Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-19
ONE Is A WASHINGTON 10Y

ONE Is A WASHINGTON BOY
Charles L. Byrne il Son Of Former
Surgeon General - Detection
Was Curious Mixture.
| NEW YORK August 19.-Four West
Point cadets. all members OF the first or
senior class at the Military Academy,
| who have been on trial before general
| court-martial for several weeks past,
charged with drinking milk punch,
have been found guilty and their dis
missal from the academy recommended to
the President.
| The papers were submitted to the Presi-
dent by Adjt. Gen. Ainsworth. The Presi-
dent, after reading the evidence. approved
| the sentence, and then committed 1t to
| what IL perhaps the severest punishment,
| not involving dismissal, In the history Of
the academy.
Washington Boy Is culprit.
The cadets who were proved to have
| partaken Of the punch and all OF whom
are affected by the Presidents review OF
the case are Wilfred Mason Blunt OF
| Maryland, Charles Laurence Byrne Of
Washington, D. c.; Harry James Kelley
| Of Illinois and Bethel Wood Simpson OF
Michigan.
Blunt and Byrne are sons of retired
officers, while Simpsons father Is Maj.
Wendell L. Simpson, who Is on duty at
4 A. L. t,o1l
| this city. Col. Byrne. the father Of one
of the cadets, is an ex-surgeon general OF
the Department of the East, on Gov
errors Island.
got themselves was the result Of q little
celebration they got up when they be-
came first classmen last June. Nobody
knows how they got the whisky that was
dropped into the punch, neither IL II
known how the quart Of milk that was
another OF the principal ingredients was
smuggled into barracks. Rumor. has II.
however, that some kind friend" brought
In the sutff that made all the trouble.
There Is no regulation of the academy
that is more drastic than the one relat-
ing to intoxicating drinks, the punish
ment for drinking or having intoxicants
in ones possession being dismissal from
the service of the United States. As the
men there is no doubt that they real
lied that they were taking their careers
in their hands when they decided to
make the punch.
Strange Mixture In Punch.
The recipe for the punch was two quarts
Of milk. pint Of rye whisky. two grated
nutmegs, half . cup OF sugar, two lemons
and the skin Of one orange. The name OF
the cadet who made II was not made
public. but the impression in the Hud
son highlands Is that It tasted good.
None OF the cadets drank much OF the
punch. for the good reason that there was
not a sufficient quantity on hand for
more than two drinks for those who
congregated In that darkened room on
hilarity connected with the making OF
the punch, and nobody would probably
have ever heard Of It had not First Lieut..
BENJAMIN e. Grey. 21st United States
the course Of the evening made . tour
of the barracks.
I'D to the moment that Lieut. Grey be-
gan that inspection which was to have
such disastrous results for four OF the
cadets who were In the room where the
punch was there had not been q drop
Of whisky In the barrack building for
more than dve years. and great was
Grey's surprise when. as he entered the
room. he whitfield something In the air
that reminded him Of the giided drinking
palaces Of Broadway.
whats this?' asked Grey. drawing
in another long breath. There was a
were turned on only six cadets remained
In the rooLl. Two OF them were able to
prove that they had not tasted Of the
punch, and SO they did not figure In the
dismissal. recommendations that were
sent TO President Taft q few days ago.
Court-Martial Was Ordered.
Lieut. Grey ordered the cadets to retire
to their cots for the night, and the next
morning the matter was off1cially brought
to the attention OF Col Scott, the super
intendent, who. under the regulations.
was compelled to bring all OF the accused
before a general court-martial, the court
In this casa being one Of the largest In
point Of numbers that has sat at West
Point In years.
ton to Lieut.. Grier. who was the judge
advocate who prosecuted the cases. The
court was as follows:
Capt. Ora e. Hunt. 13th Infantry.
Capt. Thomas w. Darrah. 9th Infan-
Capt. George B. Pilisbury, Corps OF En-
gineers.
Capt Ohio v. Kean, ordnance depart
First Lieut.. Richard NJ Thomas. 18th
First Lieut.. william D. A. Anderson.
Corps OF Engineers.
First Lieut.. George b. Aiiin. eth Field
Artillery.
FIRST Lieut.. william Dryden. 9Th Field
Artillery.
First Lieut. BENJAMIN H. l. williams,
Coast Artillery Corps.
First Lieut. Forrest e. Williford. Coast
First Lieut.. Samuel N. Parker. 10th
Second Lieut. Henry e. Mitchell. Sd
Cavalry.
Second Lieut.. Frederick w. Manley.
18th Infantry.
First Lieut.. Harry 9. Grier. 22d Infan-
try, Judge advocate.
For weeks the hearing lasted and
scores Of cadets were called as wit.
nesses. On only four. however, could
the court fasten guilt and these four were
recommended for dismissal.
Punishment Il Changed.
President Taft, when he got the papers
q few days ago, gave them careful study
and then decided that dismissal was a
little too severe, and 30 he figured out
less severe punishment which would not
carry with II dismissal from the Acad-
envy