New-York tribune., 1901-01-25
HORRORS OF HAZING.
LISTENERS SHUDDER WHEN CUNNING
HAM DESCRIBED WHAT CADETS
HAVE HAD TO ENDURE.

/ on 70 TESTIFY he was r IL cunningham. d
teacher at the Hamilton Institute. New-York
| City. who formerly a cadet at West Point
! He was the tent mate of Cadet Mac Arthur, a
| son of General Macarthur who severely
| hazed according to the testimony adduced at
| West Point, and he also was supposed to have
| furnished the material for article on hazing
! which appeared in a New-York newspaper. Be
! fore beginning his testimony Mr.. Cunningham
| stated that il would not he voluntary. but would
! be given because he summoned He wanted
! his friends at west Point to understand that
Mr.. Cunningham testified that he entered the
| academy in June, 1898 and that his tent mate
was Macarthur He described the hazing Of
Macarthur in July. 1898 He said he reeled into
| the tent after being hazed and went into con-
| vusions. He writhing and moaning so that
| he Cunningham covered him with blanket to
| prevent his means from being heard by the Of
| fcer Of the day McArthur's inquisitors after
| the hazing he said. were very much exercised
| over what they had done. and were anxious to
| see him restored. Barry one of them. brought
| water 70 restore him. Asked as TO what was
| done 70 Macarthur Cunningham replied that
| they had done everything which came under the
! head of exercising
The commissions. Mr. Cunningham stated.
| were in paroxysIns, and continued for several
minutes at a time. The witness did not think
| Macarthur was as far gone as he appeared 10
be. He acted if his mind were wandering
| but the witness thought part of that was as
sumed Mr.. Cunningham said he would dis
tinctly classify MacArthur's writings as "con-
| vulsions" and not cramps as Macarthur had
testified. Witness said Macarthur the next
morning urged to go on sick report, but
he declined to do so. He remembered a prior
| occasion on which Macarthur was exercised
The worst hazers in the witnesses part of the
camp were Barry. Dockery and Duval After
iy-Fn nd
that. owing TO the plucky fashion in whica he
had stood the ordeal he would not be troubled
further
Mr. Cunningham went 10 state that young
Macarthur was hazed because he was son of
General Macarthur. although he had not
hibited any undue pride because of this rela-
tionship. When asked why he left the Academy
the witness said one reason was his feeling that
hazing exerted a brutal influence. Macarthur
had said to him that another night like that
would make me feel like resignlng-"
Several cadets called to console Macarthur
and Barry said TO him that he had a bootleg
on the whole corps" meaning that the corps adj
mired MacArthur's pluck The witness thought
this was meant as a sort of apology for what
had occurred To Chairman Dick the witness
said Macarthur did not resent the hazins and
fight probably because his mother opposed
! fighting
Mr. Cunningham said that Cadets Hill. Haskell
and Kensel suffered from hazins. Hill quail
! fed on peach pie" and afterward suffered from
convulsions, requiring medical assistance TO be
summoned. Haskell suffered the same night as
! Macarthur. and witness heard Haskell had con-
! vuIsions. Medical assistance not called. but
/ Haskell was worked over for some time. kensel
went into conyulslons. The witness heard that
| cadet had choked kenSel to prevent his utter
! ing cries. This information came from cadet
officer in the Academy. Cunningham received
| only minor haZing, at one time "eagling' for
about thirty minutes Mr.. briggs brought out
| that Cadet Howse also had been hazed into
| Mysteries
| To the witness was handed a list of cadets and
| he specified a number reputed 10 be severe haz-
ers. One of the cadets. he said. had been called
! OUT and had his jaw broken. The witness
! ordered at time TO haze Cadet Caruthers,
/ and wrapped eight blankets about him. giving
! him sweat bath in uniform. lasting haIf
| an hour Cadet Gimberng had told him that
when he was hazed nearly to fainting. the hazer
! ssid he wanted 70 make the man faint. Hill
! had done from 400 TO 1000 eagles" Crown
qualified on Prunes eating about 49, which
| Crown received guard privileges.
| The witness mentioned two cadet hazers who,
! he said. were OF a cruel nature One of them
! had pointed TO moisture at Cunningham's feet
and had said That is the sweat of many
plebe" One OF the Academy instructors lect-
against "braeing," etc As they left the lecture
! some one shouted Brace and every one
"braced." and that ended the agreement to stop
| hazing.
! Chairman Dick handed the witness a list OF
"sixty-nine different forms of haZing," and asked
! him TO add any more he recalled He added that
/ OF compelling 'plebes'' TO write letters The wit
ness identified a letter appearing in New York
! paper on hazing, and said he had written it. He
| said that the article did not show that death
| had resulted from haZing. He read aloud the
| article which made a severe arraignment of
| hazing. Commenting on a statement by Cen
| eTal Ludlow that college hazing and West Point
| hazing' were the same, the witness said; Il
| refute that statement. / went through college
| before went to West Point. and know there
| is nothing in the colleges like the hazing at
| West Point
| He described hazng as nothing short of tor
| ture, exquisite torture. He gave graphic ac-
| count of the agony suffered in certain forms Of
| hazing, which fairly sent shudder through the
| listeners Men were hung on bars. their feet up.
| so that when they dropped from exhaustion the
knees struck on the wood floor several feet be-
low. The faintng man was again hoisted up
| and again repeatedly dropped from exhaustion.
| striking on his knees He gave in detail the
horrors OF the sweat bath, and related the suf-
| ferings of Macarthur from this form of torture.
Cunningham said the object of calling out"
| was to place trained upper class against
| an unframed lower class man. The result was
| inevitable. In conducting fight the purpose
was to cut up the face Of the lower class man
| before knocking him out. An upper class man
had said 10 the witness that certain fight was
not correct because the lower class mans face
was not cut up sufficiently He was told of
| after fight, and then his face said to be a
sight to see" When guard time Cum
| ningham was told by the corporal of the guard
mot to see fight then about to occur.
The witness said cadets from foreign countries
| admitted by act Of Congress were "bulied and
| bothered" in the same He mentioned Cadet
! Iglesias. related 10 President Iglesas of Costa
| Rica as an instance and also Venezuelan
| cadet Cunningham said he wrote to the papers
concerning hazng in part because he expected
4 remuneration for the articles. When the wit
| ness said he had not narrated the facts through
INDIGNATION, Mr. Wanger said Then you are to
be Congratulated on maintaining n serenity of