Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-10-10
HAz|NG APPEARS AGAIN
Four First ClaSSmen In The
Tolls And Board OF Invest
iga tiOn Is Appointed
WARNING HAS NO EFFECT
Superintendent Order Of Last Week
Seems However To Have Put Off
GERS On MettIe

Notwithstanding Captain Bowyer's s
very recently issued warning on the
subject to all upper classmen, hazing
has appeared at the Naval Academy,
and four upper classmen are most re-
liably reported as in the tolls for this
ever-recurring offense.
Although the authorities at the
Office of Superintendent Bower were
very reticent when approached on
the subject this morning it was ad-
mitted that thorough Investigation
of the matter would be made at once
and that to accomplish this board of
investigation would be appointed by
Captain Bowyer during the day.
A lengthy conference between Su-
pperintendent Bowyer and Comman-
der R. E. Coontz, Commandant of
Midshipmen and in direct charge of
the department of discipline, took
place at the Administration Building
this morning, at which, 1t is under
stood, the commandant laid before
his chief the facts in the case. The
members of the board of investiga-
tion to be appointed will in all prob
ability, be picked from among the
officers of the department of disci-
pline, who are most familiar with
the middies and their habits of life
while inside their dormitories.
1t is understood that no written re-
port of the matter has been made to
the Superintendent, and pending this
official announcement of the names
of the four middies who are in the
tolls can be obtained. However the
names of four first ssor seniorEclassmen,
are confidently mentioned by those
best informed, but unfortunately
there are two men bearing one of the
names mentioned, and just which one
of these two is the unfortunate one
is not definitely known.
The "hazing, which was discover
ed by one of the officers of the depart
ment of discipline while he was doing
his regular twenty-four hours tour of
duty as the officer in charge of quar-
ters, is said to have consisted of get
ting bunch of plebes in the room of
first classman and there making
them sing songs, which they COM
posed as they went along and of writ
ing love letters to various middes. The
plebes found in the room when the
officer in charge unceremoniously en-
tered and broke up the fun will be
summoned before the board of inves-
tigation, and it is not unlikely that
with Captain Bowyer's we'll known
method of going clear to the bottom
of every problem he tackles, many
other plebes will be called upon to
tell whether they have been hazed, or
if they know of any of their class
mates who have.
In this way the ramifcations of the
investigation are likely to be broad
indeed before the matter is really
finally settled. Under the 1906 anti
hazing law midshipmen presented for
this offense have the right to demand
court-martial trial, but if convicted
by their superiors are almost certain
to be dismissed from the service of
their country.
The discovery of hazing so soon
after the opening of the academic
year and the return to the Academy
of the upper classmen comes as a sur
prise. AS told in The Capital last
week, Captain Bowyer took time by
the forelock and gave the middies
fair warning that any offense of haz-
ing when proven would be severely
punished, after having called their
attention to the provisions of the
Academy regulations dealing with
the subject and to the anti-hazing
law of 1906.
In the same order he "called the
attention of all persons attached to
the Academy" to the hazing rules,
and it is possible that this reminder
made the officer in charge of quarters
extra-vigilant and resulted in the
quick discovery of the first appear.
ance of the trouble.