Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-17
WEST POINT CRUELTY
Denied by the officers Against
Whom the Charges We're Made.
CAPTAIN L. A. CRAIG'S DEFENSE.
He Says the Soldier Struggled With the
Guards and Was Unruly.
A PECULIAR s0BERING-UP PROCESS.

recently been circulated at West Point tina,
sprivate soldier there had been subjected
to an act of cruelty by order of an Office,
which was without warrant and unjustif.
able. 1t was said that Andrew Overman
and William Reilly, privates of cavalry
detachment. returned to their barracks on
the reservation Tuesday morning, after
having been absent on pass. Both were in
toxicated
The first sergeant, it was said, ordered
them to be imprisoned in the guard house.
When the commanding officer, Captain L.
A. Craig, learned of this, he gave orders
that both men should be taken out of the
guard house and furnished with picks and
shovels and set at work in the stable yard.
Moreover, his orders were said to be that
no matter how severe the weather the men
were not to be permitted to seek shelter of
any kind 1t is said to have been raining
at the time.
overman and Reilly are said to have been
taken from the guardhouse to the stable
yard in the company wagon, and there in
structed to go to work. Reilly is repre-
sented as having been able to do this, but
Overman was still too drunk to work He
fell and was unable to rise He lay in q
drunken stupor on the wet ground, when
Captain Craig entered the yard. Noticing
that the soldier was lying on bis side the
Captain, it was said, directed the guard to
turn him over, so that the rain would beat
In his face.
Overman's Protest and the Result.
Overman is represented to have protested in
a maudlin way, saying that besides being
drunk he was also sick. This seemed to
anger the officer, who then ordered the men
in the stable yard to hold the prisoner on
the ground, face upward, and ordered that
that if Overman would not submit quietly. to
to tie him handand foot and thus compel
him to yield before leaving the stable yard.
1t was said that the Captain cautioned his
guards 10 carry out his orders to the letter.
0verman claimed to have lain on the wet
ground for two hours and half unprotected
from the inclemency of the weather and
during that time he had two chills.
When the time arrived for him to return
to the guard house Overman was taken there
with the others Since that time he has
been tried by court martial, found guilty of
various offences and sentenced to imprison-
ment for 30 days at hard labor in the guard
house and fined one months pay.
In commenting upon this incident a West
Point man says: 1--WE read about the cruel
perience here is almost as bad as that"
l found two members of the cavalry de-
tachment 20 which Overman belonged, who
say that the story is substantially correct,
and / also found a number of regular army
men on the post who confessed that they
did not know anything about it and had
not even heard of the incident.
Captain L. A. Craig, commanding the
cavalry department at West Point, how
ever, knows about the matter, and did not
hesitate TO tell me the circumstances of it.
Captain Craig is fine looking, mild man
nered man, about Sc years old.
Captain Craigs Detailed Statement.
With the consent of Colonel John w.
Wilson, Superintendent of the United
States Military Academy at West Point,
Captain Craig gave me the following de-
tailed statement of the Overman incident:
"On Tuesday last the detachment was
paid at about 10 o'clock A. NJ At about
noon received a message from nv quarters
from the first sergeant, O'Neill, stating that
two of the men had appeared at the bar
racks intoxicated and very disorderly. One
Of these men, William Reilly, had hereto
fore been an excellent soldier of two or
more years service. The other was An
drew Overman, who, since his arrival at the
post last May, had misbehaved himself so
frequently as to be considered bad ele-
ment IL the detachment.
The first sergeant reported that he had
confined these men in the guard house and
asked me to confirm the order. I declined
TO do so and sent word to him to have the
men brought over to the cavalry stables,
where I would see them later. About 2
o'clock in the afternoon met the first ser
geaat at the stables, and he reported that
he considered the men too drunk to bring
them there. directed him to bring them
over anyhow, using II necessary the COM
pany wagon.
For the next hour was engaged in the |
riding hal, but at 3 o'clock went into the
stable yard. There found Private Reilly |
doing certain work about the yard allotted |
to him, but Private Overman was lying on
the ground, apparently considerably under |
the influence OF liquor, but not so much SO |
as to be unable to recognize me and call me |
by name.
Struggle With the Guards.
.T asked the se,oeant of +be s+ohl. ,v,e-d |
vbv 0vsrn,an US not $500 r;.S Uso sha
other nrisoner The serossnt renl;aJ +hat
he would not get mn. 7 told him To turn
the man over on his back, but Overman |
struggled with the sergeant and other men, |
bers of the guard SO viciously that they |
could sI no not keep him on his back.
Il had to attend to the riding hall, and |
in going away told the sergeant to make |
Overman stay on his back until he was will |
ing to stand on his feet and to enforce this |
order, if he resisted, even if it were neces-
sary to tie him. When returned from the /
riding hall at O'Clock the sergeant stated |
that he had been unable to control Overman
In any way or to prevent his leaving the |
other men and running into the stables, |