Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-28

superior oflIcers and participated in by y1ur
regimentni surgeons,is crime only paral eled
round sum Ia at tho disposal of any Pennsyl-
vania lawyer who will undertake TO bring you
TO Justice. Believe me, there are many men n
THIS city, not only humble citizens like myself,
but military mon ~ well, who are willing TO
loosen their purse strings that such a monu-
mental crime may not go unpunshed.
Mr.. Burgoyne speaking of the matter,
said: when | came down To breakfast
this morning picked up a newspaper and
read of the cowardly outrage perpetrated
by Lieutenant-Colonel Streator on the
young man, Thomas Iams, of Company X,
Tenth Regiment, because he had called for
three cheers for the man who shot Mr..
Frick. That Streator should order Iams
to be strung up by the thumbs for 20
minutes until he became unconscious and
then have his head shaved and drum himl
out of camp IS an outrage of the blackesth
kind. have nothing whatever to sayI
about the shooting Of Mr.. Prick. No man
hus a right 10 shoot another except in such 1
cases as the law gives him the right to do I
so, and at the same time no man, be hel
soldier or private citizen, has u right to bel
condemned and punished without trial. !
"Iieutenant-colonel Streator was at thef
head of IA regiment to prevent n mob Yio-i
| lating the law. Streator and the officers
who countenanCcd the punishment Of
1ams without trial acted like mob
| themselves. They took the law into their
| own hands. There is no precedent that
| know of for such action. Under all Cir
| cumstances a court-martial should have
| been held, and then, no matter what
punishment was inflicted, 1t would be
| after the accused had had trial. l left
my home with breakfast was so worked
| up at the outrage. believe that Lieutenant
| colonel Streator should be punished, and
| that he will be. and what | have said |
| will stick to-"
MIR. Burgoyne is an American by birth
and served with a Pennsylvania regiment
i'll the late war.
JAMS MAY SEEK REDRESS.
| HOMESTEAD, July 26,-'rhe lams case
| threatens to become national, Homestead
| people talked of nothing else Even the
return OF Hugh ODonnel after his release
| from prison was sIhordinated by it. Let
tiers and kilograms denouncing the treat
nient of the young man have been re-
| ceived III Homestead. in pittsburg and by
the governor of Pennsylvania. One of the
protests to Governor Pattison was from
| the Washington correspondents of Penn
| sylvania, asking for the removal of Lieu
| tennnt-colonel StreatOr, who ordered the
| punishment to Iams. When Colonel
StreatOr was told this tonight he said IL
these correspondents came over TO his camp
and made any such reasonable remarks
|
them in the same way he had treated lams.
had FEELING IN THE GUARD.
Young Iams threatens to bring suit
against Colonel Streator and Major general
| Snowden, but this is by no means the
most serious 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, to which Ians belonged,
Will have to be dsbanded, because its men
do not intend TO re-enlist after therpre
terms of enlistment have expired, Several
Tenth Regiment men made this statement.
They say lams was not popular, but that
they wish to show their disapproval of his
punishment by leaving the militia
| Officers of the troops almost generally
approve Colonel Streator's action. Colonel
Case, of the Fourth Regiment, told his
men that if any of them INDUCED in any
iubilation over Bergman's crime he would
treat them the same way. But II Colonel
Case had heard the expressions of some Of
his soldiers he would have discovered that
they did not share his opinion in approx
ing the Illuminating punishment accorded
Private lams. They condemned Iams' re.
mark, but they thought his punishment
brutal and outrageous. Officers of lams'
regiment, the Tenth We're seemingly a
unit in uphoding Colonel Streator. They
grew 1ealeu III tlltlT concentration oil the
; disgraced private and Landed their com
mander for his action. If many of the
officers think lams was treated harshly
they failed to say so. A few of them how
ever made comments not flattering to
Colonel Streator's action.
THE YOUNG VICTIMS STORY.
} MIR. Iams, the disgraced man. came 10
Homestead yesterday from Pittsburg
, where he spent the night, He was look
ing for Colonel Streator He crossed tho
river to the camp of the Tenth and was
told that Colonel Streutor had creased tc
l the other side Tams went back, but did
, to Pittsburg Before leaving Homestead
he told this story. He said he was only Il
! | wears old, and came from one of the hes
I families in Pennsylvania. His home wa.
in Waynesburg. hut he was temporarily
residing in Allegheny, and his occupation
Cincinnati firm. II was lying in front Of
Colonel Streator's tent Saturday after
noon" said Iams, when the news can't
a that Prick had been shot. ! shouted out
'liurrah for the man that shot him. in
! thoughtless manner soon after Colonc
: Streator mustered the regiment ans
asked who shouted. | stepped forward
2 and Colonel Streator asked no t,
make retraction. lie asked in such 81
/ insOlcnt wag that | refused to rctract
Then ] was taken to the guard-house
y where Colonel StreGtor again asked me I,
y retrart. ! again refused, and he ordered
. me TO be strung IN by my thumbs. / wa
. hanging there IS minutes. Every fey
= minutes Col. Streator or some other office
y asked il | had enough. / refused t.
apologize, but did not make any uncom
u pimentary remarks about Colone
Z, Streator. At the end of % minutes,
= tainted and they took me down. ] wa
" left in the guard-house all night and a
daybreak barber shaved off part of m,
y hair and moustache. Then was given al
e old pair of trousers, an undershirt and
. drummed out of camp" Mr.. Iams sal
u hn did not like Frick but that he would hav
IL retracted what he said had he been aske,
!, 10 do so in gentlemanly manner.
y Mr.. Iams is an American citizen an
y proposes to take civil action to have thi
u outrage riGhted. He added: Nearly al
Z the men and many of the officers sympa
thize with me. While was in the guard
e house some of the officers sent me bee
u and lunch. The boys of my own com
:, pany sent more beer and an offer of finan
:, cial assistance in prosecuting Streator."
"a The most interesting question i'll tn
W case is whether corporal punishment CO
~ be inflicted on soldier in militia cam
" under any circumstances, even when MAJ
- tial law is in force, and whether a ser
~, tence such as that passed on Iams conld 3
~, 10 legally executed without the Formally 9
n a court-martial for it is certain that ii
VI court-martial was held, it was not regular
for Iams was not brought before it, an
had no chance to make defence.
NJ General Snowden was asked by the n
~ porter whether court-martial had bee
al held. He said that his understanding wa
" that Iams had been convicted by such