New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-17
FEELING AT THE POST.


INTEREST IN THE NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF THE
TR,AL-rHE CoLoRED CADET ENCOURAGED BY
HIS coMMAYDER-TALKs WITH WHITAKER AND
PROFESSOR GREENER.
tPRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIbuNE'l
WEST PoINT, May 16.-The morning papers from
, New-York were awaited with great deal OF IN
terest here to-day and the remarkable scenes OF
the Whitaker Court of Inquiry yesterday formed
the general theme of conversation. The teehng was
hat the case against Whitaker had been made
public TO It's fullest extent, and speculation was
rife as TO how Lieutenant Knight would attempt 10
break the.force of the circumstantial evidence.
The least excited man here seems to be Cadet
Whitaker. He went to church, as usual
in the morning, and, until a friend carried
him one during the afternoon, he had
not seen a morning paper. His calm'
unembarrasscd manner during tue sessions on Sat
urlay was subject of much wonder. All agreed
that, whether he was guilty or innocent lie was
most remarkable witness. Some persons expressed a
fear on Saturday that the cadets might resort to
some means of getting him summarily out OF the
Academy, but their fears were not well
grounded. From talks which THE TRIBUNE cor
respondent had to-day with some representa-
tive members of the corps, it was learned
that they have no desire or intention of meddling
in the matter in any way As expressed it, they
expect to see Justice done. whoever may be found
guilty.
MR.. soUrHwoRTH's DISCOVERY.
A good share of the conversation in the mess and
elsewhere was devoted to speculation as to how MI
Southyorth arrived at his conclusion that the note
of warning was originally a part OK the
sheet upon which Whitaker had written portion
Of a letter to his mother The story is a somewhat
curious one. Mr. SouthwoTth makes it a
rule. whenever he Is employed as an
ole
texture and quality of the paper which is sub
mtted to him. Such an examination he made
of the note of warning, and disoOv-
cred that the lines of ruling were of
pale blue color. One edge Of the note seemed to
have been cut with machine and another edge
with a paper-cutter.
At this time week ago to-day, Mr.. sOuthworth
had SETS l and 2 in his possession, the former of
which consisted of many specimens of Whittaker's
handwriting-letters, pages of notebooks and
lectures stories etc. In examining the edges of these
papers he made his discovery He found three
half-sheets of writing. On two Of these
half. sheets was letter three and q half
pages long, which Whitaker had written to his
mother on Monday. April 8, he being found bound
and cut the next morning. The edges of these two
half sheets however, did not fit each other One OF
tbehafs sheets however was the mate, be discovered,
to a half sheet upon which Whitaker on the same
day, April 5. had written a reGuisitiOn to
the quartermaster for some postage stamps
The upper part Of the vertical edge Of
the other half sheet agreed with the cor
responding end of the narrow strip Of paper upon
which the note of warning was written. He ex-
amined them again and again with the microscope
and his opinion was each time confirmed.
Mr.. SouthwOrth is an old man. and his excite
ment over this discovery completely upset him. He
was unable to sleep Sunday night, and as he has
been troubled with the heart disease he was
afraid even of death, so great was his
agitation. Even on Tuesday he could not trust
himself to read his report on the similarity be-
tween the writing in the note OF warning and
either of the two sets of papers which had been
given to him; and the Recorder read 1t for him.
The matter of the origin of the paper which the
note was written he explained to the court in its
secret session.
WHO rs THE WRITER OF NO. 27f
singular fact Is suggested in this connection.
On May Mr.. SOuthwortb, after having compared
the original 800 or moro pieces of writing with the
note of warning, reported that he found in one
numbered '27 c. b. S. so many characteristics
ofhand agreeing with those named above as belong
ing to the note in question, and the whole in har
mony, except some few points Of disguise or
dissImulation in the note, that 1t seems proper
to use No. 27 as the individual hand
writing of the author Of tho anonymous
note in question" In his second report on the two
sets of papers, made May IL. he said Il frankly
admit that / have been obliged to abandon tho
ground then taken THAT is in his first reportl,
for in the new specimens find more character
istic points of harmony and sameness of hand
writing with tue questioned note" 1t would there
fore seem that " No. 27" and the author of Set
who was identified by Mr.. Southworth the author
of the note are not identical. But Set written
by Whitaker as the expert knew from the CHAR
acter of the writings when he was examining them.
The question then naturally suggests itself, who is
Mr.. Southworth's "No. 81" the writing of whom lie
selected from the 800 slips as resembling more
strongly than did any other the note of warning.
Three of the experts united at first upon Whitaker
Mr.. Gayler. Mr.. Ames and Nr. Hagen. Mr..
Pain made no definite report at first.
and Mr.. Southworth seoms to have taken
position which, after examining Whittakcrs writ
ings in Set 1, he abandoned. The identity Of Mr..
Southworths No. 81" would seem, therefore, to
DO matter of some interest.
THE coLoRED CADET AT HOME.
After the cadets had returned from church to-day.
The TRIBUNE correspondent was allowed to visit
Cadet Whitaker in his room. He was welcomed
by the colored youth. who was found SIT
ting at bis table reading. The room had a
bare, cheerless look, and yet 1t was
said to be like all the Others The floor was bare
but was scrubbed and swept scrupulously cean
Ga the iron bedstead, in of the two acOves the
bedclothes were folded up and placed one upon
the other giving one the impression that the
occupant was about TO move. Some curtains were
caught up. which when hanging concealed the bed
in the alcove. The other alcove was nearly
empty. On the bare floor, by the side
Of and near the bed were the freshy-scFaped marks