The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-03-15
TUHoRAPHIc Unvvs-
RseoRrrp ron THk DAILY DIsPATCH
,rIIE coupT MARTIAL. on col. sUMNFR.

THE COURT MARTIAL 0NcOL. sUMNfk
CxRtIsIy. Pa. March 12s@lThe Court met at Y Il
o'clock this morning. The nrst witness e4A"ine1I
wns Col John Harris. OF the Matine Corp, wno
testified that he was aware o. the oorfespoAuehss
between Col. Sumner and Gen. Harvey, on or /
about the 18th of February last; was cohsui,eo "
Sumner as 20 the tenor of that correspondence
knew his views in regard 10 his note tqe io.n
ruary; witness did not censtrue thai note W ee
challenge nor did Col Sumner. to the best oil ms
knowledge think II was challenge; undsrstooa
that Sumner had selected no friend to bear cbai
fenge for him. nor any one to act as BIS 1fieoa y
such an emergency we're to arise. witness was
not cross-examined 4
The evidence was closed on both sides.
Col Sumner was allowed two hours to prepare
his defence, and the Court took recess VII Il
O'Clock. On re-sssembling-
COL SUMMERS DEFENCE.
wa. road bv Judoe Watts The accused said he
wished to impress the Court with the idea that the
acts specified as constituting MS onence aEaus'
the articles of war were not the product OF sua.
den emergency or expression OF passesh, s,.;n
result of deliberate consideration ana Tue cohsic
ton of absolute necessity. lie procee ied 70 meet
the charges in detail He denied that ne haa H'aae
a personal affair with Gen. Harvey, out OF an oh
cal matter, on the ground that the mere p,es1nes,
of a Court Martial did not protect an individual
from the consequences Of his MISCONDUCT, or that
the inquiries of Court Martial addressed 10 an IN.
diyidual could justify an expression OF manenan
ignorant passion. lie denied that t'e pa. -, -,
~ 4
fetal protection, and argued that an indisidusi
called to account for ISLANDERS thus uttereu cou'a
not successfully plead that court was la ~.
ness of his offence. question put ny 'ne -
| tn f3an JIarney was whether he entertained pre-
ixdice or bias against the accused. 10 dsiue.i.s
him as a member of the Courtg me question: wac
simple and could be fully answered ~ ses ~ ~
| Harvey seized the occasion 10 ABUSE .ne ,i;
| the Court aud insult the accused. by aecni uh
| that he had before charged the accused WIN un
eentlemanlike and uuotrcerlike CONDUCT anu t'" ,
he had little or no respect Tor MIN as soie'et ~
that he would have been tried for the offence II ~
| proper and untrue statements hau ho' oooi' '
| to the Secretary of War ...aoc,
| General Harvey, when appealed 10 py guy
sed to relieve him from the accusation OF
wrapped himself up in the Silence 81 Member Of
Col. Sumner then appealed to every mehip.. ~
the Court whether he did not owe 1t 10 h'nse', hI
family his friends, and the army, tne ac. VI ~
| poundinr TO General Harvey the question:, con
| t.ned IN his letter of the 1st OF January. houo
- -. ~ - latter contained matter for charge,
trial and ceuviction. On the ground thas o1noi
! Iarney's declarations were neither nii ~
| nrorer and that this letter afI0rdeo MN an ~
nortupitv 70 do what it belonged TO every hoho,a
lila gentleman to do To the second charge ,.ne
accused denied that the note oil the Ioth "l rep
ruary was intended a. a chailenee 10 " '
IIarney but was an invitation 70 HFueihi Ai ~!
tn Inaye the District of Columbia to renew the
corraenondeace and examine the eause oil thelr
difficulty and afford General Harvey an oppor.u-
pity of reparation. The nCte was hot cnation:e'
k;;rf because il would not hold nor bear that IN
ternratetion: S4sohd because j. would bear more
reasonable one: Third, no previous preparation
was made for such event; FoerU, because ~ ~
vad FIAT such is not its character or intention.
fhe accused condemned in his own Judgment the
practice of duellug. but held that circumstances
might occur to render it necessary, even at the ex-
panse OF the loss of commission.
10 the third charge. upbraiding an officer for re-
fusng to accept challenge, he said, if accused
did not send a challenge, Gen. Harvey did not ae-
cesbt one and could not be upbraided.
IUpGNENr OF THE COURT.