Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-12-28
COURT MARITAL Convened.
FIRST DAYS SESSION OF TRIAL
OF MIDSHIPMEN.
Kimbrough Fails To Identify The
Accused-Many Witnesses.


Court martial 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 this
morning. The charge is supported bY
the specification. that the accused
caused Kimbrough to staud on his
head continuously for "a space of ten
minutes or thereabouts and until he
became unconscious. This. it is spec
flied, took place on the evening of De-
cember IL last, between z and 7:-30
The court began its sessions prompt
~ at ten this morning, occupying the
room where the proceedings in the
case of Midshipman Meriwether took
place for the fist few days of its coz.
tinuance. 1t Is temporary structure
near the main gate of the Academy.
The court is composed of Cant.
Oorwin p. Rees, president; Command
ar Valentine S. Nelson, Prof. Philip
r. Alger, Lieut.. Louis Moo. Mutton
and Lieut. John w Timmons. Lieut..
Commander William x. Harrison is
Judge advocate and Mr. e. S. ThealI.
of the Washington bar. is counsel for
the accused.
A strong case was presented against
the accused in the opening session of
the court, but apart from the guilt or
innocence of this particular midship.
man the deepest interest centers in the
cases that are TO follow from the in
vestigation which has been set on foot
by Admiral Sands and which has been
proceeding for about three weeks
Under the orders of the Navy Depart.
N no fe - lfrs4ff ad
to trying Coffin and Vanderveer, the
midshipmen against whom charges
have already been fled but il may
take up all the cases which have been
discovered by the board of investiga.
tion. Indeed there has been n strong
intimation that the court will have
much TO do along this line before il
ceases its work
The witnesses before the court were
Midshipmen Kimbrough. who was
hazed, Midshipman George w. Hugh.
lett, q classmate of the accused, and
Lieut.. Commander Charles b. McVay,
Jr., of the department of discipline at
the Academy.
Midshipman Hughlett, of the third
class, was the first witness Just
after he was sworn, the counsel for
the accused asked the court to instruct
the witness as to his rights to withhold
testimony which would incriminate
himself stress being laid ON the provi-
sion of the Act of Congress of 1874
which, holds that anyone participat.
ing III, aiding or countenanciug haz.
ing is subject to dismissal
The witness testified that he had
looked in the door of Room % in Ban
croft Hall on the evening of December
, 4
standing on his head and Coffin and
Kimbrough S roommate in the room
with him. This information was
elected after he had sought to evade
the question on the grounds of incrim-
ination, 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 cotinued and said
that he left the vicinity of Room 53
and continued away about five minu-
ties. 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.
de put his head on the floor and
raised his feet few inches from the
ground in a series of jumps. The ex-
ercise apparently put much strain on
the legs and arms and was hard on the
head. Kimbrough also exhibited this
performance to the court little later
: Midshipman 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
appears, is that no lower classman
must look at an upper classman under
such circumstances and this was so
rigidly observed in the present case
that Kimbrough could not say that
Coffin had hazed him. He told, how
ever, how he had been hazed by being
compelled to stand on his head. He
had been haZed, he said, until he gave
out entirely. Then the midshipman
who was doing the haZing threw water
over him and compelled him to go on
again. He brought the relation up to
the point where he lost consciousness.
He had resumed consciousness, he
said, in the Naval Academy hospital.
His arms, legs and head we're very
| sore.
Lieutenant Commander Charles B.
MeVey, Jr., was the last witness dur.
| ing the morning session. He is al.
| tached to the department Of discipline
at the Academy and is a member oi
| the board of investigation now going
into the subject of hazing at the Acad
| emy. The witness said during hil
/ testimony that ne had learned "A greai
deal abou hazing during the last few
| weeks and his remark was taken al
very significant. He stated that ht
| was on duty in Bancroft Hall on tn,
evening of December r. He has
found Kimbrough in bed, which wa
contrary to regulations at that time
He had questioned him and found tha
he was apparently unconscious an,
had summoned Academy surgeons, b,
whom Kimbrough was removed to III
hospital.
The witness then Investigated th
matter with the object of finding on
who had hazed Kimbrough. the fac
that he had been hazed having bee
elected from his roommate. He dis
covered that Midshipman Hewlett ha
looked into the room and had seen til
hazing. he sthen informed Hewlett
that unless ne told the name Of I'll
Il midshipman he would either be report
ed for disobeying orders or called be
fore the board of investigation IN til
morning and compelled 20 testify
Hewlett was allowed time to make q
his mind and in the meantime Coff1
sought an interview with the witness