Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-16
THE NEW GUNBOAT PETREL.
A Naval observation-disclosures from
the Service.
rpv telegraph TO the Dispatch.

fBy telegraph 10 the Dispatch.l
WASHINGTON, June l5.-The Secretary Of
the Navy has appointed the following
board Of naval officers TO attend trial trip
of the new gunbOat Petrol, which will
come off within ten days at Baltimore (:
CAPTAIN Skerret. Chief-Engineer de Vain,
Commander Ho1, Lieutenant 1llley. and
Navajo Constructor HanscOm. The board
on machinery Will consist of Chief-tngl-
neers &c Vain, Ayres and Whitaker, as
sisted bv Passed Acknowledgment Free
man and Observation-Disclosures hammerLng,
Redgrave, and Rommel.
A naval court-martial has been ordered
to assemble at the New York nayy7;yard
Wednesday, June 18th. The detail is:
CaDtain James O'Kane, Commander O.. ".
Sumner, Paymaster Arthur Burtis, Pay
master u. A. Smith, lIeutenant-COm-
mander Joseph Marthon, Lieutenant-CO
mander A. j. Lille. Lieutenant-C CON-
mander A. Il Conden. and Lieutenant H..
l.. Iremaine, with Captain q. G. Red, Of
the United States marine corps, as Judge
advocate. The court IL ordered 10 try Paw
master Henry H. Smith. Tate of the Essex
on the charge of absentiug himself with
out leave on the return of his vessel from
long cruise. 1t was Smith whose mys77
teriOus disappearance caused general
search TO be made for him under the sup
position that he had met with foul play.
The case of Ensign George f. Ormsby,
which was finally disposed of to-day by his
dismissal from the naval service, Is the
first occurring in number OF years which
has had that result. Ornsby was regarded
in the service as u sea lawyer" and had
greatly vexed the department by his law
suits and erratic conduct. The formal
charges upon which he was tried by the
court-.nartiaI were disobedience of orders
and disresDect towards the Secretary and
Acting Secretary Of the Navy. 1t appears
from the record that when he was ordered
from Rich6eld Springs, and later from Gin
cinnati, 70 Join the Monongahela, then I'M
der orders % proceed 10 Samoa, be pleaded
illness, and when the department refused
TO accept this excuse he disregarded or
ders, proceeded south. and asked to have
his resignation accepted. In some of his
letters addressed TO the Secretary of the
Navy he complains that he was being hui
Initiated contrary to the Revised Statutes
and requested the Secretary either to leave
the decision Of his case to the civil courts,
where he had begun an action looking 10
the revocation Of his orders, or to court
martial Subsequently he Was found at
Los Angeles, Cal, placed under arrest, and
conveyed 10 Mare Island, where he was
tried by couFt-martial. in one of his let
tiers Ormsby says that Commodore Har-
mory, acting Secretary, has made untrue
and scandalous statements about his
case, which were contriyed TO serve as false
evidence before the Medical Board. This
failing of its purpose, the Ensign next
attacked Secretary Whitney, directly
charging him with neglect or omission TO
carry out the laws and regulations, aud
with stopping him from prosecuting his
lawsuit to just conclusion by ordering
him away from the country. OF all of the
charges and specifications the court.mar-
tial found him guilty, and upon the Secre-
tary's approval Of the sentence the Presi-
dent to-day formally dismissed Ensign
Ormsby from the naval service.