, 1880-04-20
Fresh Mysteries and compiica-
tions in the Cofored ca
det's Case. ,....szs
Tho West Point Authorities Still
Studying How Not to
e5ssaa. Do 1t. s4&
Supposed Discovery Of GLOW to thd
Writer Of tho Threatening
Letter, IT


theory, tint Cadet Whlttakcr Ind excited tho
Ire Of certain negro gullnnts OF Duttormtlk
Falls, who thereupon wrote lIlin warning let
tiers, and crept stealthily by tho ytgllant Sell
tries aud up Into his room, where they slit
lIis cars AMI then ticd him, received n stag.
Curing blow to-day In tho testimony OF Super
Entendent Gaylor, Of the New York Post
Onlcc. II the Duttarmi1k negroes
did It there must have beeli
cadet lengl,ed with them. for
Mr.. Gaylor makes tho discovery that two
scraps OF paper, numbered rs" and "7D,"
respectively out of tile 20 odd submitted to
lin, correspond, particularly No. 8, In inl-
portant particulars with the anonymous
note. "WIio Is No. ?'' IL now the question,
and, from tic frtgiafty Of tho Recorder aiul
Court, aud tlletr refusal to show mitch OK
element over the discovery, 1t sccnIs
doubtful II It proves Of much
yalua In establishing the case against
Whitaker. The Recorder refuses to intl1-
cate the real author Of tho handwriting, a,ld
intimatcd that another expert will bc called,
ntid possibly still another, before their con-
clustons aro matle public. All this adds to
the confusion and doubt OF tho public, ard
consequent casing Of the burden Of responsi~
billty upon the shoulders Of the authorities
here. THO question rs to who slit Whfttakcr's
cars begins to look as though It would
never be satisfactorily solved, unless III
deed, a. Inns been suggested, tito
President and Secretary OF War shall giyo
the authorities here ton. days to discover
tile perpetrators, with the understanding that
their tenure Of Office depends on their suc-
cess. Tlo Government and post detectives
both reachct tho Fults Mt tlle sa1llu 1lour this
morning. Up to last night neither of then,
Ind discovered anything now, and did not
expect to.
The people Of the little country village
have been 80 startled by the Eruption Of re-
porters, detectives, unit in1uisltiye strangers
Of all sorts that oven t,oso who do know
anything will not toll 1t. All sorts of contra
dlctory reports have boon started, apparently
with the Intention Of bcllltling the cntlet
story. Three young men III civilians clothes
wcro scen jumping over tho fence at night,
nnd turned out to DO farmers boys on a frot1c.
Three men Wcre discovered ]nystcrlousty
! rowing Il boat across tho Hudson, opposit
Cozzen's dock, and turned out to be st,ntl
fishermen. 1t Is now said the Court Of III
luiry will sponl seyernt weeks. perhaps t1l
| culling every witness In Highland Falls who
las ever hcnrtl the reports current tfere In
regard to nyan's place. hoping iii this why
| to truce them to their SOURCE. It Is
easy to- 500 how nil this tle-
fcats tho end Of Justice by giving tho
really guilty men full knowledge Of every
thing being developed against them, and
amrle opportunity to close the mouths nj
possible witnesses. Everybody who could
possibly havn n knowledge of tho alleged
plot ngainst the colorel boy hayo suddenly
become either dumb or else voctfer0us lii tho
belief of the corps entire innocence. The
social, personal, aud other influences of the
placcnro SO oovorwllclnnngly against tho theory
that tho cadets had q hand In tho outrngo TINT
It seems impossible to obtain light upon tho
real authors, What hns been said regarding
tho wiltsness Of certain cadets and tho laytty
Of discipline Of late years is1noro than borne
uut by tho facts. At prcsDnt the opportunt
tics prcsentcd are utilized to the fullest nvull.
uble extent Inaubordination hus also In,
creased The Times says tho smuggling OF
liauor into tho Academy by cadots and out
siacrs Is known to haso bcen carried on to q
9reat extent. and 1t IL only year or two peo
thRt several minutes OF tho Academy wefu
% K .J!sstics M of tho reseo o{ Highland Falls
says the only way In which tho Government
y Eye pfSS pses Us asstfsy ,ess o as 20 heo
racks Instead OF outside, and in soldiers or
cadets uniform If necessary. Two cadets
hayc left for homs within the past forty
eight llonrs,-onc on The st: Louis express
first was Il sllort thick-set youth, Whose les,
tinati0n was not known to tho depnt people,
i :l'ha SECOND catlet Il Gilman. whn enes home
to Washington OIL sick leave, 10th were Ii,
ctvlliqn'a dress.
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