St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1906-01-20
heir way through the academy with.

their way through the academy with
out submitting to hazing. Any re-
sistance to an unauthorized order
tuat an upper classman gives a
"plebe" results in fight.
But the code does not always bring
the results that the midshipmen de-
sire or expect, as was the case q
dozen years ago when Midshipman
Craig proved much more than match
for the customs Of the code. Two
midshipmen OF the graduating class
along toward the end Of the year en-
tered the quarters of the splebes" to
give them touch of hazing, because
the tplebes' were not getting enough
Of It," They attacked Midshipman
Craig and his roommate in a vigorous
manner, when Craig, who had just
come in from skating and had his
skates swinging from a strap on his
shoulder, unlimbered and brought. the
shining bits Of steel down upon the
heads Of his assai1ants with such tell
ing effect Is to leave deep marks
there. It dazed the upper classmen
when they contemplated the situation
"a .splebe'' daring to leave mark
Of weapon upon the sacred brow
Of q first classman. Craig was sent a
challenge to fight. He knew what
this meant-shut up in q room Of one
Of the upper classmen with a giant
to maui him to pieces. Craig re-
turned answer that he would fight.
but In the open. This did not suit
the autocrats Of the academy, for
Craig would then have the eye Of au-
thority upon the whole transaction.
So one day after dinner, as the
corps emerged from the mess hall into
the corridor Craig was seized and an
attempt made to carry him bodily
upstairs to make him fight. But
Craig made such determined resist
ance that the attention Of the officer
in charge was attracted by the dis
turbance, and following the investi-
CATION which was made came court
martial and dismissal for the two Of
Tending upper classmen on the charge
Of hazing
It has been said that fights never
occur because one midshipman In the
line of duty reports another, but this
would not seem to have been true In
the case Of the Branch Meriwether
fight, for it appears that incidents
leading up to that encounter were the
official inspection Of Meriwether's
room by Branch and the expected re-
port on the same. Merfwether called
Branch . sneak and coward because
Branch had opened the wardrobe Of
Meriwether, and finding there cit
liens suit, took It out and laid It on
Meriwether's bed. This kind Of In
spection is considered extra official,
and Is said to have led Meriwether to
use the insulting language attributed
to him.
A Pertinent Page from History.
A singular coincidence in connec-
ton with affairs Of honor between
midshipmen OF the academy and re-
sultant fatalities is that an ancestor
OF Midshipman Branch, in his official
capacity as secretary Of the navy once
confirmed the Judgment of court
martial against the surviving prin-
scipal in pistol duel. That was in 1880,
and the code Of dueling In vogue in
that day has to all intents and pur-
poses descended upon the present day
and generation, about the only ap-
preciable difference being that fists
instead Of pistols are used, although
the former are In some cases appar-
emily as deadly to-day as the mors
dangerous weapon used to b.