Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-10
DREAM Of CAREER
IN NAVY VAN|SHES
Youth Who Hired Proxy for
Exam Lands in Cell
Here.

The dream of 19-year-old Henry
Sherwin Rupp, son of well-to-do par
ents of Long Beach, Calf, of entering
the United States Naval Academy has
ended in a cell. His hopes went "a
glimmering with his arrest yesterday
when his scheme to have another youth
take his place in the eye examination
demanded of Annapolis candidates was
exposed by the very excellence of the
substitutes vision.
Rupp the day before had been found
by examiners at the Naval Academy to
be slightly color blind, but had OBJ
tanned permission to repeat the test.
He hired as a substitute from an en-
ployment agency, Paul David Schooler,
10, of 1901 G street southwest, who yes
terday went to the Office Of the surgeon
general here, where his eyeSight and
perception of colors were found to be
extraordinarily good. The suspicious
of physicians were Immediately aroused
They could not understand how any
one unable to pass the test one Gay
could go through it with flying colors
the next.
Substitute Questioned.
Schooler was questioned and his sig
nature was compared with Rupp's.
Finally ne confessed.
They were taken to first precinct and
today. following filing of charges of
conspiracy to defraud the Government,
pleaded not guilty before United States
Commissioner Turnage and were held
in $4,000 bond each for hearing Fri
day. The charges were filed through
the Department of Justice.
Navy Department officials pointed out
that RuppS deception, If it had
been successful, would have resulted in
the Government losing many thousands
of dollars in educating the boy, since
his defective vision would have prevent
ed him from properly executing his
duties later.
Rupp is not left entirely alone, how
ever, for Senator Shortridge of Cali
fornia said this morning that he had
seen press accounts of the case, and
while he did not know what assistance
he might lend he proposed to go into
the matter.
Takes Arrest Lightly.
Rupp took his arrest lightly, and while
being questioned at headquarters by
Varney asked: You'd do most any
thing II you wanted something badly
enough, wouldn't you?
II don't think what did was very
criminal" he said this morning. IT had
passed all my mental eXaminations-it
wasn't like cribbing-and had come all
the way from California. arrived here
on July l and presented myself at An
napons on the 9th. passed all of the
examinations except the color test, and
1 though little thing like that oughtn't
to matter, so what was to do?
ST though it over after I returned to
the Portland Hotel, where am staying
here, and decided to get some one to
being done before. I picked out an en-
ployment agency and asked them to
send me a young man to run a gaso-
line station. The manager suggested
come down and pick one out. I chose
Schooler because he was about my age"
Dined Together.
Police say that Schooler was recently
released from the District Jail after
serving part Of a 60-day sentence for
assaulting his stepmother.
Rupp dined with Schooler and then
offered him SIS to substitute for him
at the Navy Department examinations.
Schooler readily agreed. Rupp said
this morning that he based his hopes
for the success Of the ruSe on the fact
that there was no physical description
OF him at the Surgeon Generals office
When Schooler was discovered to be
an imposter, Navy Department officials
communicated with police headquarters
and Varney was dispatched to take the
boy into custody. He went to the Port
land Hotel and found Rupp stretched
out in chair in the lobby, anxiously
waiting for the return Of Schooler, then
long overdue.