Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-28
MAJ. ARMIES ARREST
He is Still in Confinement at Wash
ington Barracks.
WHAT GENERAL SCHOF[ELD SAYS
Will Take No Further Steps in
the Matter Himself.
A HABEAS CORPUS PETITION

Capt George A. Armes of the retired
list Of the army, well known in Washing
ton, Is under arrest and detained in off,
GERS quarters In the United States arsenal
He was arrested at his country home last
night Upon the order of Gen. Schofield, as
| acting secretay of war. Two officers from
| the barracks, Lieut.. Heiner and Lieut..
Cummins, presented the warrant to Capt.
| Armes, or Major" Armes, as he is better
Known, and escorted him in the ambulance
t. the arsenal, where he spent the night
in the quarters of the bachelor officers.
Cause of His Arrest.
| Yesterday afternoon Maj. Armes called
| at the War Department and requested an
| interview with Gen. Schofeld. The latter
declined to receive Maj. Armes, whereupon
the major sent him the following letter:
| SEPTEMBER %, 1895.
Gen. job NJ Schoiield, U. S. A.
| Sir: Before you retired from active
| auty thought would call your attention
u the injustice, wrongs and prosecutions
| you nave inflicted upon me during the
years ls69-tO, and up to the present time.
AS, to my knowledge, l have given you
no cause, L would like to have an explana-
| tion as to your grounds for making my life
EEL and trying to ruin me IN the way
you have.
The Endorsement upon the charges pre-
TERED against Lieut.. Col. A. d. Nelson, in
| Ao.o' uShouilciiiS me as a worthless char
| acter, &c, &c, was the first attack upon
nee. In addition to ignoring and failing to
| investigate the serious charges which l
then submitted, because 1 considered it my
| Quty 10 DO so, the next wrong was to Sc
| iect few characters from the army, call
II court, and approve of their sentence
| ol dismissal, you, as a judge, having Sc
:ected the jury. You sustained Col. Nelson
| IN not bringing Capt Graham to trial, and
| after L was dismissed for bringing these
| chdrses Col. Nelson found that Graham
would have to be tried, because of the
| great pressure of all the officers and others
| at Camp Supply, l. Z. Nelson, to save
himself, recommended Graham's trial
! upon the charges that l had submitted
long before was so unjustly dismissed,
| and he was net only cashiered but SEN
| fenced to the -penitentiary for a term of
| Years Since my retirement you caused
another court to be selected. and tried to
| rum and disgrace me- You also issued an
order. and l was published as a pers N
| whose sanity was questioned, but after the
mischlef was done you stopped the irVes-
tigaton without any request upon my part
| that you should do SO. Lately l am in
| formed you have secured the marks to aft
| daVits of a few negroes, VINO cannot read
/ and write. alleging lot of falsehoods and
| stuff that has a tendency to injure me
| with these who would be influenced by
what you say or do en- account of your
| position. 49,
am gentleman and have always con-
| Quoted myself as such. l have done my
| duty as a military man, the true rec
| ords Will prove, and any charges that
| On lille tending to reflect discredit upon
| are instigated by personal eumity, or un-
founded malice. and unworthy of be-
| lief. Common justice on the part of a SUI
| riCr officer, the manly instincts of gen.
| tleman when shown that he is mistaken,
| should cause you to apologize and show IL
| disposition to amend the wrongs, far as
| possible. which you have for many
1 years heaped upon me.
Respectfully, GEORGE A. ARMIES.
| Immediately
| Gen. Schofeld, proceeding upon authority
| vested in him acting secretary of war.
erected ire commandment OF the Washing
| ton barracks to cause Maj. Armes' arrest
| and hold him for the subsequent action of
| the Secretary OF War.
| What Gen. SchOfeld Says.
| Gen Schofield said to Star reporter this
| morning that he regretted exceedingly hav-
! ing been forced to take the action he did
yesterday In tn, of Major Armes, but
| being acting secretary of war at the time
he felt obliged to order his arrest solely in
| the interest of military discipline and with
out regard to personal considerations. If
he had not been acting secretary of war
he would have ignored the incident alto
gether. Gen. Schotield added that it was far
from his purpose to do al unkind act to
any one on the eve of his retirement, but
he was forced to do in the present in
| STAGE. He did not propose, however, to do
anything further in the premises, leaving
the case entirely in the hands of Secretary
| Lamont, who Will return to the city this
| evening tomorrcw The facts in the
case will be laid before the Secretary for his
action, but Gen. Schofield says he will make
no formal oh lrges against Major Ar,nes
He SAID he had always been friendly toward
the latter, and did not understand his en-
| nifty.
Gossip at the Department..
1t is said at the War Department that
| Major Armes will remain in confinement
until his case is disposed of by Secretary
Lamont, unless his release is ordered by
the civil courts on writ of habeas corpus
Any process of the civil courts in this case
| viii. be Immediately respected, and no at
tempt will be made to resist an order for
the release of the prisoner, in case it should
| issue.
Under the regulations of the army, the
| charges against Major Armes, if any are
made. must be filed within eight DAYS from
the time of his arrest, and he must be
| brought to trial within ten days from the
date of filing OF charges. In case no charges
| are made against him. and he is not
brought to trial. he must be released at the
expiration of thirty days after the ten-day
| limit for the trial, or at the expiration OF
forty days from the date On which he
should have been brought to trial.
In seine cases this mode Of punishment
| has been practced, the offender simply be-
ing confined for the forty-day limit without
trial. During this period the confinement
may be close CO limited" If limited"
the prisoner may be given the freedom of
| the post at which he is confined the city
adjacent to the post, even the state or
territory in which the post is located The
| conditions of the imprisoL ment are regulat-
ed by the Secretary of War.
No Charges Filed,
Up to the present time 70 Charges have
been filed against Maj. Armes, and Gen.
Schofield disclaims any such intention. The
| latter ordered Armes under arrest because
! of INSTRUMENTATION, and will simply refer
the Objectionable letter written to him to
| the Secretary of War, without recommen-
dalton or comment, leaving the latter en-
tirely free to act as he deems most ad-
visable under the circumstances.
Mnj. Armes' Explanation.
A Star reported called upon Maj Armes
at the barracks this morning, and found
him in very cheerful and calm frame of
mind. He did not seem at all worried over
his detention, although he regretted that
he had been dealt with in such a sum-
mary and, as he considered, uncalled for
manner.