The morning times., 1896-03-14
IS NUTS FOR ARMY POSTS
Lieut.. Lang's Case Causing Lois
of G3ssip.
HE MAY NOW BE RE lIRED
Married the Daughter of an Enlisted
Man on the Day of His Graduation -
Claim Made That He and His wife
Were Socially Ostracized-Why He
Is to BE Retired.

tits learned at the War Department that
the order directing Second Lieut.. Clarence
p. Lang, of the Army, whose brief military
career has been so full of sensation, TO
appear before Il retiring board, was the
result OF reports made by medical Officers,
who have had Lieut.. Lang under obserYa-
ton for some time.
IT is also learned at the department
that Lieut.. Lang voluntarily applied for
retirement soon after graduation. and
that the application was not approved, be
cause his Army service was considered too
short TO allow him the benefit of the re-
tirement law.
According TO statements made by Army
Officers. Lieut.. Lang has been i'll nearly
all the time since he was graduated from
West Point, in June, 1894. After his
application for retirement was refused he
asked for extended sick leave and this
was granted.
FAILED TO STAND SCRUTINY.
The Army regulations require that when
an officers sick leave expires he shall be
examined by a medical board TO deter
mine his physical condition. Lieut. Lang's
leave was qualified lay condition that
he should be under observation and the
result OF that scrutiny has been the order
directing him 10 appear before the board.
Inquiries have been made of Lieutenant
Lang at West Point and in the army, with
q view 10 aSccrtaining what his mental
condition has been for some time past.
Some OF his fellow cadets have said that
at the academy lac associated very little
with his classmates and seemed To care
nothing for their society.
Brother Officers of Lang also claim
that The social ostraciSm from which the
80 lid S,tfF
suit OF his marriage with the daughter Of
an enlisted man, has been voluntary with
Lieutenant :ng. He avoided all officers
and member, of their families, 1t Is said,
and did nut give them a chance 10 show
any friendly feeling.
WIVES PLAYED APART.
The complaint made that the wives OF
Officers did not visit Mrs. Lang at Fort
Warren. Mass, during her confinement, is
admitted To he true and II Is frankly
stated that the reason for this was the
presence in Lieutenant Langs quarters OF
CommiSSary Sergeant and Mrs. Klinger, the
father and mother OF Mrs. Lang, whom army
| society could not recognize socially while
! il was willing 10 accord recognition to
! Mrs. Lang the wife of an officer.
IL is also admitted that the transfer OF
Commissary Sergeant Klinger from West
| Point and the discharge from the Army OF
the enlisted soldier who was Lieut.. Lang's
] best man, were consequences of the heuten-
| ants ma rriag gc on the day of his graduation
| from the A Cademy.
The claim is made, however, that no IT
tempt AT persecution or intention TO dra W
! social lines was involved in this action, but
! that The transfer and the discharge were
! decided on simply because il was not CON
! sidered best To have Scrgt. Ehnger and
! the other enlisted man at West Point as
| constant reminders To the cadets or the
! elopcment of one of their number on his
| graduation day.
They would bc pointed out TO every
| pleb," said an Army officer, ''and the
| story of Lieut.. Lang's marriage would be
told over and over again. The influence
exerted through this gossip would not have
been good on crowd Of young boys"