The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-17


Victims TO Keep Their Means From
Being Heard.
West Point. N. Y, Jan. 1.-THE con-
gressional investigating committee to-day
got down to the bottom of the hazing
practised at the Academy during the last
four years, and the inquiry will be finish
ed before the end of the week. Cadets
Mahaffey, Dockery and Pegram were ex-
amined to-day very vigorously by Con-
gressman Wanger, briggs, Smith and
Clayton.
Gen. Dick of Ohio questioned them in
his quiet, suave manner and then let
loose his torrents of scathing sarcasm,
making every witness vince. All three
witnesses left, in a worse state of mind
and body than if they had just been COM
PEELED to go through the entire curricu-
lum of hazing.
Cadet Birchie o. Mahaffey of Texas
said he had heard of the hazing of Mac
Arthur and Brinton, who tainted from
severe exercising. He said Cadets Dock
cry, Boswell, Linton, Shannon, Stewart,
Mcclellan, w. S. Russell, Bell, Carpenter
and Tyler might give some information
about these hazings. He said when he
was a fourth-class man the worst haz-
ers were Cadets Bender and Lane, who
were dismissed, and Cadets Bettison anu
Meyer of the present first class. He had
hazed men himself He had never heard
of fourth class man winning in list
fight with a higher class man.
Cadet Dockery of Mississippi admitted
he had exercised young Macarthur. lie
had not been braced hard enough, he eX-
planned.
You are satisfied that you hazed Mr..
Macarthur and that he was sick, in fact
had convulsions after it?' said Mr..
briggs.
Did YOU think it was cruel?''
Yes, sir
well. young man. for your information
I Will tell you that I think it was afro
cious. base, detestable, disgraceful, dis
honorable, disreputable, heinous, igno-
minious, ill-famed. nefarious odious, out
rageous, scandalous, shameful, shameless,
villainous and wicked, exclaimed Mr.
briggs.
Witness admitted it was cruel and un-
soldieriy to exercise man into convul-
sions.
Gen. Dick made the witness admit that
he was worried and went 10 MacArthur's s
tent 1t was dark and he could see Mac
Arthur lying still on his bed, and that,
fearing detection, Macarthur was al
lowed to lie there without medical aid
what became of Haskell, who was
hazed at the same time as Macarthur
81 also heard that he was sick, too, sir,
but 1 did not go to see him"
Gen. Dick scored him heavily for taking
part in unmanly methods of practically
forcing a newcomer to sure defeat and
sound drubbing at the hands of a picked
representative of an upper class.
Cadet John C. Pegram Of Virginia,
second class man, testified he had given
Cadet Brown $50 eagles and could take
$50 himself.
On Nov. last he had fought with F.
NJ Smith of the third class, in the bar
racks. He was awarded the fight on a
foul, but was in the hospital for week.
Tonight Pegram testified to having eX-
ercsed Cadet Kensel to fainting con-
dition. He said Kensel was only sham
ming. He had seen Cadet Haskell lying
in faint in the sink.
Referring to the Macarthur incident
when the, young man was in convulsions,
Mr.. Wanger asked Pegram if he had seen
cotton placed in MacArthur's mouth in
order that his moants might not
be heard by any of the tactical officers
81 heard some one asking for cotton, but
I cannot say that it was procured or
used. / believe that MacArthur's means
were stifed."
Macarthur was not hazed after that
according to the witness, who added that
]. B. A. Barry, who had hazed MacAr-
thur, was IA her careless in not ascer-
tanning in advance whether Macarthur
had been hazed previously.
Mr.. briggs shot a volley of adjectives at
the witness and asked him if he did moi
think that all or any of them would be
applicable in describing the inhumanity
shown by the cadets who hazed MacAr-
thur and Kensel
Pegram said he did not.
Gen. Dick then read some letters writ
ten by ex-Cadet Booz, and when he read
where Booz spoke of the report against
him for facing in the wrong direction,
when relieving guard, Pegram said:
"Booz lied in his answer to that com
plant. l was present at the time with
Corpl. Caples, who made the report"