The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-10
System of Fighting Said to BE as
vicious as the Pugilfstfc Contests
Tab0oed by Nearly All States.
CODE OF UNWRITTEN LAWS
WHICH Is SAID TO BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR MOST OF THE HAZING.
Class DistinctiOn Between "Beasts''
and ssPlebes"-The Cases of
BOOz, Rreth and Others.

WASHINGTON, Feb. Sine report OF
the special congressional committee which
Investigated the hazing of Cadet Booz and
the general subject of hazing at West
Point to-day was. submitted to the House
of Representatives by the chairman Rep
resentative Dick, together with bill max
ing stringent regulations against hazing.
fighting and all brutal practices. The re-
port is an exhaustive review of the practice
OF hazng in all its forms, and while mod
crate In tone, is nevertheless a stinging
arraignment of the many alleged brutal
practices enumerated. 1t specifies more
than 100 distinct methods of annoying and
.harrassing fourth-class men, and describes
them in detail.
The report states that system of fight
ing has grown up which is shocking in its
character, and the West Point code is more
vicious than the Queensberry code. The
committee holds that fighting is the worst
form of hazing. The report says that such
fighting as that at West Point is an act
of felony in most of the States and Con-
gress must decide whether fights, which are
high crimes elsewhere, shall continue at
West Point The committee finds that Ca
dets Macarthur, Breth and Burton were
hazed into commissions; others were hazed
until some tainted and others became i'll.
The hazing of Cadets Booz and Breth are
elaborately treated, but the committee does
not attribute their deaths directly to haz-
ing. The report adds: But while we cam
not fix on hazing the responsibility for
these two deaths, the possibility that it
hastened them, and the blot 1t throws on
the otherwise fair and glorious fame of
the academy, fits conflict with proper train
ing and discipline and unfitness in this
new century urges the adoption Of reason
able, yet, we believe, effective. measures
for its eradication and the promotion of dis
cipline at the academy"
The bill submitted contains five strong
sections against hazing. and provides
means for it's detection and punishment.
Dismissal is provided for taking part in
a fight a challenge. directly or indirectly
or for any form Of annoying, harassing
or bracing. Cadets dismissed are made in
eligible for appointment to the army, navy
or marine corps. Provision is made for
courts of inquiry, courts martial, closer as
ISOLATION between officers and cadets, and
other means for effectually stopping the
practice of hazing.
BEASTS AND "PLEBES."
The report first discusses the class dis
tincticns between the upper class men and
the beasts" and ''plebes, as the new ar
rivals and under class men are called, and
says:
''The upper class men have gradually
evolved an entire code of unwritten laws
governing their relations with fourth-ciass
men, as well as the whole course of con-
duct which should be pursued by the latter
Under this code no friendships formed
between the upper class men and the lower
class men; they have no social intercourse
or relations. Except where the parties
have been acquainted before entering the
academy the upper class man treats the
and an inferior. The fourth-class man has
no right to speak socially to the upper class
man, and when he speaks to him on busi-
ness he addresses his as Mister or Sir
No fourth-class man should gaze stare or
even look sQuarely at an upper class man.
but drop the eyes when in ones presence,
and failure to do so is a punishable of
fense.
After the fourth-class men go into camp
each is assigned. by lot or otherwise. to
some upper class man as special duty
of a body and tent servant. He must
sweep his superior's tent, put up and make
down his bed, adjust the flaps of his tent,
carry water. clean braces, brasses, breast
plate and other trimmings, guns bayonets
and swords; clean and care for his cloth
ing, taking out dirty collars and cuffs and
to the laundry and bring clean ones back.
make out hop cards, copy reports and dis
charge similar duties. The upper class
men, Fronting no doubt by what they have
of their own fertile ingenuity, have re-
sorted to more than one hundred distinct
methods of annoying and harassing fourth
class men. They are divided into three
general classes: First, things done pro-
fessedly for the good of fourth-class men
or of the service; second, things done to
rch for zI-s.
the upper class code: third. things done
apparently without purpose, except to an
noy or for the mere amusement of upper
class men,"
The committee then described in detail
bracing. eagling. wooden-willying, chou
chouing. dipping. sitting on bayonet, eat
ing quinine, standing on head in bathtub
filled with water. and many other forms OF
hazing. Continuing. the report says:
LAS this system grew and became more
and more oppressive, IL became necessary
to have some effective means to coerce
obedience TO these unlawful behests Of up-
per-cass men, and to meet this demand a
up, which is shocking in its character
Each OF the upper classes has regular
| fighting committee, and whenever Ii IL
reported. for example. to the presiden,
of the third class that some fourth-cIas =
man has refused TO obey any of the un-
| lawful and illegal orders of an upper-cla S
man. or has in some other important re.
spect violated the upper-class code. all o,
which, IL must be borne in mind Is IN
direct conflict with the regulations anc
rules Of the academy. the president calls
his fighting committee together and III 4,
thinks the charge true. IL orders the fourth.
class man called out and names the mar
who Is to whip him.
VICIOUS FIGHTS
The committee describes the fights a,
length. and says:
"a fight TO a finish has q more vicious
meaning here than eIesWhere. TheoreficsI 4
~, when q man Il clearly whipped - 80
onds may throw up the fxh& T6o rncoSf