Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-01
German Army and Navy Authorities
Are Accused of UNFOLDING
the Practice.
GAUNTLET OF FIRE ONE FORM
Hazers Do Not Spare the Victims of
Their Deviltry.
SOME ARE CRIPPLED FOR LIFE
Cases Instanced Where Death Has
Resulted
KAISER FRIENDLY TO CATHOLICS
EccIesIastics who Recall the Days of
the KuItur Knmpf Most Agree
ably Surprised by the Pres
ent Policy Of wilhelm.
BY MALCOLM CLARKE.

I
BY MALCOLM CLARKE.
| BERLIN. Dec Sl.-(special to The Bee)-
Nowhere is the practice Of Raging more
prevalent than in the German army and
navy cadet circles Raging is just what
hazing is at West Point or the Annapolic
Naval academy. The military authorities
shut their eyes harder than most other
official bodies to the practice II any
thing they encourage it the means OF
discovering the young officer recruits
stamina in times of peace. The theory is
of course wrong experience has often
demonstrated, for many young man who
will cheerfully face the risks of a battle
field under the influence Of patriotic ideals
will shrink from the unmeaning brutalities
of his fellow cadets. The FRANKS tolerated
are of low, bulgas, brutal order. such as
only men belonging to the mobility" could
think of or carry out.
OF all the forms of hazing the most
brutal perhaps is the gauntlet of fire.
The freshmen upon whom that punish
ment is visited is kept in a dark room. In
the next room his tormentors twist news
papers into initiation torches, which at a
signal they light. When the torches are
burning they form themselves in two lines;
another signal is sounded. the door of the
dark room is thrown open and the fresh
men is ordered to ride between the lines,
while he is mercilessly dashed with fam
ing brands
However quickly he may run the gaunt-
let by the time he has reached the end
his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes have been
singed to the skin, his eyelids are scared
and swollen. his lips bllstered his uni
form ruined. One of the surgeons in at
tendance covers up the sores with bandages
and sends the singed plebe to the in
Urinary. The official report mention the
explosion of an alcohol lamp or some other
accident of like nature
some MANNED aud Killed.
More than once cadets have been crippled
for life, and there are two cases on recoTS
where death was the direct result of horse
play.
young fellow, brought up on large
estate in a little civilized section OF Po-
merania, Joined one of the Prussian
schools. From the first day his lanky
frame. red hands and awkward gait
designated him as a target for the schools
banter. He was constantly reproved for
imaginary offenses against the code OF
honor He was made to shine Shoes to
polish brass buttons. One day a cadet was
expelled. Poor Fritz had nothing to do
with the incident. He was, nevertheless
commanded to appear before court OF
honor" There he was bullied into con-
Tossing that he was responsible for his
, classmates dismissal.
The jury rendered a verdict Of guilty on
all counts. The penalty was to be death
by decapitation. Fritz wrote, under dicta-
ton a letter to his family explaining that
his death was voluntary
Masked men then entered the room, car
rylng a block and a sharp, glittering axe.
Fritz blindfoded stripped to the waist,
let the executioner place his head on the
block. He heard a noise as OF a man
would make lifting and swinging heavy
axe A sharp, singing sensation on his
neck and. with a cry of terror, he seemed
to fall into a bottomless pit. The execu-
toner, still holding the wet towel with
which he had dashed Fritz's neck, picked
him up and tried to revive him, while the
crowd was bowling with glee. Fritz's pale
and motionless countenance, however. ST.
fenced the young savages, for the cadet
was dead.
Foolish Prank Results Fatally.
A daredevil cadet was asked whether
on All Souls night he would jump the
wall OF a cemetery and. crossing the awe
some garden Of death, come out at a gate
the boys designated. He took the chal-
lenge. That night the boys stole out OF
the dormitory, escorted their heroic friend
to q place where the graveyard wall could
be easily scaled, watched him for a while
winding his way past the tombs and finally
ran 20 the other end of the cemetery,
where he was to meet them. Hours
elapsed he never appeared. and the boys.
some OF them laughing at their friends
cowardics. which had probably prompted
him to flee back 10 the school. The next
morning daredevil Jack failed to answer
roll call The leader OF the group made
a clean breast OF It to the commanding
officer. A search was instituted. The boy
was found dead In the graveyard, his face
horribly convulsed. as though he had wit
messed some terrifying sight. He bore
curious little wound on his neck, a wound
from which hardly a drop OF blood had
oozed. and which looked as though flesh
less fingers had throttled him.
No steps have ever been taken by the
army authorities to combat the abuses.
Kaiser Friendly TO Catholics.
Friendship between the Catholic church
and the kaiser, who is a Protestant seems
to grow from day TO day-so much so. in
deed that ecclesiastics who suffered In
the time OF the Kulturkampf find Il truly
difficult TO realize what a great change
has occurred since 1879. In the Teutonio
church OF ST. Maria del Anima a further
proof OF the good win felt by Catholics
towards William IL was given a few weeks
ago, when Mgr. DOebbing, bishop OF Sutri
I'm presence OF the German Catholics OF
Rome, the ambassador OF Austria ana the
ministers OF Bavaria and Prussia, presided
at the TIE Deum IN honor Of the emperor's
5Oth birthday.
On the German side a cordial response
was given the same evening at a banquet
offered by the Prussian minister 70 the
German ecclesiastics and diplomats OF the
city, at which the health OF the pope and
" lillian were drunk.
IL Is limited that the kaiser. like his
uncle. the late King Edward OF England