The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-07-30
'0UsTED CADETS IN
DEFENSE OF HAVING
WITH live ANTS
Ask Secretary Wright to Dis
approve Their Punishment
for Tormenting aPlebes.

for Tormenting nPlebes.
Washington, July 2s-The eight West
Point adets found guilty Of hazing and
dismissed called on Secretary Wright
and asked that the sentence of dis
missal passed on them by the academy
authorities be not approved by him.
They made no p%retense of denying that
they had done what was charged
against them-conpelling the ''plebes'
to put a hundred ants in their hats.
etc. In fact, they appeared before the
secretary respectfully admitting the
truth of the charges.
Cadet Rossell acted as spokesman,
and what he said vas more in justih-t
cation of their course than explanation
tor a plea for mercy. He said that the
eight OF them had gon through a
course OF sprouts similar to that to
which they had subjected the plebes
who had "squealed,n and that they had
been greatly benefited. From their lof-
,ty place as upper classmen they We're
able to assure the secretary that the
.hazing they had received had done
them good.
Catching one hundred black ants.
~lconfining them in The cap Of the catch
ter, then counting them and placing
them in a locker, was the novel form
of hazing invented by the upper class
men in the military academy. which
resulted in the dismissal of eight ca
diets who devised this torment for
H~"plebes."
Angle Worms, Too.
The accused cadets when called upon
to answer the charges, were not obliged
to describe any hazing methods. con-
templated, but not put into practice.
All they had to tell was just what they
did. and not what they had thought OF
FnIno E& Nnfhtn ~ rxyn - r~.,-l. ~..A - - 49,
inquiry, therefore, as to the suggestion
that the "plebe should be compelled to
did angle worms at night, tie them up
in punches with blue ribbon" and sub
NIT them for example to their torment
ors.
Nor was anything said as to the prop
osition to nave the fourth class men
hunt for blades of grass, five inches In
length, which We're to be plucked from
the ground within twenty yards Of the
confines of the parade where the grass
IS stubby, n rarely attains that
length.
The capture of nts and their con
hnement was regarded as a sufficiently
dlf11cult task. and to this was added
the order that when the plebes were at
mess they Should place their toes
against the under side OF the table and
performance was almost impossible,
put was insisted upon, and failure to
obey was followed by punishment.
which consisted Of running back and
forth about an eighth of a mile until
ordered to stop.
"Plebes" 10th to Tell.
Colonel Howe, the c~ommandant of
tentative plans which were not adopt
ed. Neither he nor any of the officers
would discuss the. inquiry or the sum
mary dismissal except to say that the
board OF officers had no recourse K
5cept to enforce the law as it stood.
They made tho inquiry and the evil
dence was conclusive.
Inc plebes" were unwilling Witness
es, but when placed on their honor. and
asked the question direct, they carried
III the accepted rule that has gov
erned the military academy since it's
that was to tell the truth.
The carrying out Of the ant order
was difficult in the first place, for it
was specified that the ants must be
alive and uninjured. 1t was required
that there should be an even 100, which
the cadet must produce from his cap
IN the presence of. a committee OF
hazers. Not one of the ten or 12 hazers
could I'LL this requirement on the first
trial.
1t was not SO hard to catch the
ants, but it was hard to count them as
they scurried to and fro on a piece Of
White paper. The main perplexity.
however, came after the nts had been
deposited in the cadets cap and the
cap placed on his head.
Tickled Their ScaIps.
The wise little insects, seeking an
avenue of escape, would run through
the cadets hair and tickle his scalp.
Not ~1nfrequently they would bite and
squeeze through the cap band and the
Wearer's head. II they do no fall to
the ground they would drop down the
back of his neck. Military usage and
etiquette forbid a cadet to scratch.
Fear that the ants would escape pre-
vented the cadet from removing his
headptece to stop the itching that
nearly drove him frantic.
The tormentors arrogated to them
selves the right to say how long the
punishment tour" as the dog trot was
termed, should last.
Not one Of the .'plebes" uttered q
word Of complaint. They had been
taught that they were going through a
very mild form of hazing, and which
was necessary to make them good
soldiers.
Although the cadet officers were sun
posed to be cognizant of everything
that went on within their purview. not
one of them had the slightest inkling
OF what was going on. They were
amazed and chagrined when the in
curry by the board OF officers disclosed
the fact that the hazing had gone ON
under their noses.
tA.