Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-19
The SITUATION NOT CHANGED.
Reporters For Witnesses-The Charges
Against Captain Carter.

Nothing new has occurred In the FIRST
Regiment trouble since the court or In
quiry was asked for by Captain Ander-
son and several other officers. The papers
have not vet reached the Governor and 1t
IS not known whether or not colonel
Jones will unite in the request for the
court
The court-martlal ordered for last night
70 investigate the charges preferred
against Sergeants Mayfield and Poindex-
ter. of Company c. was by special orders
from headquarters, postponed until the
9th. This IS thought by some to imply
that the Colonel is Of the opinion that
the order OF Governor Cameron creating
such a court will be declared unconstltu-
tional, and that he feared the trial or the
two sergeants would necessarily prove IL
legal.
There IS talk in regimental circles OF
ordering several reporters to appear be-
fore a court to testify as TO where tney
have been securing the information that
has been published In the daily papers
This. according TO one OF the oiilcers'
who Is probably better posted In military
Jurisprudence than any other man In the
service in this State, Is all bosh. or
course II the court Is legally constituted
the newspaper llltH Nelii NC A'ANNA ~ -
near before it, but making them TESTIFY
to something that would naturally ope-
rate 10 the injury Of their business Is an
other thing, and there IS little likelihood
OF any such action being taken by the
powers that be.
CAVALRY NOT AT PEACE.
It seems that there Is some dissatsfac-
ton In the First Regiment OF Cavalry as
well as in the First Regiment or Infantry
and from what can be learned there
seems to be more behind the charges pre-
ferred against Captain Carter. OF the lien
rico Troop, than his mere failure 10 re-
port with his troop on the openlng-day
of the Exposition last fall. Captain Car
ter said to a Dispatch man yesterday that
IL charges have been preferred against
him they must have been prompted by
some personal animus or feeling. He says
that the time referred TO and one other
when he was too unwell to turn out with
his troop, are the only two occasions on
which he has ever been absent from MS
command when 1t was ordered out,
mounted or dismounted. for drill or pa
rade since its organization. The Dlspatch
is also reliably informed that the pro-
ceedngs of "A garrison cOurt-martial con-
yicting a sergeant OF DESERVING his post
while on duty were recently quashed on
n formal technlcallty, and no notice
thereafter taken Of the offence. and that
reports OF an offence of a serious nature
in comparison to those charged against
Captain Carter against an officer OF high
rank were brought TO the notice or the
Colonel, but they seem to have been al
together ignored by him.
Captain Carter thinks that such facts
as these, together with the fact that he
forwa rded TO the colonel commanding a
letter explaining the cause Of his absence.
together with his belief that nowhere in
the records OF the Virginia volunteer SER
vice can there be found another instance
OF charges being preferred against line
captain for failure to respond personally
in command of his troop. when his troop
was ordered to report for drill or parade.
Justify the presumption and feeling that
they must have been prompted by per-
sonal motive.