The Washington times., 1906-01-13
YOUNGER h|OD|ES
AS HUMAN AUTOS
DO MANY STUNTS
Hazed PlebeS Are Made
to Work as Devil
Wagons.
ONE YOUTH THE "SMELL"
Others Required to Form
Teams and Initiate Sounds
of Machine.


ANNAPOLIS. Md, Jan lS.-An auto
mobile mandatory, which converted
raw material, otherwise ''piebes" into
devil wagons. with much noise and fair
~ high speed, has been unearthed in
the United states Naval Academy.
The trial OF John Paul Miller, of tDe
first class. for hazing developed this
fact, ana it is expected 10 establish
which of the four men ne is charged
with haZing was the headlight or the
'smell'-as the small boy said-and
which one was the engine aud who was
the wheels of the machine" discovered
by the board OF investigation of hazing.
Origin of Smell"
The publication Of the story of the dis
consulate small boy who sat apart on
the curb while the others OF his gang
played around and apparently had great
fun, and who explained to the sym
pathetic passer-by that his companions
were playing automobile" and he was
the smell is said TO have been the
origin OF the establishment which night
~ turned out motor cars. These were
guaranteed TO put any midshipman In
a bad humor, and the scheme was just
this:
-Four or more ''plebes" would be gath
cred into a room and instructed in the
duties of component parts of ma
chine. One would be designated as the
headlight. the others as wheels and an
other as that all important part-the
horn. man who had been tried and
found able was given the footing post
4
was detailed a route and destination
and the machine product of the ingenu-
ity of an upper class man was of.
With a great shuffling Of fe~, and 9th
er physical efforts to properly initiate a
gasoline car the squaI of fourth class
chaps would head through Bancroft
Hall. under all the power they could
muster.
Twisting Steering Part.
The steering part would twist aIons
until the room of the man 10 be visited
would be reached. and then into il tho
group would plunge They would rur
around him, and t is said the machine
under orders. of course, would some.
times even try 20 run over the man OF
whom il called.
The trips Of the human auto were fire.
quent say those who have heard Of il
and il is really claimed that it has run
over first class men, with great damag 90
70 all its parts.
To get down to its application IN NIL
ler's case one of the homemade ma
chimes came into his room one night, the
prosecution viii allege. II made a great
mise and behaved miserably for even a
Naval Academy product Miller was
studying "boning,' as the middies
Say-and was naturally annoyed Get
on your heads, you pleDes,' he is alleged
70 nave said, and on their heads they
went. Canine, Cooper. DeMOnI and Don
elson were the component parts af the
ready made machine that night
The charges are that ne made each
man do the sixteenth a number OF
times, and the question is whether OF
Punishment Justifable?
/ It is claimed the punishment might
/ have been justif1able.
For the first time comedy has gotter
into the trials and it is said the oficia
! exposure of the automobile plant ane
! its owners will make interesting reading
| Incidentally, every man who had any
/ thing 10 do with Ii will be tried. Thi
| is thought TO be the reason the iudg,
! advocate has not yet been supplied witt
/ the specifications IN any other cases, g.
/ Admiral Sands is awaiting the outcom
! OF Miller's case. Just why he was trie,
/ first is question.
Verdict in Decatur Case.
The court reached a ver5ic CT In Deca
I tur's case yesterday afternoon afte
about an hours deliberation. There i
no secret that every possible means vii
/ be taken TO keep Decatur in the navy
There are two of the specifications o
/ the three which look dangerous, an,
should he be convicted an appeal will
surely be taken 10 the Secretary of tn,
Navy, and possibly to Congress. in tn,
event of failure there.
Meriwether Again Arrested.
A sensation was sprung here thi
morning, when IL was announce,
| that Midshipman Minor Weriwether
/ jr. of Louisiana, had been mn
under arrest on a charge of hazirg. sup
ported bS six specifications Meriwethe
is now serving a sentence of one yea
confinement to the Academy grounds
having been convicted of disorder an,
/ quarreling in connection with his fgh
with Nidshipman James r. Branch.
/ The trial Of Midshipman Joan p. Mil
/ ler. of Lancaster, KY. star m@-nber O
/ the graduating class, was continued thi
morning. There is no sign of a letting
down in the cases brought before tn
/ court, and this morning. Lieut.. Com
/ s r. Morvel. L. S ". was detaile,
as assistant 20 the Judge advocate Er
4 rors in the specifications of yesterda
/ have been corrected aud the trial pro
| ceeded.
Demurrer ELterposed.
The accused stated the he wished [,
plead through his counscs and Colone
Laucheimer then interposed a demur
rer on the ground thu, the facts alleged
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