Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-25
THE COLOR LINE
A Court of Inquiry Assemblies at tho
Navy Yard.
THE HA2lNG OF SEAMEN GUNNERS
Testimony of Commodore Howell
and Ensign Williams.
lE HAZlNG OF SEAMEN GUNNERS
WHAT THEY HAD HEARD

| oh,
| .sa.ss. - 80 i'.aue " '.ti M
reference 10 tne alleged maltreatment or
| hazing of certain members of the class of
| enlisted men under instruction in ordnance
at the ward
| MI, -, -
| of WHOM, arc onIors, ana - ;s auaaa, tha.
| the lives of the latter have of late been
| made anytb;ng hut n;o,s,nt h, ,hotr ,,h;.a
bratbran tbe,r oc.,ons ,ro,,,,,,s, on, 90 r.oo
| nreiudica T,y, of ,b.sa straan,s ., &c s.i,
| ,yars asL.5 70 leave ,ba oIas, ,n, 90 ,ha;r
| refusal tn do so uera ducLad in tho riv.r
| and treateI With otbor ind,er,i,,as
~ O
Interest in the Inquiry.
The detail of the court of inouirv is @.
fuo,,,. I,..,r,.,,,, u-.,,,., ,,.,
o---S' " a'A1 - 1s Ia w.
Lieut. Commander Richard Wainwright
| and Lieut. W. w. Kimball with Ensign
Warren T. Terhune as recorder Nome Of
.ho ,,.,,hou, &c ~. -. - , :.
~ -. -. w III US, e a.
the yaru ana they were an seiected because
OF thelr entlre uislnterestedness Inc
| meetings are held in the new court-martial
room IN the eastern portion' much more
has f.en ns"S !, raars @ nast for tha bo1dinn
| of courts-martial
The present court of inquiry is likely to
prove OF more in.erest tnan would seem
! he srou.i,g foaitng' Of rnna nrsind,co
among the enlisted men OF the navy and an
ellOTt IS 10 De Hldue 10 dSCeTldlH now SlTOuS
this feeling is and what can be done toward
graduating II.
The first witness before the court this
morning, after the customary proceedings
had been gone through, was Commodore
j. A howell, the commandant OF the YARD
Commodore Hoxrclrs Urfdcuce
cor,-,,,oro tIo,ou s,,,oa ho h.,, M mar
Noaiouo,e iio"e en SD a1su "s .Au nv pv
scnal knowledge OF Inc ailesed haZihg- Inc
matter was brought to his attention first
several weeks ago. when complaint was
p,sde tn him that n co,ored man naued
-, In - ., . $50. ~
NJ 'oIhs'h hau peei suueh anu CUT oi
the ft ad by fellow seaman on the night
| of October 13. An investigation was made
te,.st IT. "a not ther tbougbt that the
assault was ANYTHING more than a personal
affair. and not necessarily the result Of
any race 1eeiing. "A november oiher re,
tTsa -. y ~ ~ ,o,,1.is :. .,.,,.ar a, ,he
more s. rious. Thes. reports. which were
upde to Commodore Howell by the two
licuter, nts successiyeIy in cha rye of the
soamen's quarters, were forwarded to the
Secretary of the Navy and led to the hold
ing OF the present court
According to these reports Seamen john
son, Thompson and Jackson were the suf-
ferers from the hazinr nraeticas nerna
-, e -.
usieo os huIiipef VI lhe "ii'e Hhe.hoers
OF the class. In Johnsons case, spittoons
Nett eHiPliSh ilitO HIS Dcu 6Hu itShci, WullS
his name nIate was removed from .be class
board and destroyed, When complaints
were made the colored men were ostra-
cisel by The other seamen-yluners. and
they were subjected TO all manner of petty
annoyances Wafer was thrown upon them
from upper windows while tney were
walking through the yard. They We're
nSita ,,a,,:t.rs q, ~ 80 ~ on a,ha s.
ways humiliaied, The otficer in charge of
the seamens quarters reported that from
the investigation h. had made he was salts
Heo that deternlned euort Was Icing
rndue 10 Icrce inc coIored men OUT OF tue
Class.
EhsiEh " "hiiams lesimohS.
Ensign G. W. Williams now in charge Of
the ses mems class in .unnerv and of the
-. -, -. e -, -, ...,
qua eis' 'es.iiieu ',"' "e a''o hne" no'"-
ing personally OF the matter aithoush ne
had seen wound On the man jackson,
said to have been made by one or more of
his associates in the class He made two
repo1ts on the matter to his superior
cfficer one enumerating statements of
Seanen Jackson Johnson and Thompson
telling of the assaults and the threats
made against them and the other was a
memorandum to the commandant relating
to the sentiment of the white members Of
the class in regard to the matter The
sentiment of these men he said was on
posed to the practice of having classes of
white and colored men. They did not think
IL a good thing for the service TO nut coll
white men
He also stated in this memoran ndum TINT
from the spirit exhibited by the white men
If was evident that no Voluntary state
ments could lie received frcm them in re-
gard to these acts of hazing.
Watch Duty Established.
Continuing, Ensign Williams stated that
about twenty members of the class had de-
MED having participated in the hazing. In
his work with the class, Mr. Williams said
he is assisted by boatswain and two sail
makers as officers of the day. Gunner Kill
martin is the instructor of the class and
has been on duty in that capacity for sew
eral months Between 4 80 d M and S am
they as officers of the day. have what op-
tions of the men in quarters. In the day.
I'm t ee az ,h da N se shops s ,,d
with q room Intervening bet ween his sIeep
ing quarters and those of the class. About
the time MI Williams TOOK charge watch
DUTY was instituted, by whlch -FOUR mem-
ha a a he TINA