The Portland daily press., 1901-02-26
FUN FOR THE PLEBE.
West Point Cadet who knocked Oas
All Corners.

The hazers Of West Point ran up
against n "hard proposition" when they
encountered John Patrick Sullivan OF
Louisiana. he Is the youth OF muscle
and Drawn who as a plebe whipped 80
cadets OF the "yearling" class and every
cadet Of the first class who called him
out. lie was so busy with fights that
something's he had as many as four in one
day. and he never lost battle. He was
the best 'scrapper" the Military academy
ever saw and as a plebe used 10 whip
upper class men as fast as they appeared
before him.
Sullivan was found in math" in Janu-
ary, 1897. Found In -math" means
found deficient in mathematics" He
therefore left the academy, but the re-
membrance OF his prowess still remains
there. In his "plebe camp" Sullivan was
challenged by every yearling who was of
equal weight with him and whipped them
all, sometimes meeting as many as four.
Then the first class was weighed in and
met the rapid plebe," one by one. Sulli-
van won all the fights and kept the doc
tors Mt the hospital busy. Scarcely a day
but some man reported at the hospital
with a dis6gured face which he had re-
ceived by running into a tree" Before
July was over Sullivan was no longer the
rapid plebe." but the terrible plebe."
He was a rnwboned youth from Louisi-
ana and eminently built for fighting He
was not quarrelsome fellow by any
means. but his name and his prowess
caused him lot OF trouble. II was a
case Of fight with him as soon as he went
into barracks as beast" Several year
Al a..
and asked the usual questions. When the
festive yearlings found that his name was
Sullivan, they asked, "Are you John l..
Sullivan"
''No," replied the candidate; II am
John r.. Sullivan"
After the usual instructions about the
use OF sir and mister the ycarling
asked, ''Can you fight. Mr.. SullivanT'
II don't want to fight, sir" was the re-
ply:
But don't you know that you have got
to fight TO keep up the reputation OF
your namer
Sullivan said he would fight II obliged
to do 20, and as soon as he had passed
his preliminary examination and was in
"plebe camp" his fighting days began.
The first man who had "deviled" him on
his first day in barracks was the first one
he whipped. 1t can be imagined that he
fought his first fight at the Point with
good heart. kfter that 1t was a matter
OF duty with him, and he knocked out 80
of the yearling class. After Sullivan had
beaten all comers he was not deviled byl
the upper class men and in the fall was
the only man OF his class 20 whom was
given place on the football team.
Sullivan got his share of hazing at first
and took 1t without a murmur. Once |
they told him to stand a: the door OF his |
tent and whistle for rain. He did so /,
eheerfuly and whistled long and loud. |
He never resented any OF the usual tests
which were applied to cadets, but the |
readiness with which he accepted chai |
lenge and the rapidity with which he put !
his opponents out OF commission were |
traits which made the upper class men |
rather wary of deviling him.
The youth from Louisiana was respect |
ed at the Point for his physical qualities
even IL the academic board had doubts as
to his mathematical ability. Perhaps he |
would have done better In "math" IL he
had not had so much fighting to do. 1t is
rather difficult TO bone math" and whip
four upper class men a day. Sullivans
name Is one which will long be a consol-
ing remembrance among the fourth class
men at the academy, for though the days
OF fighting are over the class feeling is
very strong at the Point and il Is always |
a consolation TO plebes TO be able to tell
tales OF the physical prowess of another
plebe, even though he has fallen from the
ranks Many officers now in the service
also are proud of the fighting ability Of
John Patrick Sullivan.
Plebe Sullivan was tall, muscular and
well built, with not an ounce of useless
flesh on him. Every movement OF his
body denoted strength and agility, and
those who felt the grip OF his big hands
thought their fingers had been in the jaws
of wise.
When he had his first fight, no partieu-
lar attention was paid to the affair, as
the average plebe does not know much
about fighting, and 1t was taken for grant
ed that the yearling who had called him
out would get the better of the battle.
But Sullivan returned to camp without
scratch, while the yearling, with the help
of several OF his classmates, went to the
hospital for rest, recuperation and re-
pairs. Then IL was that the yearling
class got together and began 10 call out
the "rapid plebe" one after the other. 1t
was necessary. according to the code, to
take the plebe's conceit out of him, and
so the series of fights began which re-
suited so disastrously TO the upper class
men. After he had whipped every man
of his weight in the yearling class it was
decided at a class meeting that he should
be let alone. II was then that the first
class took hand. with no better results
than the yearlings. But, alas, Sullivan
could not get away" with mathematics
"a easily ma he could with "scrapping" ca
dets, and his career at the Point was
brief, though never duh. - New York
Press.