The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-05
sCHoFIELD AND ARMIES.

About the last official act of Gen.
eral Schof1eid before retiring from the
army was to order the arrest of Ma
ior 1Arnes, famous as the man who
pulled Governor Beavers nose. Cen
eral Schofieled was acting as secretary
of war when he ordered ArmeS' arrest
AS commanding general OF the army
he could not have ordered the arrest
Of a. retired officer Now it has been
decided by the war department. to ap-
point a court-martial to try Armes.
Just before General Schofield's re-
tirement Major Armes addressed him a
letter, it bearing date of September q,
1895. His letter was scarcely such a
one as one gentleman would address
another unless he expected to be called
upon to explain it and perhaps offer
satisfaction for the same. Much less
was it such a letter as a retired officer
would be expected to address the COM
manding general of the army. 1t be-
gan with these words:
Sir: Before you are retired from ac-
tive duty 1 thought 1 would call your
attention to the injustice, wrongs and
prosecutions you have inflicted upon
me during the years 1869'70, and UP to
the present time.
Then follows a recital of the charges
that he had made against Lieutenant
Colonel A, D. Nelson in 1870, and how
Lieutenant Colonel Nelson's side of the
case had been sustained.
The letter ends as follows. and GER
tainly is insulting:
Lately 1 am informed you have Sc
cured the marks to affidavits of a few
negroes, who cannot read and write,
a lot of falsehoods and stuff,
that has a tendency to injure me with
those Who would be Influenced by
what you say or do, on account of
your position.
1 am a gentleman, and have always
conducted myself as such. 1 have
done my duty as a military man, as
the true records will prove, and any
charges that are on file tending to re-
feet discredit upon me are instigated
by personal enmity, or unfounded NAL
ice, and are unworthy of belief. Com
mon justice on the part OF a superior
officer, the manly instincts of a gentle
man when shown that ne is mistaken,
should cause you TO apologize and
show a disposition to amend the
as far as possible. which you
nave for SO many years heaped upon
me.
Perhaps the latest alleged grievance
that Major Armes has against General
Schofeld is the latter's refusal to rec
ommend him for the rank of brevet
lieutenant colonel because of his par
ticipation in an Indian fight some
years ago. When Armes' case came up
before him General Schofield gave it
careful consideration, but found moth
ing in the record warranting him in
him for the honor. At !
the earnest solicitation of Armes'
friends he reconsidered the matter, but
again found nothing to justify the rec
and consequently did not
make it,
In this same Indian fight on which
Armes based his claim for promotion
ne commanded a colored company.
The only officer who was with him
hen is dead, but General Schofield |
succeeded in locating some of the men
who were in the fight and had them
by commissioned officers
md their statements all agreed that
Armes really acted the part of a cow
lrd. This explains the accusations in !
he letter in reference to the affidavits |
negroes. On the other hand, Armes
claims that he has been unjustly treat
d by General Schofield ever since 1862
The court-martial will no doubt sift
he whole matter to the bottom. But
whatever verdict it may find, General
did the proper thing in or-t