Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-06-25

That hazing with all the stunts of
| physical exhaution has been going on
regularly in spite of the Congressional
| investigation of ten years ago that
resulted in the dismissal of a dozen or
more midshipmen. and in spite of the
belief of the Academy authorities that
il had been forever stamped out, was
admitted by Midshipman Reagle when
he was taken under cross s-eXamina-
tion by Congressman Carlin, during
this mornings session of the court of
inquiry.
When the cross-examination opened
Judge Advocate Watts objected to
bringing the hazing subject into this
would permit this line OF questioning
provided it was the plan of the coun
sci to establish its connection with the
| present investigation.
And il was stated that such was the
plan. Reagle then proceeded with a
complete exposure of all the objec-
tionable tagging and humiliating
things practiced upon the Plebes. He
said it was prevailing custom. Rea-
/
entered in his Plebe year, he said, he
swore, like all of his classmates that
he would not submit to any of the in
dignities. He said he tried hard to
cary this out, but soon found that he
would be unable to do so that it would
be better for him to do it instead OF
standing a good "cussing out" at the
hands of upper classmen.
"A Plebe must take everything that
is coming to him." he said, without re-
sistance or uttering a word. He then
related some of the things he had been
| compelled to do, such as having mu-
cilage poured down inside the legs of
his trousers, do the "stoop forward" :"
or what was formerly known as the
Sixteenth" hold a number of heavy
books out on each hand as long as he
could possibly stand ii, sit on a three
inch edge of his chair at mess table;
stand on his head and other stunts
lie said he had on one occasion been
compelled to do the "stoop forward"
until he reached the point of sheer ex-
haustion. Reagle stated that hazing
has been very hagrant during the past
academic term and admitted that since
he became an upper lcassman, he had
INDUCED in the unlawful practices.
| "Hazing is a torture" he said, and
added that 1T is the prevailing GUS
tom at the Academy" None of the
Plebes esceped it, he continued, for.
in event of their refusal to be put
through" il would mean that upper
classmen would have so many demer-
its marked against them that their
life at the Academy would be made
miserable. Reagle said that all the
Plebes have more or less conceit upon
their entrance to the Academy, and
that hazing is calculated to take this
conceit out of them.
Reagle told of an occasion when he
was severely hazed by Midshipmen
Batty and Holmes and said that he un-
derstod that he was put through
under directions from some one not
attached to the Academy
Reagle was not asked to give the
name of this party. He said that he
did the "stoop forward or sixteenth
as many as from $50 to 200 times and
he demonstrated this means for the
Plebe to get donwn on the floor on all
fours. and raise his body upwards as
long as he could stand it.
Passing from the hazing, Mr.. Carlir
secured admission from Reagle thai
he did not know that he had commit
ted perjury in the corrections of his
testimony this morning He said hs
| xr1 an ff14 IN, 4.
was committing such an act, and woule
not Intentionally perjury himself.
In this connection he added that h.
was terribly excited when he testified
on previous occasions, and found late
that he had made many misstatement,
With the disclosure of hazing nov
wei developed, the prevailing belief i.
that Congressional investigation MAJ
follow.
A strong hint that hazing and run
ming has been fiourishing at the Naya
Academy during the past academi,
term in addition to the wholesale
"cribbing" and other irregularities il
the denominations and scholastic work
was dropped into the proceedings o.
the court of inquiry early this morn
ing in Connection with the investiga
tion of the gouging scandal.
This came in course OF further ties
timony given by Midshipman c. II
Reagle, the "sleuthr in the cribbine
affair. who, following a severe grill
ing. at the hands of the assistants L
the Judge Advocate. purged Iarg,
part of the big volume of testimony
previously given by him
Reagle was telling the court more
about his connection with the Irregular
tiles and his knowledge fthe advance
papers for the modern language ex.
animation when he dropped the re.
mark that he entered the room, vvher<