Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1901-01-10
THE HAZING Of CADETS.
The t,rgr sssIonal Com mittee Re.
les the Taking of Testi-
mony at Philadelph".
NEW WITNESSES ARE COMING FORWARD
The Brctb Family and Anthony Bur-
mum. of Frankfort, ky" rent
mate of Booz Called as witness
cs-Cndets Had Fun with Booz on
Account of His Name.

Philadelphia, Jan. The congress
sional committee appointed for the
purpose of inquiring into the alleged
hazing of former cadets Oscar l..
Booz. of Bristol, Pa. and John Breth.
of Altoona. Pa, resumed the taxing
of testimony at the Lafayette hotel.
The committee has fixed nine o'clock
for the beginning of the third day
work, but it was 10 o'clock before
the first witness was sworn. Inc
committeeman attached much import
ancc to the Testimony of the days
witnesses. The Brcth family. which
firmly believes that John Breth dled'
indirectly, of hazing at West Poiht'
and Anthony Burnam of Frankfort
Ky. Booz's tent mate, were heard
during the day. None of these wit
nesSes testified before the military
board of inquiry.
Anthony Humans Testimony.
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 i'm June, 1898. lie asked
Booz to become his tent mate when
they went into camp in July of that
year. Oscar I}ooI, he said, was nice
sort of young man and up to the
standard of other cadets. The Older
cadets had lot of fun with Booz on
account of his name. The upper class
men and cadet named Bettison in
particular. Burnum said, ordered new
cadets to do various things to see II
the new men would obey them. lie
did some things asked of him. but
finally refused to do so, believing the
third class men were only trying to
harass him.
Ordered out to Fight.
He was ordered out to fight by the
fighting committees" Burnam did
not know any members of this com
mittce. After the contest Burnam
saw BooZ lying i'm his tent. He looked
detected and had been crying. BooI
told HIM he had been called out
and that he had received blow in the
stomach which rendered him abso-
lultlN ntlUltSN. l'uIhdlh S'tii UNIV
cadets said that Booz had Laid
down." The upper claSsmen kept
haunting him, saying he would make
no soldier. This was kept up until
he resigned.
Tired out by severe Routine.
Burnam said Booz, like all other
class men, was always tired out by
the severe routine of camp. Keller,
his opponent in the fight, was expert
with his fists. Burnam said. and was
fine gymnast. BoOz studied very lit
tie on account of his eyes hurting
him. On this account he stood low
In his class.
Told To Take TObascO sauce.
Oscar also told Burnam how upper
class men told him (l}ooz) to take
tobasco sauce. Booz. said Burnam,
was given a small bottle of tobasco
sauce and told to take all of it before
he left the table. He took il by the
spoonful. On one occasion Booz told
him that he put lot of the sauce on
piece of steak intending not to eat
it. An upper class man noticed this
and ordered l}ooz to eat the steak.
Oscar told Burnam the stuff was ruin
ing his stomach.
Had Taken Some Himself.
Burnam said he had taken tobasco
sauce, but never more than a drop
at II time. He did not know that pr
steal violence had ever been used TO
induce Booz to take it. lie said:
"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?"
On Lookout for Officers.
"They do, but the officers are not
always around when the hazng is GO
ing on. When any hazing was in
progress a number of cadets were
usually on duty to watch for the Off
GERS and warn the hazers if one
should come along"
While Burnam was in the fourth
class,a period of about twelve months,
there were about ten men "callcd
out" to fight. Fighting was prohibit
ed at the academy, and yet no action
was taken by the academy officers to
punish any one as far as Burnam
knew. Burnam knew little about the
membership of the fighting commit
tees. AS far as he knew they were
appointed by the class president and
were not elected by the class men.
In answer to Mr.. briggs Burnam
said he was discharged from West
Point for deficiency in studies, espe-
cially drawing and mathematics. He
said he positively had no animus
against the institution and had no
known enemies there either among
the officers of the cadets.