The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-05-18

ocrvr IN THE C0URr-Ihe '...,.,e Iyn
SHARPLY QUESTIONED -his p'
sUsrICIOxs.
u.po,vr Nav 15.-It bad been under
49,, m 90 wsst Point that to-day was 10 prlns
800 ssu :" sansa,ion In the Whitaker case
'u,'" everybody In West foiot ut
,"mSed the sitting OF the court-generais.
mrnsessors' and cadets. First whitaker
,.. subiected 10 lcng series Oh ques'
,,o.s dssigned to show inconsistencies 10
NE defence against the charge tnat ne
,nH,c,ed the injuries on himseli, anu
s,soe ~ them we're very successful: Inen
az mo the renoris OF the five experts IN hano-
wriiine that had been suppressed Inc gu.
,,r. I've agreed that Whitaker mad written
,hs threatening letter. The reports were
,ono hnt all reached the same result WIN
nositIyeness, These created great sepss'
ton in the court, and the expressions were
freely made that Whitiaker's case was up
Rut the browning sensation was yet 10 CONF.
Expert Southwcfth, Of Boston, nao hiauc =
discovery. A letter which Whitaker nau
becu, 70 his mother was among tne papeIs
fonrd In his room and submitted 10 tue eS-
perts with
,r,,r .voSyyors THREATENING LETTER.
Exnert southworth, after satisfying him.
self that the handwriting was the same IN
both letters. discovered that the threatening
| note had been written on slip OF paper
torn from The letter begun to the cadets
mother. " ,a
placing abe two side by side the edges
matched nerfecty, and where bit Dau
been torn from ore side the corresponding
niece tbst Gtted it was on the other. Where
| the pat,er was thin In spots in one the same
tbinness matched the other.
The EXPERT brought the letters into tue
eours-room to-day, fastened between TWO
pieces Of window-glass in such manner as
10 show conclusiyely that the two were
free, the same original piece OF paper.
Eperv one in the courtroom could see at
glance hat it was so.
The court was in an uproar OF excitement
in an instant. Cadet Whitaker did not
move a muscle, or show bit OF emotion.
| No one smoke to him. He had answered
l,oues,ions all day long, but when the sensa-
| ton was announced all had dropped MN,
and after it all treated him with contempt.
The court will go on on Moncly and hnlsh
the case on that day. No one who saw to-
DAYS proceedings could doubt
THE GUILT OF CADET WHITAKER,
and the result OF the Court OF Inquiry VIII
doubtless be a recommendation that he be
expelled.
WEST POINT, n. Y, May 16.-The report
OF the experts identifying the "note OF
Warming which Cadet Whitaker SAID he
had received, with the handwriting OF Whit
taker himself, is the main topic OF interest.
In an interview to-day Cadet Whitaker
stated that last evening he was invited 10
General Schotield's house, the latter saying
| he had sent for him to say that there was
considerable hard feeling against him wv MT
takerl, and asked him il he had anything
more to say or wished to make any confess
sion. and II he did that would be good
| time TO do 1t.
Whitaker replied that he bad nothing
| further to say; that he had told all he knew
| and it was the truth, and that II he had not
| told the truth, and desired to confess any
thing, General Schofield would be the first
man he would 90 10, on account OF the Cen
erals uniform kindness towards him. Whit
I taker said the General advised him to collect
all the letters he had written lately, because
in that way it might he possible 10 ascertain
who il was had simulated bis handwriting.
He said the General told him he had his
good wishes, and Whitaker judges from
that remark that
THE GENERAL BELIEVES HE Is INNOCENT!
or he never would have said so.
Whitaker was asked how he accounted
for some OF the discrepancies In his state
meuts. and he said he could not account for
them. lie argued that presence OF dis
crepanccs showed he was honest. For"
said he, "if / had invented the story
would have learned it by heart, and then
there would have been no discrepancies"
He was asked how 1t was that he never no.
ticed that the writing in the note OF warn
ing was like his own. lie replied that ne
never thought OF it, and that IL he bad witt
ten it he would not have exhibited 1t to
four or five persons. He was asked what
he thought of the experts discovery that
both Of the sheets were OF one paper.
He said that amounted TO nothing, n all
the cadets use the same kind OF paper, and
that he wanted to say that he found the note
Of warning on chair by the side OF his Ia
BILE in the evening. He was in the habit OF
tearing whole sheets into halves to write on,
and the person who wrote the note might
have come to his room and takeE piece Of
his paper, and with many samples OF his
handwriting before him might have forged
| the note.
THE DETAILS OF MR.. sOUTHwoRTB's Dis
| COvERY
are thus told more accurately: He had
among the papers given him requsition
| for postage-stamps by Whitaker, two sheets
OF letter Of Whitaker to his mother, and
the note OF warning.
| lie accidentally discovered that the two
half-sheets. on one OF which the letter to
Whittaker's mother was written, had never
formed one sheet, but the requisition and
| one of the sheets on which was the letter TO
his mother had once been whole sheet.
That led him to compare the other two
pieces Of paper, and he found that the other
sheet Of the letter to Whittaker's mother
and the note Of warning had been one pa
per.
When he made that discovery he took TO
his bed with excitement, and he was unable
to read his report in court.
Recorder Seers says that the papers when
placed in iuxtaposition will be photo
graphed and entered on the minutes OF the
court.
General Schofeld says that as the report
OF the court Is to be presented to him, he
does not want to say anything on the SUBJ
ject. Any reports OF fears OF dsorderly
action by the cadets against Whitaker are
premature, as it Is the unders landing among
them to allow the court to take care OF the
whole case.