Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-03
WEST POINT HAz|NC
Five Cadets May Be Recon-
mended for Dismissal.
|COL., SCOTT IN THIS CITY
Expects to Submit His Report by
End of Week.
CASE OF CADET ROLAND SUTTON
Lieutenant's Brother Said to Have
Put up Good Battle Against
His Tormentors.

BY the end of the week Col. Hugh l..
Scott. superintendent of the West Point
Military Academy, who is in Washington
today. expects TO have in the hands OF
the officials of the War Department re
port in regard to recent cases of hazins
at the Academy. There appears 10 have
been a revival of this practice within the
past few weeks. with Cadet Roland SUIT
ton as the victim. He is a brother Of
Lieut.. James n. Sutton. L. s. NJ. G..
whose death at the Naval Academy is
now being investigated.
Col. Scott said today that he has not
yet fully made up his mind as to his re-
port TO the department nor would he say
whether any of the cadets at West Point
are to be suspended and sent home as a
result of the hazing investigation TO await
the action of the authorities.
His task, he says, is a big one. there
being more than 300 pages of testimony
to examine. There were 135 witnesses.
Twice the report of the board of inquiry
has been sent back to the members for
the elucidation of certain points on which
Col. Scott wanted more information. That
and other things. including the admins
traton of the current business OF the
academy. has resulted in delaying the
completion of his report. Col Scott
is in Washington to attend meet
ing of a military board on uniforms. He
will return TO West Point as soon as his
business here is finished, probably this
evening.
Names Kept Secret.
The names of the cadets who have been
found guilty of haZing are still a secret
but according TO a well founded report,
five cadets will be recommended for d's-
missal At least four of them were con-
cerned. it is said. in an assault six weeks
ago on Cadet Sutton.
The board which has been investigating
hazing has been in almost daily session
for over a month, during which time l.'o
cadets have been examined under oath
as TO Iazing conditions at West Point
this year Under the law the cadets are
compelled TO answer all questions put TO
them, their failure TO do so beng VIOLA
tion of the rule governing disobedience OF
orders The board consists of Lieut.. Col.
Sibley, Can't. Oscar J. Charles, 1.th In
fantry, and Capt. NJ. +. Smith. 10Th In
fantry.
The Sutton affair is said to have been
one of the worst haZing incidents in the
history of the academy. and it was only
after the most searching inquiry that
the board finally fastened the offense
upon the right persons. II was learned
that on the night of the attack Cadet
Sutton. a fourth-class man. was walking
dressed in white. sheets, suddenly ran
upon him. Sutton. who is an athlete.
was on the alert. however. and made a
good fight. He succeeded in capturing
two of his assailants. The attacking
party, it developed. was armed with tent
poles and it was because he was struck
with one of these poles that Sutton was
so seriously injured With the exception
of one day Sutton has been in the hos
ptal since July 20
Captured One of Rescuers.
1t Is also known now that after Sutton
had succeeded in holding two of the first
party Of ghost-like figures a rescue party
went to the assistance Of the captured
cadets and succeeded in getting them
away from him. Sutton. however caught
and held one of the rescuers. This ne
cessitated second rescuing party TO
take the captured rescuer from Sutton,
and it was in the third fight that Sutton
was disabled with a blow from tent
pole. Despite his injuries Sutton. it is
said told the board when he was before
it that he had not recognized any of his
assailants, and the clearing up of the
affair was not due to any testimony tina t
he gave TO the Sibley board.
The Sutton haZing comes under the
head Of abusive" The law states that
hazing is anything of "a 'harassing, tyr
ranical. abusive shameful, insulting or
Illuminating ndtflft.
But the Sutton incident is not the
only offcnse unearthed by the Sibley
board. Two other specific serious vio-
lations of the law developed One of
these offenSes comes under ''haraSsing
and the other under Humiliation.
The ''harassing" il is said. was due to
some trivial violation Of cadet customs
| by one of the -.plebes" or first-year
| men. This young man had to stand
! .braced," or In a rigid position. for I,
L. il,
| that uncomfortable position his tor
mentors surrounded him. shouting un-
! pleasant words at him and making mo-
| tions with their hands of a nature any
thing but friendly.
Case of Humiliation.
The offense that involved humiliation
was the horse trick. The fourth class
| men were compelled to pretend to bs
| race horses and run races on all fours
After they had raced to the satisfac-
| tion Of tho htZers the human horses
were corraled and sold at auction.
| Another incident that 1t Is rumoreo
came to the attention of the authorities
was what is called the mouth to mouth
whistling'' trick. In that case two fourth
classmen We're compelled to place theil
| mouths as close as possible without meet
| ing and then whistle Yankee Doodle
| and sing songs. This also comes under
| the "humlia ting" classification.
| While no orders have as yet been issueC
| as a result Of the findings of the SibleA
/ board, the cadets apparently know thai
! something very serious for somebody /,
/ impending.
| The incident of last year when President
| Roosevelt interviewed in behalf of six o
the eight cadets then recommended fol-
dismissal has had its influence. II is be
/ lieved that hard fight will he made b,
| the relatives and friends of the youns
/ men who will he designated as unfit for !:
West Point career. Had the Presiden
and the Secretary of War upheld Col
Scott last year and insisted on an exac
obedience to the letter of the law govern
| ing hazing it is believed that this year:
unfortunate episode would never hay.
I happened and the disgrace nf a dismissal
from West Point fastened upon the youns
men who are going home a result o
+, violating the law that Congress passed Il
control their treatment Of fourth elias.
men.