New-York tribune., 1879-04-11
THE FIRST DAYS PROCEEDINGS.


semJled in the main building ON Governors Island at
IL a. IN yesterday. Every member OF the Court was
presert at he by Judge Advocate Swn as were
the other persons interested in the trial. except General
Stanley who twenty minntes late, having missed
the boat. President Hancock announced to General
Stanley that the Court would at once proceed to MS ta
and that he should consider himself under arrest
and confined the limits Of the City of New-Iofk bnt
If he desired these limits extended for amy purpose ne
might apply to the Court for the extension.
General Staney's petition that the trial of General
Hazen should he first taken up was read'
and the Judge Advocate argued that IL nske"
the Court to pass upon an established order
of procedure which action was outside OF
its Jurisdiction General Stanley said that every court
whether civil or military had the right to decide upon
the Order OF il procedure After executive session
Of twenty minutes the Court declined to interfere WIN
the order OF business presented by the Judge
Advocate. As no objection was offered To any
members OF the Court they were now sworn.
Wnen given permission to announce his counsel Gen
era Stanley said that he not fully prepared TO DO
so at the time General Nj. I. Mcmahon and Horatlo l.
King however, were present as his counsel.
After some debate as 10 whether General Stanley
should plead upon each charge and specification as 1t
was presented delay until the charges aud specfca-
ons were presented In full, the latter course, was at
his DESIRE adopted Judge swain then read document
in pamphlet form. consisting Of fourteen finely
printed pages. II is entitled Charges and
specifications preferred against David S. Stanley,
Colouel 22d United States Infantry, Brevet Major
General" The first charge Is conduct unbecomlng an
officer and gentleman" This is based upon letter
ALLEGED to have been written from NewYo September
g. 1877, by General Stanley 10 General HaZ VINO
was at that time in Vienna Austria. 1t rs iooWs
General W. b. HAzEN COiOfet Oh Infantry. Vienna:
Ihave seen the decision Of the PresideLt upon the
charges preferred against yOu tnat the service wOud
not De conserved by conYeniDg geheial couIhar'ai
10 ~ this time
am not disappointed You know inst as well as 90
that vour trial could only resulted III your cOnYc-
ton and you already stand convicted before thOse WHO
InOW give yon fair warning that avn fully Informed
of your dsgractiu conduct at shiloh ana when proper
occasion oilers VII use tie Information 10 stop your
c''''c% c,spea, a.pOs'"''' ''' '''''' D. : srASLvr
The second specification is TO the eee that THIS letter
WAS sent to General HaLcn by General Stanley. with the
purpose thereby "wiuily, wantoniy and malleiously
to personally anfont and insult" hlm.
The third specification accuses General Stanley OF
virtually charging upon General Hazen that lie had
been guilty OF the crime OF perjury and false swearing
In giving testimony in the case Of eX-Secretary OF
War Bclknap, which charge Is characterized as
"unfounded, false aud malicious" and wlckedly de-
vised" by General stanley The fourth and hfth specl-
fcatious relate to the charges of cOwardce at the
battle of shiloh made by General Stanley against Cen
era Hazen such charges being declared false and made
with the purpose of insult and affrOnt. The sixth
specification has TO d. with General stauey's alleged
statement that the President had decided that the
wee would not be conserved by conyening cou-mdrtal
to investgat, the charges preferred by General stan
lev against General Hazcu. These charges given
and are TO effect that General Hazcn guilty
OF perjury and false swearing at and IN connection with
the Beknap case with regard farming out the post
tradersps aBd suffers privileges These charges are
declared false and malicious.
The seventh specification charges that General Stan
ley caused to Dc published in The ST. Paul Pioneer IresS
Of December !, 1877, a "maliclous and scandalous
statement" in which occurs the passage: give
Won fair warning that / fully Informed of your
dispracefu conduct at Shiloh and your shameful exit
from your command at Fort Butord. and when proper
occasion offers VIII use the information 10 stop your
Of posture This was III letter addressed 10
General Hazrn and signed bv General Stanley. spcCh
"a len and me nierference win tine c5ceni
performance OF ms duties by the charges alleged to
have been made against BIN by General STANLEY while
he on spec al duty in Vienna. =. 49,. r.,,,..
Specifications nine aHd ten rcIer 10 tne Belknap
trial and shiloh charges the eleventh 20 the article ~
Tbs Pioneer Press and the twelfth article printed
~ th. cty March H. 1879 This II is charged General
Staney caused and allowed 10 be Tubh'hed a.d u Is
rt,, alieSCi i-ia' " c,"crai Ji.zrn WHEN were IN.
tcnaed 10 iniure and deiame him. and de
Tnis article conveys the idea that General Hazen
comm tied acts which ought to insure his expulsion
are S Pepesea s s 56 f It E Is spccca stated that % S the
second day of the battle OF shiloh April 1862, some
himself got away. skulSed from his brigade which
was IN Nelson's DIVISION OF Buei,s Army oi me ONO,
fed the Tennessee River, four miles from where
his command gallant fight and thai he remained
away until some time in the night lhis article also
says: General Stanicy asserts tlat GENERA nalen
reported 20 bin FOR cOwardlce at the baltic OF Pick
ett's Mills ana other places"
The second charge against General Stanley IS conduct
the prejudice Of good order and military discipline
There are specifications in which The Pioneer Press
article, Benap trial scandals and an article published
in New-YorE are separately reviewed and asserted to
lst of the several letters and articles alluded to- and
with the names of Mr.. Wheel0cR Editor o; The 81 Paul
Pioneer Press the Hon James A. Garfield, and Leuten
AMI Dougherty. % National Guard Infantry, who are
10 be among the witnesses
PLEADING NOT GUILTY.
General Stanley pleaded guilty each charge and
specification admitting the facts stated with
two exceptions hut denying all crlGiinality.
letter then read by Judge Advocate Swain,
which It was written by General Stanley to
General sherman from this city, March is. 1879 In it
General Stanley admitted being responsible for allowing
his letters TO get into the newspapers and said he
did not wish to avoid the responsibility for
so doing. lie defended the charges made against
General Hazen because he believed them TO be true.
He dsclaimcd any feelings Of malice revenge. and
avowed the simple desire to put stop TO what he
termed Gen'ral Hazen's extraor,Iary pretrnces."
He concluded by ayOwns himself not insenSibe 10 The
Of being court m rtalcd but found his sat
isiacuon in the fact that he was placed N
tois position from strong desire to see the
tuth vndlcGted. The nrst witness was r. ]"
Hosmer. a reporter IN thus city. lie sad Tint he
had interview with General stanley on March Ii,
upon which article referred 10 III the charges was
based In reply to question as 10 what was the trouble
3rtwcen hun General stanley and General Hazen,
General stanley replied that hs had lodged charges
aga General HaZcn with TIE Secretary Of Wsr but
that be did not choose TO sp ely their nature.
on being ciosquestioned The witness sad that be re
M bcred hat General Stanley had said I'm of hand
way General Hazen had been reported 10 him Tor
cowardicc several places. but did not understand
General stanley to say that such reports
were official. He Acknowledged that General
Stanley had corrected his statement concerning
the reported cowardce Of General Hazen at
PickctTs Mile. He understood that when General
stanley said "Hszen WASH Mclean, his fShcr-in-
law his sister, ms cousins his antsi hs editor, and
his lawyer, Dick Merrick now In Washington, aud
have been for time, wit the sole obiec- OF mahng
Huzen hero, martyr, aud Quarternlas ter General
he meant joke. General Stanley asked the wit
ness IL he could remember whether he said he had
made charges concerning General Uazen TO the news
papers or in the newspapers. The witness did not