Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-09-30
THE WEST POINT SILENCE
Said To BE The Result OF Tyr
amy OF Officer Over The
Brigade
QUESTIONED THEIR HONOR
Capt. Rufus f. LOngan Said To Have
Violated Military COde-SIatemen
Made Bv One OF The Cadets

1t has been given out that the board
investigating the cause that led to
the "silence" given Capt. Rufus +.
Longan by the corps of cadets at
West Point a week ago would not be
ready to report its findings before
next Tuesday or Wednesday. In the
meantime Colonel Sibley's restriction
orders are in full force and the cadets
are confined to their barracks.
The exact statement of the cadets
side of the existing trouble at West
Point was given in a confidential let
ter from one of the cadets to a friend
in Baltimore, who said last night:
The cadets allege that Captain
Longan started out at West Point by
saying: This here corps has gone
to h. I'll make 'em buck up
The trouble was cumulative. For
first on the target range, though it is
by order that the cadets, as a protec-
tion from the concussion of the guns,
put cotton in their ears, Captain
Longan 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. Third, when Cadet
Burt, first classman, returned from
his brothers funeral, he himself
having appendicitis at the time, he
went twice to Captain Longan's office
to report. Each time Captain Lon
gan was absent at the officers club.
Accordingly, Cadet Captain Brad
ley. of the corps, officer of the day
and next in command, inspected
Burt's baggage, took his money and
contrabrand and sent him to the
hospital. Next day Burt was oper-
ated on and was also reported three
times by Longan. Bradley told Cap
tain Longan the circumstances, but
the Captain would not believe him
and started in on a tirade against
Burt.
Fourth, one of the cadets visit
ed across the hall in the barracks.
Captain Longan thought enormously
that it as a first class man, where
upon he reported the wrong man.
The first class man explained in writ
ing that the report was mistake.
Captain Longan, calling HIM up, said
Il don't believe what you say in
your explanation. You've got to
prove your statements One invari-
able rule of West Point is that when
a cadet gives his word of honor it is
always taken without question. No
greater affront can be put upon a
cadet than to question his veracity.
The final grievance was when Cap
tain Longan made an aero birds
walk in the rain. Under this form of
punishment cadets have to walk with
their guns two hours on Wednesday
afternoon and four hours on Saturday
afternoon. 1t is the immemorial
custom that they can walk on the
stoop of the barracks when it rains.
But Captain Longan lined them out
in the downpour, he being under cover,
dry and smoking pipe. and said,
You men have got to walk in the
rain, for I'll show you who is boss
around here Moreover, he refused
to let them oil their guns and made
the corporals take the rags out of the
bores so that the cadets had to clean
off rust for days afterward.
"The first silence was spontane-
Gus and fairly without the element
of premeditated conspiracy. The
men simply refused to eat or to speak
a word while Longan was in the room.
1t was wrong, insubordinate, but
human. 1t was a tacit rebellion
against what the cadets felt to be
tyranny The men do not regret their
action. Their attitude is that their
code has been broken and their word
questioned.
'If EVERY cadet is called before
that court of inquiry and asked if the
above statements are true, be will an
swer affirmatively, though not a man
of them has yet consented to say more
to the court than We have formed
dislike for this officer
The men resent Captain Longan's
explanation that he was a new man
and that the cadets wanted to break
him in, and they feel that he has not
made a correct statement, but they
have great confidence in the Justice
and common sense of General Barry,
the superintendent, who, they be-
lieve, will put different light upon
the situation within another week"