Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-01-13
COURT DISAISSESDEMuRRER
COLoNELL LAUCHEIMER ENTERS
STRONG OBJECTIONS.
Hazing, He Says, Is Maltreatment
of Lower Classmen-Hostil-
ity To Government
Less Marked.
TODAY COMPLIMENTS - YES
TERDAY CENSURE.

1 is IIt6 ltaNluE EUuHStl lOI M4klGE. IUHfG
some strong objections at the opening
Of the proceedings today at the Naval
| Academy court-martial and urged
| them vigorously.
He entered demurrer to the specifi-
cations under the first charge on the
ground that the facts specified. even if
| proved. did not amount TO hazing.
| This point has been raised in former
| trials by counsel, but it was argued ar
| greater length by Col. Laucheimer
| this morning He made a strong ar
gument to show that the court must
| interpret the word haZing as il was
understood at the time Of the passage
| of the Act in 1874 and that at that
| time the term was always applied to
maltreatment of under classmen which
caused physical injury.
| The court dismissed the demurrer
their reasoning being along the line
of that in several previous decisions.
| that annoyances or molestations of any
nature were also included within the
meaning of the term. The defence
| then asked the prosecution to elect as
| TO whether on the second charge they
would try the accused for encouraging
or countenancing hazing. The court
ruled that the two words we're used
anonymously aud that only one
| offence was charged.
The first witness was Fourth Glass
| man Max b. De Mott, who stated that
Midshipman Roberts, chief petty Off
Ger of the twelfth company, viii ch is
commanded by the accused, had sum-
moned the four nidshipmen to his
room and had given the part they
were to play in the automobile. Ca
nine was tIie headlight he said
Cooper the chauffer,s Donelson the
horn, and himself gthe exhaust. Thev
had been sent down the corridor and
into Miller's room, he continued.
| Miller, he said had asked them if
| they thought that was the proper way
| to enter his room and had then told
| them TO do te sixteenth " They had
done so until Miller ordered them to
stop, about eighty times, DeMott
| said
The witness then stated that Miller
| had told the four to go to another
| first classpau's room. He had not
| gone, ne said, and Miller had com pell.
| ed him to come to his room for sever
/ al nights and do the sixteenth. "
/ The witness answered questions care
| fully hut fully and freely and at the
| conclusion of the testimony, Captain
| Rees, the president of the court, spec
| tally complimented him on the manly
manner in which he had acted. The
other three midshipmen who had
formed the living devil wagon, cor
federated the first witness on every
substantial point connected with the
first hazing.
After the court martial had ruled
against the counsel for Midshipman
John p. Miller in every effort that
was made to avoid the force of the
L VNrn m nah hWtan oh
tiop, evidence of the most positive
nature was given by the four fourth
classmen mentioned in the speci flea
tions. Each one of them stated with
out reserve that Miller bad ha zed
them by compelling them t. do the
sixteenth. F" The number Of times
they were required TO perform this
exercise was estimated at from 30 to
100
The evidence in the case was of the
most amusing character The WIT
nesses told OF how they had been
formed into n living automobile, one
being the head light, another the
chauffeur, the third the hoin and the
last the exhaust. one uppsr classman
had made this arrangement and they
had been sent at full speed into Mil
lers room, they said Miller there
upon, according to the testimony. ccm
PEELED them to do the Sixteenth and
then ordered them ito report later t.
another first classman's room. One
of the number. De Mott, did not go,
and was hazed On several other nights
by Miller in his room.
Henry G.. Cooper, Jr, of Oxford,
N. c., told Of being hazed in this
manner and said that about a week
after be had been com PEELED to go to
the hospital because he could not
move his right side. He said he did
not believe that his haziDg had any
thing to do with his attack.
The testimony of the midshipmen
witnesses showed remarkable i'm
proyement over that of witnesses in
previous cases. Yesterday the Judge
Advocate remarked in strong terms the
reluctance on the Part of the midship-
men TO testify fully, but today the
witnesses were complimented on the
manly and straightforward way in
which they answered all the questions
submitted to them. All four of the
midshipmen who were called 5y the
prosecution gave substantially the
same testimony.