Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-07
Former Classmate Burnam. Tells Of
Brutal Hazing.
YOUNG MAN WAS PROSECUTED
After His Fight Life Was Made
UnendurabIe There.
IMPORT A MI TEST I NJ O n Y


former Cadets Oscar l.. Booz of Bristol.
Pa, and John Breth of Altoona Pa, re-
sumed the taking of testimony at the La
fayette Hotel this morning. The committee
had fixed o'clock for the beginning of the
third days work, but it was 10 O'Clock be-
fore the first was sworn. The committee
men attached much Importance to the tes-
timony of todays witnesses. The Breth
family which firmly believes that John
Breth died indirectly OF hazing at West
Point and Anthony Burnam Of Frankfort.
KY, Roozs tent mate will be heard during
the day. None of these witnesses testified
before the military board of inquiry.
Burnam was the first witness called.
He was told to state in his own way what
he knew of the matter under consideration.
Burnam said he went to West Point in
June 1898. He asked Booz to become his
tent mate when they went into camp i'll
July of that year. Oscar Booz. he said,
was nice sort of young man. and up to
the standard of other cadets.
Made Fun of Hi. Name.
The older cadets had a lot of fun with
Booz on account of his name The upper
class rlen, and a cade, named Bettison. in
particular Burnam said, ordered new cadets
to do various things to if the new men
would obey them. He did some things
asked of him, but finally refused to 90 so,
| believing the third-ciass men were only
trying to harass him. He was ordered out
| to fight by the "ighting committee. Bur
nam did not know any members OF TINS
&C mmittee. After the contest Burnam saw
BooZ lying in his tent Ee looked detected
| and had been crying. Booz told him he
had been "called out and that he had re-
ceived 4 blow In the stomach which rem
dereG him absolutely helpless. Burnam said
| other cadets said that Booz had laid
| down. The upper c!ass men kept taunt-
| ing him, saying he would make no soldier.
| This kept up until he resigned.
Burnam said Booz, like all other class
| men. always tired out by the severe
| routine of camp. Keller, his opponent IN
the fight, was expert with his fists, Bur
| nam said, and was d fine Symnast. BooZ
| studied very little on account of his eyes
hurting him. On this account he stood loW
| in his class.
| Oscar also told Burnam how upper class
men told him H3ooz) to take tobasco sauce.
| Booz, he said, given small bottle Of
| tobasco sauce and told to take all of it be-
! fore he left the table. He took it by the
! spoonful On one occasion BoOZ told him
| that he put lot of the sauce piece of
| steak, intending not to eat it. An upper
| class man noticed this and ordered Booz to
| eat the steak. Oscar told Burnam the stuff
was running his stomach.
Took the Sauce Often.
Booz was compelled to take the sauce
| quite often. Burnam had tabasco admin
| istered to him once, only drop on spoon
| He knew BooZ was going to resign, and
| said Oscar left the academy on account OF
sore eyes. He believed that Booz resigned
| because he was detected on account of haZ-
| ing and failure in his studies.
| Col. Dick asked: "If complaint had
| been made do you think BoOZ would have
| been treated better?"
"Booz was very unpopular. and if he had
| made complaint he would have been
| treated still worse
| DO not the officers of the academy Try
| to prevent haZing?"
| They do but the officers are not always
| around when the hazing is going on. When
| any hazing was in progress a number OF
| cadets were usually on duty to watch for
| the officers and warn the hazers if one
| should come along.
Burnam explained the method of making
complaints against haZing 1t would be
| hard for cadet to make a secret COM
! plant IT, however, a secret complaint
| was made and an investigation followed,
the hazers would quickly come to the con
| clusiOn that the haZed cadet had made the
| complaint and the result would be that
| life would become more miserable for the
| complainant.
| In answer to Representative Wanger,
| Burnam said he never know that physical
| force had been used to get BooZ to take
| tabasco sauce. If Booz had refused he
probably would have again been 'called
only one-tenth of the cadets approved Of
| the harassing tactics practiced on the Brts-
| tol boy. BOOZ was not prosecuted so much
| after the cadets left camp and went into
| barracks. Burnam never knew of any
| cadets having been made to stand up and
! open their mouths while upper class m m
| squirted tabasco sauce into them. On Fri
| day night last former Cadet Albert, BOoZ $
| other tent mate, said such was his expert
| ence.
Submitted to Feet Inspection.
Burnam, like Booz, also submitted to the
| feet inspection of upper class men, which
consisted Of dropping candle grease on the
feet.
In answer to Colonel Dick, Burnam said
that Booz was considered good fellow
personally hut his actions in his fight with
Keller made him unpopular. The third class
taunted him as being unfit to be a soldier.
| Burnam also related how the fourth class
mer/were compelled by upper class men to
| do Night guard duty over an opOssum for
tbfee or four nights in camp. The officers
| Hever discovered the presence of the ami
tfnal. The witness also related how men
were put through the sweating process
after they had done a hard days work.
| Oscar BooZ read his Bible quite a little,
| and only on one occasion, as far witness
knew, did cadet refer to it, One night
Booz was sitting in his tent reading the
| sacred book and upper class man
passed him he said: THAT is pretty way
| to dead beat"
| Former Cadet Albert, Hebrew, was, on
| one or two occasions, insulted by sneering
| remarks as to his religion, according to
| Burnam.
Ten Men Called Out.
| While Burnam was in the fourth class a
| period of about twelve months, there were
about ten men "called CUT to fight. All
of the contests were severe, and the fourth
class men were usually badly battered up.
Fighting was prohibited at the academy.
| and although every contestants face
showed much evidence Of his having been
In fight, yet no action was taken by the
academy officers to punish any one. as far
as Burnam knew. When a fourth class
man. battered up, came through the com
pany street from fight, the upper class
men always called out to all the ''plebes''
| to witness the mans miserable condition
Burnam knew little about the member
ship Of the fighting committees. AS far as
he knew. they were appointed by the class
| president. and were not elected by the class
men. Reverting to BOOKS fight, Burnan
said that Booz. at drill, was ordered to ster
out OF line by an upper class man. which
II he had done so, would have been a viola
! ton Of the academy regulations. His re-