The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-16
ARMY OFFICER ARRESTED
Captain ,Armes Alleged to Have In
suited the General Commanding.
SEIZED BY SCHOFIELD'S ORDERS.

The Accused Man Wrote a Letter to the
Lieutenant-General Commanding the
United States Army Which Was
Deemed Observation-Disclosures by
File Of Soldiers.
Captain George A. Armes, United States
Army, retired, better known as "Major"
Armes. was arrested at his home, Armesleigh
Park, on the Chevy Chase road, District OF
Columbia. at o'clock p. m, by Lieutenant
Albert 8. Comings. Adjutant o. the Fourth
Artillery, and. file Of soldiers. and confined
in the Washington barracks The order for
his arrest was signed by Assistant Adjutant-
General Vincent, "by order OF the acting
Secretary Of War" Lieutenant-General
John NJ. schofeld was the acting Secretary
OF War. Merely as commanding officer OF
the army he would not have authority to
order the arrest.
There has been n personal quarrel OF TWEEN.
ty-fve years standing between General
Scho1eld and Iajor Armes. General Scho-
field WAS at the time Of the arrest on the eve
of his retirement, and 1t was the last day but
one on which he could exercise any author
ity whatever over Major Armes.
Smarting under injustice which. as he pro-
fesses to believe, General Scho6eld had done
him. Major Armes visited the War Depart
ment unaware that General Schofeld was
acting Secretary Of War. and requested an
interview with General Schofeld, which was
refused.
Then he sent letter In by messenger and
went home. Part OF the letter Is as follows:
HGeneral John NJ. Schofeld. q. 8. A.
.'Sir: Before you are retired from active
duty thought would call your attention
to the injustice, wrongs and prosecutions
YOU have inflicted upon me during the years
is69-"70 and up to the present time. AS to
my knowledge have given you no cause,
would like to have An explana.
tton as to your grounds for
Afteramy retirement you caused a court to
be selected, and tried to ruin and disgrace
me. You also issued an order. and was
published as person whose sanity was ques-
toned, but after the mischief was done you
stopped the investigation without any
request upon my part that you should
do so. Common justice on the part OF su-
perior officer, the manly instincts OF gen.
tleman when shown that he Is mistaken,
should cause you to apologize and show a
disposition to amend the wrongs, as far as
pOS3lDlo, WHICH, yOu udNO III oO LioAy JSo@o
heaped upon me. Respectfully, etc..
"GEoRGE A. ARMIES
Major Armies was sitting in his parlor after
dinner, when Lieutenant Comings, accom-
panied by Second Lieutenant Gordan
Heiner, appeared In the doorway with file
of soldiers and read the order OF arrest.
Major Armes attempted to resist arrest, but
finally requested few minutes to prepare
himself, and then accompanied the officers
to the arsenal In an ambulance which had
been provided.
Lleutenant-General schoheld, when seen
said:
"Captain Armes has been endeayoring to
secure a brevet to which he thought himself
entitled for his participation in certain In
dian fight good many years ago. 1t was
all without avail. however, and have recon.
mended to the Secretary Of War that the
brevet rank of Colonel, which
was desired by Captain Armes, be
not conferred upon him. Captain Armes
had evidently been made acquainted with
this action in his case, and he presented
lust before I was leaving, and sent In his
card. sent out word that did not care to
see him. He tried to force his way into the
office past my messenger, and failing that, he
left a letter for me which was abusive and
threatening. The letter was OF such char
acter, in fact, that 1t was absolutely neces-
sary that discipline should be enforced. Un-
fortunately, as 1t happened, was Acting
Secretary OF War. Secretary Lamont had
been called away and the Assistant Secretary
was absent. Under the regulations therefore,
the duties OF Secretary developed upon me.
The Commanding General Of the Army
has no authority over retired officers,
and If Secretary Lamont had been here
I should have simply sent the papers up to
him to take such action as he might deem
proper and necessary. As 1t was, there was
nothing for me to do but to take immed' ate
action, and ordered Captain Armes's arrest
and confinement in the guar1 house."
Captain Armes has been in trouble during
nearly his whole career in the Army. He
has been courtmartialed several times for
insubordination. In January, 1868, Armes
was tried for his conduct In the Department
of the Missouri, and was acquitted. Six
months later he was reprimanded by an
other court martial, and a third dismissed
him from the army in 1870 for con-
duct unbecoming an officer. and a
gentleman. he was restored by a special
act of Congress. He was again tried and
dismissed, but President Hayes committed
his sentence to suspension for one year.
While serving his sentence Armes was again
put on trial for disobedience and again dis
missed from the Army, but President Gar
field committed this sentence to suspension
for six months. He was retired In 1883. In
1889 he pulled Governor Beavers nose In the
Riggs House, and Schofeld had him court
martialed. He was sentenced to five years
IMPRISONMENT in the city of Washington.
within a flfty-mlle limit. He served two
years and the sentence was remitted.