Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-08-13
WEST POINT H "A |! l !.
Southern "Piebe' Says, "All This
Talk About 1t Is Absurd"
DOES A FELLOW GOOD"

MDOES A FELLOW GOOD"
Cadet "Who Has Suffered" Declare.
"Ant Thing Does Not Amount to
Shucks" Command to "Brace" Q
Fine Thing--some Odd Stunts.
Speaking Of Cadet William T. Resell
and his seven companions who were
. dismissed from West Point for hazing,
a plebe from the south, who declared
he had suffered" at the hands Of the
eight young men during the last year,
recently explained to a reporter for the
New York Herald just what had been
done:
"Rossell is the best fellow alive. He
is the most popular cadet in the acade-
my with both plebes and upper class
men. If the regulations did not forbid
it, believe every plebe in the corps
would sign petition asking for the re-
instatement of Rossell and the other
men without punishment
'"The big fat ant thing did not
amount to shucks. The cadet who is
supposed to have suffered so through
having to carry a hundred live ants
under his cap was simply told to bring
a hundred big fat ants to his 'hazers,'
and he did so, carrying the insects in
his cap, which was the logical recepta-
Gle for them. He wasn't required to
put the cap on his head at all.
speaking as plebe who has been
through the mill for several months,
all this talk about hazing in West
Point is absurd. A plebe who is at all
reasonable or who has the least sense
Of humor rather enjoys his experience
during his first year here. There Is
not one stunt in the whole so called
hazing programme that doesn't do a
fellow good.
"Let me tell you what has happened
to me during my plebe days, which will
not be over until next June. am
walking through the company streets
when an upper class man comes along.
He says Haiti I halt. who art
YOU? he asks.
Mr.. Smith, SIR
"sWho are you?
"'Mr. Smith, SIR
"'Who are your third time.
Nobody, SIR
fright and my questioner passes
on. 4-s.
"A plebe has the right to tell hts
name twice in a sort Of declaration Of
independence, but he knows that on
the third Interrogation he must say
Nobody
II am stopped by third year man,
who points to q water. pail and asks,
What is in that pailr / look and re-
ply, Nothing, SIR What Is In that
pailT he demands again. ! once more
say, Nothing, SIR but know what be
Is driving at I pick up the pail ana,
filling it at the hydrant set It down
where I found 1t, ana that Ii all there
is to It,
IAN upper class man meets me and
asks, Who does plebe rank?' Every
plebe knows the answer, which is,
The hell cats, the waiter and the
walters dog, SIR The hen cats are
the men assigned to beat the drum and
play the fife in the morning to wake
! us up. OF course they are cordially
hated and are synonyms for every
thing that is despicable, SO even q
plebe has the satisfaction Of knowing
| he ranks hell eat
Two plebes are caught walking to-
| gether. One Of the upper class men
says, You fellows go clean up our
company street, and mind you make a
| good job Of It'll The plebes make what
| they think is good job and depart.
They are stopped by the older cadet.
Hey, you'll That is pretty poor
Job. Did you take away that saw logf
| We didn't see any saw log, SIR
| Well, it's there. Get wheelbar-
row and come along
| I'VE obey and trundle the barrow
along behind our leader. He stops and
points to a partly burned match on
the ground.
Here, you! Get hold OF this end OF
| that log and you get hold Of the other
cad. Mind. 1t Is heavy, and don't drop
| IT. e
1--WE selemnly stoop and pick up the
match stick together and deposit it In
the barrow. Then we trundle it away
and dump the match In an out Of the
way place. M
The often heard command to brace
1 is good thing for a plebe. II means
only that you must draw In your chin,
throw out your chest, put your Shout
ders back as, far as possible ana walk
that way until out Of sight Of the up-
per class man. Dreadful, Isn't tn
"A plebe's nrst year lis up Id june.
and week or two before the time az.
rives when he viii be forever free iron,
this terrible 'hazing' he generally gets
fresh -that Is. he sometimes grins az
the man who orders him to brace OF
asks who he Is and walks away. Fhat
y y. Ling In the veraaeuiar OF west
/ Point Interpreted II means before
Junaing. A B. r. gets Oh the nerves
OF second or third year man, and I'M.
less the piebe Is d good feliew up to
that time he has to brace and ri, water
pals very frequently until June ar
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