Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-09
STILL MORE CHARGES,
The Davenport Inquiry Raises a Num-
her of Outside Questions.

The fun is now on full head in the Daven-
port case and there is no telling where the
matter will finally end. There have been
ordinations and recriminations during the
week that the court has been in session.
and enough has been developed to show
that during her cruise around Samoa all
was not as pleasant as it might have been
on board the Nipsic and that the officers
did not constitute altogether a happy fam
lily. Several of the officers have admitted
that their feelings toward the applicant,
Lieut.. Davenport, were not the kindest, and
row young Washingtonian has appeared
in print to make charges against Lieut.
Purcell, who made charges against Lieut..
Davenport This young man was an ap-
prentice on board the Nipsic at the time of
the Samoan disaster and states that while
Lieut.. Davenport was a strict disciplinarian
he enforced discipline upon officers as well
as men. He claims that Lieut.. Purcell
himself was guilty of conduct not becoming
an officer and that it was only through the
efforts of his brother officers he was saved
from a Court-martial.
And so it goes; it is like dropping a stone
in still water; it Stirs up all sorts of trou-
BILE and one ring follows upon another
where before all was smooth and undIs-
turbed. There is considerable regret among
raval men that the case was ever brought
out in any such public manner as a court
of inquiry. They would rather that the
whole matter might have been left alone or
settled ''out of court" on the principle of
cleansing soiled liner in the privacy of
home.
Yesterdays Testimony.
Yesterday afternoon Lieut. P G. FIJI
ette, who was in charge of the marine guard
of the Nipsic on shore at the time of the
beaching of the vessel was called He was
at the American consulate when he first
saw Lieut.. Davenport, not having seen that
gentleman swim ashore. 1t was some little
time after the ship stranded that Lieut..
Davenport walked into the consulate, clad.
as the witness recollected. in a suit of
pa1amaS though on croSs-examinationW Wit
ness was not sure whether or not II might
have been a night shirt, which was after
ward exchanged for a pair of overalls
Lieut.. Filette had heard the stories circu-
lated on the beach concerning Lieut.. Daven-
ports conduct, but could not of his own
knowledge testify that Davenport had swan
ashore. He also heard some one saw that
the reason the applicant swan ashore so
soon after the Bleaching of the shin was
that he wanted to be on hand to write an
intelligent report of the proceedings
Yesterday a considerable portion of Lieut.
Davenport's lengthy written statement to
the Secretary of the Navy was read over to
Ensign Jones, who was officer of the deck
at the time of the beaching of the Nipsic
Mr.. Jones took exception to a number OF
Mr.. Davenport's statements, and failed to
recall several of the Incidents referred to
1t took the entire morning today to read
over the records of yesterdays sessions. and
at 1910 o'clock the court took recess
until l o'clock, when Admiral Kimberly
was called to testify as to the reports that
were made TO him of the incideats of the
disaster.