The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-04-24 00:00:00

A COURT-MARTIAL.

A court-martial gat on Saturday morning in the
Royal Barracks, Dublin, for the trial of Captain
Neame, 2nd battalion lfith Regiment, who has been
thirteen years in the service, on two charges—Firstly,
scandalous conduct unbecoming an officer and gentle-
man, in having, in the mess-roam of Richmond Bar-
racks, on the 20th of February last, in presence of
brother officers, told Captain Norman Griffith, of the
same battalion, "You -- drunken captain, you want
to be kicked," and having kicked him. Secondly,
conduct to the prejudice of good order and military
discipline in having, when asked by Captain Ingles, his
superior officer, what caused his nose to bleed, wilfully
made the tollowing false statement in reply :—" 1 hit
my nose against the chimney."
Captain Pullen, the first witness, deposed that about
midnight on the 20th of February, Captain Griffith said
to him, in the mess-room, "Well. Sam, when are you
coming up to my room to supper ?" The prisoner,
turning towards Captain Griffith, said, " Well you
-- drunken captain." Captain Griffith replied that
he was no drunken captain. The I,rifs fler repeated the
offensive observation, and added, "Would you like to
be kicked r Captain Griffith answered, "You won't
do it, for if you did 1 would stnke you in the
face ;" adding, " You had better do it !" The
prisoner kicked Captain Griffith with his knee,
' and received in return alight blow on his nose, which
made it bleed. He regarded the affair as a joke.
Captain Ingles came in shortly afterwards, and in
answer to the question, "What is the matter with your
nose ?" the prep.:ler said, "I hit it against the
1 mantel-piece." Captain Griffith struck his fist against
the other hand, and laughed, as much as to say he did
it. He remarked to Captain Griffith that his con-
duct was very foolish, and if he had thought the
prisoner's conduct scandalous or unbecoming he
would have ordered him under arrest. It did
not occur to him that Captain Ingles asked the
prisoner what made his nose bleed Its his supe-
rMr officer, or at all officially. Lieutenant Tabb gave
a similar account of the reheorare. He thought the
prisoner kicked Captain Griffith iu fun. The latter was
excited when he struck the prisoner, but the excite-
ment did not arise from the kick.
. . . .

Captain Griffith. who is under arrest for his conduct
on the OCCO,iOII, corroborated the evidence of the pre-
vious witnesses, and stated that the matter was entirely
in fun, that there was no ill-feeling between him and
the pris“ner, and that the Wt.'. joined him in his
room shortly after the occurrence.

Colonel Bancroft, in summing up the evidence, said
that "what niight have cominerced in fun had ended
in what wan. a scandal to the reliant." The pri,aler
said in his defence that he had been thirteen
years in her Majesty's service, and when abroad
had lost his wife and child from yellow fever.
Not the slightest accusation of the frost trifling
offence had been ever before made against
him. Every witness produued by the prosecutor had
dented the existence I,f a brawl ; and " was it to be
said that a man's hopes in his lite, and his character,
were to be for ever blasted and ruined because he and
one of his most intimate friends indulged in a little
chaff?" The court remained in deliberation for an
hour and a quarter, when it was announced that the
report of the proceedings and the verdict would be for-
warded to the Horse Guards.