Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-04
THE MILITIA ROW.
some Charges are Preferred Axa1hs'
Lieutenant Colonel Palmer.


Lieutenant Colonel Palmer.
A new kink was thrown into the
militia tangle yesterday by the preferring
OF charges against Lieutenant Colonel
A. I. Palmer, who acts as commander oi
the Seventh Regiment while Colonel
Russell is in arrest by Captain Asa NJ.
Green. A copy of the charges was pre-
sented to Colonel Palmer yesterday after
noon by Sergeant Major Stewart, and ne
will be placed in arrest by General John
son this morning.
The charges are two in number: One
declares that Colonel Palmer was guilty
| OF conduct unbecoming an officer and q
gentleman, and specifies as the ground OF
the charge that he gave certain testimony
in the Russell examination which was
not true. The other charge is OF conduct
prejudicial to good order and military
discipline. 1t specifies that on the 10th
OF last August, at the time when the
brigade was encamped at Camp Dimond,
near San Diego, Lieutenant Colonel
Palmer declared to another officer that
Colonel Russell, his ranking officer. had
ordered him to return to camp, but that
he did not intend to obey him.
Lieutenant Colonel Palmer was seen
and asked about the charges. "They are
a trumped-up piece of business" said he,
really emanating from Colonel Russell,
in whose handwriting they are, although
they are signed by Captain Green. The
charges themselves are easily answered.
The testimony which gave in that case
was all true, and was corroborated by the
evidence of others. A similar charge
could be lodged against every other wit
ness in the case for that matter, if Colonel
Russell wished to do it. AS to the other
matter, the reason why / did not obey
Colonel Russell and return to camp was
that l had permission from General
Johnson to absent myself in the way
that did, and Colonel Russell had no
power to order me back. There is moth
ing at all in the charges. When Colonel
Russell was placed in arrest it left
me in command of the regiment. This
move will deprive me of the command
during the time that 1 am in arrest,
which will be until after the court mar.
tial shall meat and take action. The
celebration at Whittier will come off in
the meantime and l suppose the charges
WbIC SOttOa OuU phIllCulAI JlUl6 III
order to prevent my acting on that occa-
sion."
The court martial which will act on
the charges brought against Colonel
Russell by the committee whose report
was recently made public, and the
charges against Lieutenant Colonel
Palmer, will meet in about two
weeks. 1t will be appointed by Briga.
dier. General Dimond, the commander OF
the division. It will consist of a presi-
dent, who by courtesy will be some Of
ficer outranking either of the men against
whom charges have been preferred, and
from five to thirteen staff oraaline officers.
The president in this case will probably
be appointed from San Francisco, as
there is no officer in this part of the State
except General Johnson, who ranks
Colonel Russell. The other members oi
the court will probably be from among
the officers of the seventh and ninth reg
iments.
The preferment Of these charges
against Lieutenant. Colonel Palmer places
the brigade in the command of Colonel
Isaac Benz amin, of San Bernardino.