The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-09-11
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ed him with such Felentlessness that
the boy was finally compelled 10 send
in his resignation as a cadet He said
that his son told him. in addition to
the tabasco treatment. thag one Of the
things they did to him at West Point
was to pull the bedclothes OFF OF him
at night and then pour melted wax on
his bare body. His mother testified
that her son wrote her that the cadets
at West Point we're "brutes and bull
lies"
But the boards that investigated had
their hands full getting the cadets to
talk. as Is shown on every page OF the
records Of the proceedings. Cadet after
cadet would admit having been sub
jected to the melted wax treatment,
and other innocent tortures, but they
we're loath to tell the name OF the
young man who melted the wax and
did the pouring.
q put my finger in the sauce" said
one cadet witness. and was told to
lick H. | made an awful face. and
licked the wrong finger"
Il oflclated at a rat funeral" said
another cadet
What Is & rat funeral!" asked q
member Of the investigating board.
"A rather simple little affair" an
sWered the cadet with a smile. and it
didn't do anybody any harm. The rat
vas caught and killed. and We we're
ordered to give him a funeral. The
rodent was placed in little box that
looked like a conn, and this box was
placed on a table and surrounded by
four lighted candles Then a white
towel arranged to look like a shroud
was placed over the box. and the fu.
neral ceremonies began. We read a
few extracts from the black book,
| (the cadet name Of the book Of regula-
tionsl. Thea we placed flowers on the
casket There was a song or two, and
then the rat was taken away to be
buried
The cadets admitted that they we're
compelled to crow like ROSTERS; that
they had to climb the ridge pole.
brace. exercise, one fellow admitting
that he stood on his head in a bath
tub full Of water, and adding that 1t
did not hurt him. The investigation
also made public for the first time
what a cadet has to do to qualify, as
the cadets put it, for the mess hall.
Here is how a cadet explained dining
room qualifying:
First we we're given a large dish
full OF prunes. the exact number ol
which was IS. and we we're required
TO eat all OF them at one sitting. Then
we were given bowl Of molasses and
told to swallow that. after which We
tried to eat six slices Of dry bread
The molasses test sometimes took two
or three trials before we could accom-
plish #"
Young Phil Sheridan had to ride
around the campus on a broomstick
the exercise being intended to reminC
those that saw him that he was a sor
Of the commander made famous IL
"sheridan's Ride" Ulysses s. Grant
3D.. used to get up and shout: Il vii
fight it out along these lines II It takes
all summer" while ]. NJ. HObson. Jr..
brother Of the naval commander, haC
to tell over and over again the storl
Of his brothers exploit at Santiago
OF course there we're singing. speak
ing. bracing. and exercising galore. be
sides all this
OF the officers who have grown ul
since the civil war, all tell Of thei
experiences as plebes. but it is inter
esting 10 note that almost to mai
they have forgotten about the rea
strenuous things they had TO do.