Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1901-01-10
WEST Point HAZMtN.
The ''Plebes" Thoroughly Subsor-
Went to Upper Glass Men.
THE CONGRESSIONAL PRoBERS

Producing Evidence which May Re-
suit In Radical Reforms at the
Governments Military Institute-A
Witness in u Legal Tangle.
Philadelphia, Jan. 8.-According to
the testimony adduced before the con-
gressional investigating committee,
which is inqTiring into the charges OF
lazing at the West Point military
academy Oscar L. BooZ, of Bristol, Pa,
and John E. Breth, of Altoona, Pa, had
a rought time of it during their "plebe"
year at that institution. The star wit
ness yesterday was former cadet An
thony j. Bnrnam, Jr., son Of Judge
Burnam, Of the court Of appeals Of the
state of Kentucky, who was BooZ's
tent mate while in camp. The commit
tee also heard for the first time testi-
mony in regard to the experiences Of
Breth from the lips of his father,
brothers and sisters.
Burnam, who was dismissed from the
academy for deficiency in studies, said
BOoZ became unpopular after lis fight
with Cadet Keller. Personally, he was
good fellow, but the cadets of the
upper classes always taunted him as
a coward. During the II months Bur-
nam was at the academy there were ten
fights, and as far as he knew no one
was punished Abused cadets, he said,
feared to make complaints because
they felt the haZers would make life
all the more miserable for them BoOZ
while in their tent had told him of
how upper class men had compelled
him to swallow tabasco sauce under
penalty of being called out" The
fourth class men were allowed their
liberty On Saturday afternoons, ac-
cording to the regulations, but the
upper class men would not allow them
to leave camp. If they disobeyed them
the "plebes" as a rule would be punish
ed for it.
In the case Of Breth it was testified
by members of his family that he died
of typhoid pneumonia, but that he suf-
fered from nervous prostration as a
result of his alleged i'll treatment at the
academy. Breth told one of his broth
ers and sisters that one night he was
hazed three times by three separate
sets of cadets. He stood the first two
Ordeals, but was rendered unconscious
from exhaustion by the third set.
When he became conscious he found
the hazers rubbing him vigorously, and
they appeared to him to be frightened.
A cadet named Bender made him sit
on the point of a bayonet while Ben
der played a violin. Ee fell of the
bayonet and was made to sit on it
again.
Breth told his relatives he was put
through all the various ha1ing eXer-
cises, which resulted in him being laid
up in the hospital with nervous PROS
tratiOn. Breth wrote home to his fam
lily that the surgeon said it resulted
from OverWOrk, but this he said was
not SO. His brothers and sisters want
ed to make complaint, but he told them
not to do so, as he feared the cadets
would haze him more severely. He
was compelled to ''Often eat soap" and
chew the end of ropes, which his rela-
tives believed impaired his Indigestion.
Cadet Breth was discharged. from the
academy for deficiency in mathematics
After he left the academy he told his
brother that West Point was the best
institution in the world but added that
the place was run by the upper class
men" Today the Breth family will
submit further evidence in the way of
letters from the cadet while he was at
West Point
The committee got into a legal tan
gle with Lucien Alexander, secretary
Of the board Of examiners for the ad-
mission Of law students to the bar.
The committee wanted to learn what
sort Of average BCoZ made in his ex-
animation, but Mr.. Alexander refused
to state except on an order from the
court Of this city, believing that under
a rule of the courts he would be in
contempt for making such information
public. He persisted il his refusal, al
though he said he would cheerfully
give the information if the court would
permit him, and the committee allow
ed him until today to choose whether
to be in contempt Of the courts of
Philadelphia or the United States
house of representatives.