The morning call., 1894-06-09
SCORES IN PERIL.
First Infantrymen Under
Investigation.
Adiutant- General Allen Orders an
Inquiry Into the Shell Mound
Competition.

The adjutant- generals Office up at Sac-
ramento is astir over the First Infantry's
violation Of the ammunition law az the
Shell Mound rifle range last Sunday.
Brigadier-General Allen, the chief Of that
department. has referred the matter to
the nspeetor-general, and a board of Off
GERS is being selected TO inquire into the
alleged misconduct of Colonel Sulllvan's
mllttiameD.
The affair, an account of which was pub
lished in The CALL on Monday last. is the
first of the kind which has ever engaged
the attention of the Sacramento officials,
and promises developments which will
very probably revolutionize in measure
the system which now governs the State
rife com petitions of the National Guard o f
California.
Information from the capital is to the
effect that General Allen is not disposed 70
permit any violation of his regulations,
and the generals well-kDown interest in
the development of the rifle firing science
among the State soldiers makes it danger
ously probable that he will sift the present
matter thoroughly. Certain it is that the
acknowledgement proposes TO lose 40 time
in commencing an inquiry. and ii also ap-
pears that the affair is sufficiently import
ant 10 require a rather uncomfortable
secrecy.
Nothing in the way of information about
the intended investigation has been re-
ceived at the Office of General Dickinson
who commands the brigade OF which the
First Regiment of Infantry is part. Nor
has anything in the form of official an
nouncement reached the headquarters OF
Colonel Sullivan. This state of affairs has
little that is comforting in it, for through
out the regiment the apprehension has, il
anything, been increased by the scarcity
Of certain knowledge of the matter. An
official inquiry Is generally understood TO
be in store, but nothing further is known.
In the event of results showing 4 viola
ton of the law the scores Of the First In
fantry will have to be Cancelled, and pos
sIbly the several companies of the regiment
may be then permitted to fire other scores
with the ammunition Oruered to be used
by the adjutanl-gener8l. Whatever other
measures may be taken will largely depend
upon the recommendations of the iHyesti-
eating officers, but the opinion has been
expressed by militiameD who profess TO
know about such things, that some court
martialing in high circles may result.
The companies under investigation are:
A. commanded by Captain Marshall; b,
Captain Irving; c, Captain Woodruff; ID,
Captain Baker; Z, CAPTAIN Mango; G,
Captain Subtitle, and II, Captain Eisen.
The law said TO have been violated was
embodied in General Orders and from
the acknowledgement at Sacramento. The
first of these was issued on May 10, and
among other things contained an an
nouncement of the date for beginning the
semi-annual target practice. In a para
graph by Itself the adjutant-geueral or
dered that "Only such ammunition as Is
furnished by the State will be used. Car
tridges have been sent TO the different
commands" In Order of May 90 some
corrections were made and details added,
but again the ammunition paragraph APP
peaTed the same.
On the morning Of the shoot every COM
Dany commander was supplied with suffi-
cient State ammunition to allow each man
ten cartridges. This was done through
the Ordnance Department of the First In
fantry under the supervision of Rife Prac-
tice Inspector Barrere.