CONGRESS. (HAZING.) 



189 



dropping down to a sitting posture, rising part 

 \vay, waving his arms like wings, again depress- 

 ing his body to a sitting posture, rising in like 

 manner, and continuing this during the period or 

 for the number of times required. A fourth-class 

 man has frequently been required to eagle 100 

 and 200 times, and in some cases 300 to 400 times, 

 and in at least one case above GOO times. 



" Wooden willying. This consists in a fourth- 

 class man taking the regulation gun and draw- 

 ing it up to the position of ' fire ' ; then dropping 

 it to the position of ' ready,' and continuing this 

 to the period or number of times required. This 

 has frequently been required 100 to 200 times. 



" Doing footballs. This consists in lying on the 

 back and, without bending the knees, drawing the 

 legs up until they are at right angles with the 

 body and then dropping them to the earth, con- 

 tinuing this for such period or number of times as 

 may be required. A lower-class man has frequent- 

 ly been required to do this from 75 to 100 times. 



" Choo-CnOOing. This consists in lying on the 

 back and working both legs and arms in imita- 

 tion of the motion of the wheels of a locomotive. 



" Dipping. This consists in placing one's body 

 face down, with his hands and toes on the ground, 

 or with the toes on the ground and the hands on 

 a bucket, box, or the like, holding the body as 

 straight as possible, and raising and lowering it 

 by the use of the arms alone. 



" Taking plcbe's rest. This consists in standing 

 on the toe of one foot, say the left, and raising 

 the right leg up, resting the right elbow on the 

 knee and the chin in the right hand. 



" Stretching. This consists in hanging by the 

 hands from a bar or rail on the canvas shelf in 

 the tent, known as the stretcher, with the legs 

 bent at the knees, so as to be sure and have no 

 support from below. A fourth-class man is fre- 

 quently required to hang this way until he drops 

 from exhaustion. 



" Holding out gun. This consists in holding out 

 both arms in front and at right angles with the 

 body and supporting upon the hands a regulation 

 gun. 



"Swimming to Newbitrg. This consists in lying 

 face down and working the hands and feet as if 

 swimming. 



" Sitting on bayonet. This consists in assum- 

 ing, while on one's feet, a sitting posture, with the 

 bayonet standing, point up, under him, so that if 

 through weariness he allows his body to sink 

 down he will be punctured with the bayonet. 



" Holding out Indian clubs. 



" Holding out dumb-bells. 



" Holding out the cleaning box. 



" Sweating. This consists in putting a fourth- 

 class man in a tent with sides and back down and 

 making him put on his rain coat, and frequently 

 wrap himself in the bedclothing, and remain there 

 any time required up to about half an hour. This 

 is done in July and August, and has more than 

 once resulted in the fourth-class man fainting. 



" Soirees. It has been a common practise to 

 Ccall several fourth-class men into a tent at one 

 time, between supper and tattoo, and put them 

 through numerous forms of exercising, usually 

 making them eagle, wooden willy, do footballs, 

 and hang on the stretcher. These meetings have 

 been known as soirees. ' 



" Requiring the taking of hot sauce. For a long 

 time there has been kept at the academy, in con- 

 nection with the mess, what is known as tropical 

 sauce, which is similar to tabasco sauce. It is 

 commonly known at the academy as hell sauce. 

 Sometimes it is spoken of as pepper-sauce in the 

 evidence, but it is much stronger than ordinary 



pepper-sauce. It contains ;i hi );?< ;m 

 of capsicum, and is intended !<u M . m -oup arid 

 other foods, and by reason of il -, hi;:),!\ irritant 

 character is not fit for use by it~di Y.IM n undi- 

 luted. It has with great frequency IM < n ;idniinis- 

 tered as a punishment to fourth-class nn-n nt mess 

 both while in camp and in barracks, and al .-OHM; 

 times at places other than the mess, in do.-e-, u n- 

 ally from two to five drops, but quite o!t<>n j,, 

 doses of fifteen drops, and in some cases between 

 one and two teaspoonfuls. 



"Eating quinine. Cadets have been required lo 

 chew up as high as four quinine pills at a time, 

 and, after thoroughly masticating, swallow them. 



" The following are some of the third class of 

 annoyances which have been imposed: 



" Qualifying. This consists in requiring a 

 fourth-class man to eat, at one sitting, an extraor- 

 dinary amount of some otherwise unobjectionable 

 article, such as molasses, prunes, peach-pie, or 

 cabbage. In qualifying on molasses a cadet must 

 usually eat at one time a soup plate full. In quali- 

 fying on prunes he has been made to eat as high 

 as 130. A number of cadets have become nause- 

 ated by this process. 



" Feet inspection. This consists in going to a 

 fourth-class man's bed with a candle and pulling 

 the covers off his feet and inspecting them, and 

 while doing so, intentionally, but apparently by 

 accident, dropping hot grease from the candle on 

 the bare feet. 



" Dragging a man out of bed. This is usually 

 done by taking hold of the bed and dragging it 

 and its occupant into the company street; but it 

 has been done by taking the victim by the heels 

 and dragging him out. 



" Throwing sentinel in the ditch while on duty. 



" Sliding on soaped floor. This is done in the 

 bath-room, and the fourth-class man is made, 

 while naked, to slide over the floor after it has 

 been soaped. 



" Standing on head in bath-tub filled with water. 

 In this the fourth-class man is usually required, 

 while standing as indicated, to recite something, 

 and, as a result, the water runs into his nose and 

 mouth and strangles him. 



" Standing on head in tent between tattoo and 

 taps. Whenever an upper-class man puts his foot 

 into a fourth-class man's tent between tattoo and 

 taps the lower-class man must at once stand on 

 his head; and some upper-class men require 

 fourth-class men, while in this position, to recite 

 something and make a left-hand salute with the 

 right foot. Of late, to avoid being caught, it has 

 been the practise of the upper-class men from in or 

 across the company street to say, * My foot is in 

 your tent,' and thereupon the fourth-class man 

 must act as if the foot were in fact there. 



" Standing orders. When these orders are 

 given, a fourth-class man is required to stand up 

 the entire day except while at mess and sink. 



" Pillow fights. These, harmless in themselves, 

 are a serious wrong, because the upper-class men 

 order the fourth -class men to engage in them at 

 night, and then the latter are charged with de- 

 merits for making a disturbance in camp, and 

 thus lose standing in their class. 



" Cold baths in the company street. A fourth- 

 class man is required to entirely strip himself and 

 run down the company street while parties on the 

 sides throw cold water on him. The indecency of 

 this performance needs no comment. 



"Many of the things done by the upper-class 

 men are boyish pranks and are known as ' funny 

 formations,' but even these are frequently con- 

 ducted in such a way as to outrage the noblest 

 feelings of the heart. 



