The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-29
CADET HEWLETT OF THIS
 CITY ON WITNESS STAND
FIRST TO TESTIFY IN COURT MARTIAL OF MIDSHIP-
 MAN COFFIN

4 CIassnlate of the Accused-He Saw
 Hazins of IzimbrOugh of the Fourth
 Class Through keyhOIe in a Door
 Attempt to Evade QunsrIOns Tending
 to Incriminate HiBl FutiIe-Ex-
 plains the "Standing-On-the-hea
 Exercise Which Caused Marlborough
 to COlIapse-VIctim Also Testifes.
 Annapolis, Md, Dec. 2S.-Court-mar- tiaI proceedings against Midshipman Trenmor Coffin, jr., a member of the third class, on the charge of hazing Midshipman Jerdone P. Kimbrough, of the fourth class, began at the naval | academy to-day. The charge is sup ported by the specification that the &C., eused caused Kimbrough to stand on his head continuously for a space of ten minutes, or thereabouts, and until he became unconscious. This, it is specified, took place on the evening of December F last between and 7:SO o'clock.
 The court is composed of Captain Corwin P. Rees. president; Commander Valentine S. Nelson, Professor Philip R. Alger, Lieutenant Louis McC. Null ton and Lieutenant John w. Timmons. Lieutenant Commander William K. Harrison is judge-advoeate and E. S, Theall, of the Washington bar, ia coun- sel for the accused.
 The witnesses before the court to- day were Midshipnan Kimbrough, who was hazed; Midshipman George w. Hewlett, a claslsmate of the accused, and lieutenant Commander Charles B. McYay, jr,, of the department of disci- pline at the academy.
 Midshiprnan Hewlett is a son of C.. T. Hewlett, secretary of the Board of education of New Haven, Conn. He was appointed by Congressman N. D. | Sperry.
 Mtdshipman George w. Hewlett, of the third class, was the first witness. Just after he was sworn the counsel for the accused asked the court to in- struct the witness as to his rights to withhold testimony which would in- crininate him, stress being laid on the provision of the act of congress of 1874 which holds that any one participating ] in, aiding or countenancing hazfng is subject to dismissal, Ga. .s s<s<..#5. The witness testified that he had l looked In the door of room 53, in Ban- croft hall, on the evening of December 12, and that he had seen Kimbrough standing on his head and Coffin, Kim broughs roommate, in the room with him. This information was elicited after he had sought to evade the ques- tions on the ground of discrimination, the witness stating that he understood that looking at hazing was an offense under the law. The court, however, compelled him to answer. The witness continued, and said that he left the vi- cinity of room 53 and remained away about five minutes. When he returned Kimbrough was still on his head and Coffin the only other person in the room.
 The witness was asked to illustrate what standing on the head" meant. He put his head on the floor and raised his feet few inches from the ground in series of jumps. The exercise ap- parently put much strain on the legs and arms, and was hard on The head. Kimbrough also exhibited this perform ance to the, court a little later.
 Midshipmarl Kimbrough was the next witness, and it developed that he was unable to identify Coffin as the man who had hazed him. The rule, it ap- pears, Is that no lower classman must look at an upper classnan under such circumstances, and this was so rigidly observed in the present case that Kin1- brough could not say that Coffin had hazed him. He told, however, he had been hazed by being compelled to stand
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