.
that candidates preparing a. High
land Falls were being hazed, and I
made an investigation. the outcsEae OK
which was the severe Furnishing Of the
guilty cadets"
Speaking generally OF hazing Colonel
Helm said:
"Hazing Is traditional and I ara sorry
to say Is thought by persons inside. as
wei as outside Of the academy. TO be
commendable, n as long as students
hear it spoken OF in this way IL will be
impossible for the authorities 20 staian
il out.
What methods do YOU think could be
used TO stamp out the calling out OF
fourth class men and subsequent rs
tic encounters" asked General Clous
Why. I consider that a form OF hax-
ing, and as long as the cadets don't
live up to the agreement not 10 sub
init to hazing and the upper class do
not cease interfering with them IL will
be impossible to suppress it"
Former Cadet Smith. OF CarbondaIe,
ILL.,, testified to seeing Booz. on one oc-
casion, holding out dumbbells and do
ing wooden willies. We were exer-
cised almost daily" the witness said.
Cadets Meyer and Nelly exercised me
frequently"
Cadet Truman w. Carithers. OF ILL.,
nois, the next witness. said he was
called out "for disobeying upper class
men and general freshness His oppo-
nent was Mr.. Shannon. OF the present
second class.
VIVA was the result?'
II got knocked out. sir"
Did you receive any inturies?" in
quired General Clous.
Yes, sir, I had an abrasion on the
forehead and my Jaw was broken"
Did you go to the hospital?"
Yes, sir. I was there Just two
weeks"
Was Shannon a good mann"
yes, sir, 1 thought So" replied the
witness, who laughed as he answered.
Colonel A. L.. Mills. superintendent Of
the academy. was then sent for and
after a few minutes delay he came
into court n was sworn. He submit
ted many reports and extracts regard
ing the regulations prohibiting hazing
and the measures adopted by the au-
thorities to abolish the several varie-
ties which existed at the post. He also
submitted long lists of cadets who
were summarily punished for viola
tons of these regulations. but they
were merely repititions of the extracts
of records handed to the court pre-
viously by C-ommandant Helm.
Speaking of "~bracing.' the superin-
tendent said: Il do rot consider 'brac-
ing as haZing. but IL amounts TO 10
when carried to excess and causes ply
steal pain"
For the protection OF the fourth
class men the witness said that he had
increased the responsibilities of the
first class cadets in regard TO this md.
He felt that these MEN. on the verge
of graduation. would use their utmost
e~ndeavors to abolish hazing methods.
Colonel Mills said that a great deal
of difficulty had been experienced by
him and the other officers in getting
information from cadets about cases of
> hazing on the ground that they might
incriminate themselves.
2 Th1 r,rari,f.rInr .1fz II -
> ing secured the path of a society
\ known as the ''Hod Carriers" which
existed among candidates for admis-
o sion to this academy who were at the
preparatory school at Highland Falls,
about two miles from West Point. II
4 was a society composed of and formed
for hazing candidates. The witnes,
said II was Of such a vile nature that
Is he knew he had a good weapon in his
Is hands. He submitted 1t to the cadet
body, with the result that when the,
saw what hazing entai.ed. the gradu
ating class Of 1900 declared that the,
10 would abolish hazing and wrote him Il
lat effect.
AS to standardization OF cade
= witnesses, the paragraph giving IN.
privilege OF not answering what woulc
10 be an discriminating question wa.
RI amended by the war department. Tht
~ amendment left 20 Inc judgmen: 0
n the superintendent OF the academ,
Il whether or not a cadet would .ncrimi
or nate himself by answering certain
questions. This change was made az
Us ter the cadets had MADE an aefeemen
to stop all forms of exercising.
I'd Colonel Mills read soE,. letters which
- he had written to the war department
in his efforts TO abolish hazing at tn
I'd academy, containing such suggestive
~ words as brutal treatment OF cadets
to and secret outrages" referring 20 tn
encampment 1893.