Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-26
TALK OF THE CITY
The Punishment of Private
iams
sTIRs UP ALL HOMESTEAD
To the Exclusion Of Every Other Subject.
How and fos What lie Was
Humiliated.

HOMESTEAD. July 2&.-An indirect
result Of the shooting of Mr.. Frick
gave Homestead it, one existing topic
today. II was the cass Of w. l.. lame.
the private of Company X, Tent regi-
ment, who shouted: "Hurrah for the
man who did IL" when told OF the act
OF Bsrkman. and ~ punishment. was
strung up by bic thumbs, had one side
of his head and half his moustache
shaved, and WAS drummed out OF
camp. In addition to this disgrace
the sentence carries with it dishonor-
able discharge from the National guard
and denial Of the right 70 enlist In the
federal army and the rights Of citizen
ship.
The Iams case threatens 70 become
national. Homestead people talk OF
nothing else. Even the return of Hugh
O'Donnell after MS release from PRISON
was subordinated by it. Letters and
telegrams denouncing the treatment OF
| the young man have been received IN
Homestead, in Pittsburgh and by the
governor OF Pennsylvania.
Streator Justtff~s IL.
One of the protests to Governor Pat
tison was from Washington correspon-
dents of Pennsylvania, asking for the
removal of Lieutenant Colonel StreatOr
who ordered the punishment OF lams.
When Colonel StreatOr was told OF this
tonight, he said ii these correspondents
came over 70 his camp and made any
such reasonable remarks as those made
By lame, he would be treated IN the
way lama was treated. Young lams
threatens TO bring suit against Colonel
Streatcr and Major General Snowden,
but this is by no means the most SER
| ious aspect Of the case If reports be
true. 1t has caused much feeling in
the National guard, particularly among
the rank and file. and members OF the
Tenth regiment are authority for the
statement that Company X, 10 which
Iams belonged. will have TO be
disbanded because its men
do not intend to re-enlist after
their present terms of enlistment.
Several Tenth regiment men made this
statement 70 . United Press reporter
tonight. They cay Iams 10 not pOpular
but they wish TO snow their disapproval
Of his punishment by leaving the mill
ua.
Hts Acslon Approved.
Officers Of the troops almost gen.
orally approve Colonel Strestor's &C.
ton. Colonel Case of the Fourth regi-
ment told his men that If any of them
indulged IN any jubilation over Berk.
| mAnn's crime he would treat them the
| same way. But If Colonel Case had
heard the expressions OF some of his
| soldiers he would have discovered that
they did not share hrs opinion
in approving tho humiliating pun.
ishLient accorded Private Iams
They condemned Iams' remark, but
they thought his treatment brutal and
outrageous. Members OF the Tenth
were seemingly . unit in upholdine
Colonel StreatOr-grew heated in theiI
condemnation OF the disgi aced private
and iauded their commander for hi.
action. II many OF the officers think
lams Was treated harshly, they failed
to say co.. A few of them, however
made comments not flattering to Colo
mel Streator's action.
Iams Goes TO PistsburR.
Iams, the disgraced man, came tc
Homestead today from Pittsburg, w here
| hV oRChs sAAV utSnss AAO WoS AOOAiu
for Colonel Streator. He crossed thu
river to the other side. lama came
back, but did not find the colonel. He
then went back to Pittsburg. The mos
interesting feature Of the case il
whether corporal punishment can h
inflicted on . soldier in q militia caMI
under any circumstances, even wher
martial law 10 in force, and whether q
sentence such as that passed on Iami
could be executed without the formal
ity of court martial. for it is certain
that IL court martial was held it wa
not regular because Iams was no
brought before it and had no chance K
make . defense. General Snowder
WAS asked by . reporter whether q
court martial had been held. He saiC
that his understanding WAS that lam
had been convicted by such tribunal
He would not express an opinion as Il
the justness OF the punishment. Iha
Was . matter. be said, in Colonel Streat
or's jurisdiction. Colonel Hawkins
the provisional brigsdier, contendet
! that no court martial WAS held be
cause lams had acknowledged hi
guilt.