The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-17

 'HE HAVING Fourth Classmen En- dorse Practice. EXPECT TO HAVE OWN DAY Testimony in Courtmartial of
 Merriwether.
 .e witnesses Say They Were Not Insult ed by Practice and Expected to
 Get Back the Next

Annapolis, Md, Jan. 16.--The evidence of those whom Midshipman Minor Mer- riwether, Jr., is accused of haZng was given rapidly today after the court had disposed of tho objections offered by the counsel for the defense.
 Six midshipmen of the fourth class connected Meriwether in some way with the hazing and the testimony was pos
 tive In four of these cases. There was corroborative testimony in several
 instances. The prosecution closed it's case and the defense examined some of it's witnesses but did not close today. Nearly all of5the fourth class men said
 that they did not consider that the ex-
 ercises which had been required of
 them were in the least numiliating;
 that they had enjoyed the fun and
 taken 1t as part of the natural order of
 things at the Academy.
 However, the Judge Advocate brought out the fact that they believed they would have incurred serious ccnse- lquences if they had not done what the upper classmen told them. As the rabbit dance" was afform of hazins
 wi.h which the court had not had to
 deal before Midshipman Kilduf was asked to illustrate 1t, which he did Fourth classman Paul H. Rice had done stunts" he said in his own
 room, but was not sure that Merf-
 wether had ordered him to do so him Merry" He was not sure. he
 said, because he was not allowed to
 look at any upper classmar
 Midshipman William D. kildum or the fourth class. said without qualifi- cation that Meriwether had made him stand on bis head and perform the
 Sixteenth" and the rabbit dance,
 which he illustrated.
 He was asked if he had ever gone ! to the upper floor in order to be hazed | and said he could not remember hay- | ing done so. Welsh, the smallest mid | shipman in the brigade was next l called. He told the court that he did l not mind being hazed because he ex- pected to .'get back nt the new fourth | class next year. He said that he had | done the. rabbit dance" and the six ] teenth" and stood on his head at the ] order of the accused.
 Twenty Times a Day. The last witness for the prosecution was Midshipman Harold c. Train who
 said that Meriwether had hazed him l three times on the first day the vic- ! tim had entered the academy. He had l been made to stand on his head about 1 twenty times on each occasion and 10 | do the sixteenth" about the same | number of times.
 I . Lieutenant Commander James K. Robinson, who was Meriwethers coun- sel when he was courtmartialed for | causing the death of Branch, told of | several instances of Meriwether's hon orabIe conduct during that trial in re- | fusing to tell of things that might have 1 injured the memory of the dead youth
 even though they would have helped
 Meriwether He also said that he | hot hA consistent effort to improve his stand | ing in his studies and obey every 'eSu-
 IatIon of the Academy since he had been reprimanded by the Secretary of the l Navy.
 The trial of Midshipman Minor Meri- | wether, Jr., on charges of hazing in six separate instances proceeded to- day. His counsel, James M Munroe. ] entered challenges to certain members
 of the court this morning.
 MT. Munroe challenged Lieutenant John W. Timmons, junior member of l the court, on the ground that he had determined, on a fixed definition of haz- | ing; that he had refused to admit tes- ] timony as to the meaning of "hazing , prior to the act of 1874, and that he | had fixed opinions in regard to different | question covering hazing as they had 1 arisen in other cases.
 Lieutenant Timmons stated that he
 had only such opinions as he formed
 during his term at the academy and
 during the trials.
 | The challenge was not sustained and
 MT. Monroe challenged Lieutenant Com-
 mander T NJ. Mutton on the same
 grounds but the court also refused to
 sustain it. MT. Monroe then challenged
 Prof. P. R. Algerand and Commander
 Valentine s. Nelson, but both were | overruled.
 The specifications allege the hazlne
 of six fourth class men during the