The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-05
HEBRENAT VESTPOINT
Sigmund S. Albert Says Religion
Caused Bad Treatment.
NEW BO0Z INQUIRY
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
BEGINS IT'S SESSIONS.

Philadelphia, Jan. 4.-The Booz con
gressional committee, which was re-
Gently appointed by Speaker Hender-
son for the purpose of making inquiry
into the cause of the death of Oscar
Booz at West Point and to investigate
hazing in general at the military
I academy. began to take testimony to-
day. Three sessions were held. cover
ing d period of time from 3 O'Clock in
the morning until midnight. The COM
mittee went to Bristol. the home of the
Booz family this morning and heard
, the testimony of four members Of that
family. In the afternoon, four physi-
clans who attended Oscar BOOz were
heard and tonight in Philadelphia, two
more physicians and two other wit
nesses testified.
The congressional committee viii
again go to Bristol tomorrow morning
to hear other witnesses and later in
the week viii sit in this city. EX-Mayor
Broth Of Altoona. Pa, whose son. 1t
IS alleged. died from ailment indirectly
due to hazinS, at West Point and for
mer Cadet Durham of Kentucky. a
I classmate of BOOZ, Will appear before
the committee tomorrow.
The committee consists of Charles
Dick. of Ohio. chairman; Edmund Fl.
/ briggs, New York; 1. P. Wagner
Pennsylvania; w. p. Smith, Iowa and
/ b. T. Clayton of New York.
Sigmund s. Albert, an eX-cadet, who
/ was classmate of Booz, said
J BOOZ was cut by many of the cadets
| because of his alleged cowardice in his
tight with Cadet Keller.
There were three fights in Albert
class. Albert said he was very much
I unsuccessful in his contest, and was
/ jibed somewhat because upper class
men said he did not fight long enough.
His opponent, he said, was Lieutenant
+ PeytOn, whom he thought was now in
! the Philippine islands. The other two
+ fights were between BOOz and Keller
and Cadets Alvord and Meyer, AlvOrd,
/ like Booz and himself being also
/ whipped.
/ Albert subsequently stated that
1 he was in two fights. His
/ second contest was with a
/ cadet named Doyle, of his own class.
! whom Albert called out for insulting
/ him He did not remember for what
1 Offense he himself had been called out.
! He said each class had d fighting COM
mittee, which was appointed by the
/ class. Albert sand he was more severe
! " hazed than other cadets of his class
Claims Religion Was Against Him.
! He was asked why, and answered:
/ principally because of my religion
/ Albert, who is a Hebrew, said he re-
/ signed from the academy partly be
[ cause life there was unbeaTable, and
! partly because he disliked military life.
/ Albert further said if a fourth class
| man incurred the displeasUre Of an up
/ per class man, the sentinels, who were
! mostly cadets of the upper classes,
/ would enter false demerits against the
| victims and in many cases the unfor-
/ tunate cadet would be forced from the
/ academy. They, he said. had the right
| to appeal the demeTit. He said he Was
] OStracis at West Point because of
1af a TaE9 II o
/ had been called a damned Jew by
/ Cadets Meyer and Jordan, Of the third
| class.
W. H. Booz, father of the deceased
] cadet, was the first witness He was
/ asked to tell the story of his boy s life
/ while at the military academy as far. as
he knew. Mr.. BOOz then went over
I the same story he told before the wal
department inquiry several weeks ago.
| Mrs. BOOZ, mother of the dead boy,
was the next witness. A rigid eXaini-
nation lasting over an hour developed
nothing in addition to her testimony
/ before the other committee.
Miss Nellie BOOz. a sister Of Oscar
said he had told her he would not again
undergo the treatment he had received
at West Point for 100000. At all the
other schools Oscar had attended, she
said, he had got along very we'll and
was popular with the students. Al
West Point ali was different. After he
was called out TO fight he was called
coward" and "gOOdy gOody." He was
always annoyed by the upper class
men. oscar characterized the upper
class men as "bTutes." DULLES" and
/ -'tyrants."
Brother Feels Faint.
Howard G. Booz, a younger brother
of Oscar said that oscar was 'irTit-
able after he left West Point. anJ
when he played basket bali he seemed
to tire very soon. Oscar told him he
had been hung by the hands from
stretcher. Oscar also told Howard tina
if he CHOward) would go to West Pom
he would come back in a coffin. How
ard showed signs of faintneSs and wa!
excused until tomorrow.
Several physicians testified ATOMS
previous lines, disagreeing as e
/ whether swallowing tObascO sauce Waj
/ a cause for BOOzs throat disease.
Charles H StrOut, principal of st
Luke's boarding school, BuStletOn. Pa.
where Oscar BOOz prepared for Yves
Point said it was his impression tina
he did not have great strength OF char
/ acter, nor was he physically strong
( He was. however, a tTUthfgul anl
/ Christian young man. In regard to hi
mathematical proficiency he was gOOl
in his processes, but not in his IOgica
facts, he not having sufficient reason
/ ing power. Professor Strout though
that BOOz. while at the academy, wa
liked by the students