Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-26
H.AZING INVESTIGATION
Continuation of the Court of Inquiry at
the Navy Yard
Sailmaker FIunklin the Principal
Witness TOday-RepOrts Made to
Him by the Colored Gunners.

The second days sessions of the court
of inquiry that is being held at the navy
yard began at 10 o'clock this morning. 1t
is impossible to say how long the court
vii! continue. as the hearing yesterday de-
veloped the fact that all is not smooth
sailing in thu class of seancn gunners now
under instruction at the yard. The feeling
against the colored men in the class seems
to have been carried to very considerable
length and the testimony of the ensign in
charge of the class. given yesterday. was
to the effect that a determined effort was
being made by the white members of the
class to drive out the colored men. At the
time the hazing is said to have been COM
mitted there were three colored men under
instruction in the class in gunnery, Sea-
men Johnson. Thompson and Jackson. One
other has joined the class since, but his
name will probably not ngure to any eX-
tent in the present hearing.
After the opening of the court this morn
inG some little time was spent behind
closed doors in the usual prelminaries in
Guiding the reading of the record Of yester-
days session. When the doors were open
ed the taking of testimony was at once
resumed.
Sailmaker Frnnklin's Story.
The first witness called to testify was Sail
maker Franklin, who is on duty in connec-
ton with the class officer of the day. He
stated that early in the morning Of October
13 the colored man Johnson came to his
room and showed him a wound which had
just been INFLICTED on his head. In answer
to query from Franklin. Johnson stated
that he had no idea who his assailant was.
The wound above Johnson's eye was
severe one, but the witness said 1t was i'm
possible for him to surmise what sort of a
weapon was used to inf1ict 1t, other than
that it was evidently blunt one of some
sort. He at once sent Johnson to the doctor
ard then made personal inspection Of the
mems quarters. All were in their cots, and
there was no way of telling who had COM
mitted the assault.
Continuing. the witness said that on the
morning of November IL, about 1:3O o'clock
Thompson came to him and reported that
some one had emptied the contents of
cuspidore. sawdust, etc, into his bed and
locker but an investigation of this incident
also failed to disclose the identity of the
man who had committed the outrage.
The Liberty Book in Evidence.
The witness then identified the liberty
book of the night of October r. Ensign
Terhune, who is acting recorder of the
court, then placed this book in evidence as
showing what members of the class were
not in quarters that night. thus narrowing
down considerably the number Of men
among whom the guilty parties would
eventually be looked for. The same meth
cd of procedure was also followed out for
tNe night OF November TO-
ThompSons bed, continued Franklin, was
the only one reported as having been used.
Thompson was down for liberty that night,
but was reported in the liberty book as not
going. The witness said that he did not
personally know of any members of the
class being compelled to eat at separate
table from the others or of any attempt
being made to ostracise them. He had
never heard 1t as a common rumor in the
class that some of the members were being
hazed. Since he first heard of the NAL
treatment of some of the class he has re-
doubled his vigilance in the hope of fixing
upon some one the offender, but so far
his efforts have not met with any success
at ALL
In answer to a question by the court, the
witness stated that Seaman Thompson ac-
compan!ed johnson when the latter re-
ported that he had been struck, but he did
not say that any one had molested him, nor
did lie have anything to say with reference
to the assault upon Johnson.
1t was possible. continued the witness. for
men who are out on liberty to return before
Their time is up and to go to bed without
reporting Their return until the next day.
In other words, the records in the liberty
book might not prove absolutely that any
of the men on liberty were oueof quarters
at any particular time.
Mate Cleveland Knew Nothing.
Mate c. H. Cleveland. who Is associated
with the preceding witness in charge Of the
class now under investigation. was then
placed on the stand. He said that he had
emily been pei forming his .iuty since No
vember II, and while he had heard rumors
of trouble in the class. this trouble had &C.
cured before he was assigned to the duty
He was, therefore, excused from giving
further testimony.
At this point an adjournment was taken
until l o'clock. When the court rcas-
sembled Boatswain Cooper, who was the
third officer of the day at the seaman's
quarters, was put upon the stand and told
of the troubles among the men as he knew