Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1910-10-01
OF TdE
WEST POINT MUTlNY
Cadet in Letter Tells of the
Grievance of the Corps
Against Capt. Longan.

StdLenent VI tue CaueJS sue VI III
existing trouble at West Point Mill
tary academy. as a consequence o
which the entire corps is under re
strictions, was given in a confidential
letter from one of the cadets to I
friend in this city, who said tonight
1.-THE cadets alleged that Captain
Longan started out az West Poin'
by saying: This here corps has
gone to hell. III make 'em buck up.
The trouble was cumulative FRS
on the target range though it is by
order that the cadets as protection
from the conclusion of the guns
put covering on their ears, the
captain accused them of stuffing
their ears with cotton so that they
would not hear his commands. The
young men were surprised but said
nothing.
Second, the cadets say that he
'cussed out one of the finest men in
the first class.
THE final grievance was when
Captain Longan made area birds
walk in the rain Under this form
of punishment cadets have to walk
with their guns two hours on Wed r
nesday afternoon and four hours on
Saturday afternoon. 1t is the i'm.
memorial custom that they can walk
on the stoop of the barracks when it
rains, but Captain Bongau ordered
them out IN the downpours, he stay
ing under cover, dry and smoking
pipe, and said; You men have g OF
to.walk in rain, for I'll show you
who is boss around here Moreover.
he'refused to let the men oil their
guns and made the corporals- take
the rags out Of the bOres, SO sbat
the cadets had to clean off rust1 for
days afterwards. /
The first silence was spontnsae-
Gus and without the elements Of
premeditated conspiracy The nleEr
simply refused TO eat or to speak a
word while LoDgan was in the reOm-
It was wrong, insubordinate bat
human"
HOw SILENCE IS, DYRLICTEEB
West Point, N. Y, Sept. 29s-T@
the average man who dOesn't'ruSn up
much with army officers the West
Point silence, >" which has been i'm
hicted on Captain Rufus E. Uonean.
Instructor In, tactics here, is good 4
deal Of a mystery. Most peopSe un'
derstand that silence" is arsfusal
of the cadets to talk in the. presence
of the offending instructor or official .
but that is about as far as their IN. |
formation goes
A. silence" is a well organized |
protest on the part of the students
at the military academy against
some act of one in authority. 1t may
even be an expression of general dis.
like, as seems to be the case in the
ignoring of Captain LoDgan, who !
had only recently been. assigne dfrom
the eleventh infantry to duty at the
academy. How it originated no one
knows, but it has been praeticed at
the military school for many years,
and in several cases, has been effec-
tive in causing the removal of Of
ficers who have ceased to be useful
because CT their general UNPOPULAR
ty.
The silence" is most effective. in
the mess hall. and it is here that ia is
almost invariably Sprung" While
dicipline is relaxed at mess, neveTthe-
less the etiquette is strict. A cadet
captain, by virtue of his corps rank,
is superintendent of the Mess. AT
the head of each table sits a member
of the first class-the graduating
class. Every private of the first class
lis an assistant of the mess hall under
the cadet captain and the tables take
their cue from his conduct at al
times. Tables do not ply knife anc
fork until the first class man gives
silent permission.
When it is agreed to inAic
"silence" on an officer, no one look
at him as he appears in the mes
2 hall. The first class men at tn
| heads of the tables fold their arm
and look straight to the front. TIL
second, third and fourth class me
initiate the attitude. Even the cub
y lings, the class of new men admitte