New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-23
NATIONAL CAPITAL TOPICS.
ARMY OFFICERS UNDER SENTENCES.
rsp cAsrs OF LrEUrENANr-coLoNEL LGEs. LIEU
orxAyr ROBERTSON AND OTHERS STILL USDE-

ARMY OFFICERS UNDER SENTENCES.
TIE CASES OF LIEUTENANT-coLoNEL mGEs. LIEU
TENANT ROBERTSON AND OTHERS STILL USDE-
gpED By SECRETARY LINCOLN.
lBY TELEGRAPH THE TRIBUSE)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22.-FOr some time TO
come the Secretary OF War VIII he oohged 10 deVo'e
great deal Of time the consideration OF conrtmhruai
proceedings aud sentences The proceeding and nndhg
I'm the case of Lieutenant Colonel nges 18th Infantry
were received at the War Department nearly ak weeks
ago and have been reviewed by the Judge-AdVocate-
General Several days ago Secretary Lincoln Sho
that he was not yet ready to SUBMIT tn0
papers to the President, owing TO the TACT tnat no
had sent 10 an officer the frontier lor an aii.'''
relating TO the case 1t may be remembered tha' 'ne
offence for which Northumberland llges was laeV
tred-dupicaion OF his pay accouns-was the thru On
bis mart ana that for the second nc was
sentenced to dismissal from the serVioo'
That sentence was mtigated by oruer Vi re-
ident Grant, in consideration OF Coonei hSe''
excellent military record and some other eAtenA'i"s ~
cumstanoes. At the same time he as wen ~ o.uo,
officers were warned that clemency need DC
thereafter nv any one convicted of like offence DeSpte
this warning Colonel nges has again been Iouho su'9
and septenced TO dismissal. There Is at ie"S.
probability that he will not be ulSnS'eu ~
that the sentence VIII again 10 ni'''&"0"
IL appears that two OF the omcer9 conpoS''S
,ba coprt.martis which tried him recently were also
members
was tried and sentenced TO dismissal Ior inc same
ofance seven or eight years ago. There Is reason to
heve that for this reason COlOne Igcs, or his counsel
obiected to these two officers on The ground
that they we're prejudiced against him and
could not render an impartial verdict In slmi'
lar cases heretofore the Jndge-Advocate-General
has bed that such objection sound and that the
of the court should be set aside. 1t ia possible
that he has done In this and that the delay on
the part of the Secretary of War caused by his desire
m aacertain whether either both OF the officers men
toned were SO prepossessed against the prisoner
on account of the first trial that they
could not render fair and impartial verdict
in the second one A prominent Army officer who has
even the matter attention sad to-day that In MS
oninon Colonel Ilges's punishment VIII Dc suspension
from rank pay aud allowances for certain PERIOD ana
that he will De allowed to remain lu the army
Thrre other cases will before tine Secretary
of War Lieutenant Robertson pleaded guilty 10 ths
charge OF duplicating his pay accounts ana not guilty
Ia speclncation He claims that when he signed the
second set accounts he had RENTED money TO take up
te first set when In the hands OF trader ana ne
supposed that the debt was paid ana the ORIGINAL &C
counts cancelled. Leuenant Robertson Is young anu
smhto1. officer and OF his superlOrs appear 10 be
that he guiltless OF wrong intent There
seems to DO fair prospect therefore, that ne
will get off win less Sc vere punishment thah spssa
The case OF Captain Hubbard now peioro tne Judge
Advocat O. eneral for review. Captain HuDDard was
tried aud understood that he was FOUND guilty OF
drnkenuess on duty sentenced TO be dismissed from
the seryice. He has excellent military record.
having entered the service as private sol
der in a volunteer organization at the beginning
Of the war. and won his promotion oy long anu tnlui
seryce He was appointed Captain ana Assistant quar-
ermaster by President Garfield. The third case Is that
OF Posi- Chaplain Mispie court martlaed for duplicating
his paw accounts. He IL native OF FRANCE anu wac APP
nocd from Idaho In 1872 1t hardly 10 be expected
mar any cemency will be exercised In hs even
he shall be sentenced TO dismissal