The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-02

SNehko ~ 4ACuts
oBrien approved of these excursions. 1t was
no who suggested that Bamford got a tandem.
He put up lunches for the Lieutenant and Mrs.
OBricn and frequently started them of to-
gether.
Bamford began to grow less attentive to Miss
Romeyn. Then Miss Romeyn grew Ill, and soon
the entire post, notably the women, began to
take sides as to Lieut.. Bamford's conduct. Elk.
citing episodes now came fast. Miss Romeyn
senta note to Lieut.. Bamford asking him to call
at her house one afternoon. She reproached him
for his attention to Mrs. O'Brien and called in
her father. who denounced Bamford to his face,
declared the engagement broken. and ordered
Bamford out Of his house forever. Bamford
went. and that afternoon after dress parade de-
clared. in the presence Of the other officers. that
Romcyn had acted like a cur" Romeyn re-
sponded:
You have acted like a cur, SIR"
There the incident ended. On Feb. IL last
Mrs. O'Brien gave an elaborate dinner at the
post. The R~omeyn-Bamford quarrel interfered
somewhat with its success. Four persons sent
regrcts-two men and two women. The men
gave plausible excuses for not accepting the In.
t%hey pefus rde Y Ba%for made Ssd no b ses1s, az az t. e., why b
gagement with Miss Romeyn, and Mrs. O'Brien
had accepted his attentions openly. That was suf-
earnest between Miss Romcyn and Mrs. O'Brien.
On Feb. 10 there was a hop at the post. Lieut..
plitA dlu lie VII uhTCUtu HTQunu tne room
and were cut twice by Miss Romeyn. Other
women 81 me post found 1t convenient not to
fie5 a Al he h nrae urs.m nnr stiiI m othef 4, as they testi,
TO watch Mrs. OBrien and Lieut.. sanford. 1t
was noticed that they danced together almost
exclusively. The chief dance OF the night was
a german. and Mrs. O'Brien scandalized her
critics by selecting Lieut.. Bamford as her part.
ticed that when not dancing together they sat
together a good deal in semi-seclusion Gossip
at the post was seething by this time.
Just then n Young man named Iennatt N rail-
way official in Atlanta who had gone there a
year or two since from Baltimore: and had DO;
o'Brien had expressed a desire to go to Wash.
on March 4. Bennett had decided to attend the
inauguratiop, and also to make q visit to his old
O'Brien to Washington, and was In the railroad
ticket office in Atlanta looking after transpor.
t tSet M The 6! GRSR.; K Rom Sot anne a q, in ns and declared eel h;%
to associate with. and Furthermore, advised him
not Rome to Is e sdSIs,. Mia tniS T 3tBr1 Rn,a Bsn met o, took
reached III LeS n. 1:Bs!says s%ss; II aisSS lad had
a complete success, because Of the gossip about
her and Lieut.. Bamford.. Forthwith Lieut..
or 2Br rn nn sent ,n n9f IT, to sta Cant: Ro rsssr ID d len Mrs
oEBrien to Mr.. Bennett Romeyn replied re.
r resiaf tS sP oS 3 Mrs' o b thns act casting further
finished at the fort. The companies had been
custom. had gathered about tho commanding
officer; who on that day was Major Porter. Sud
denly aen LIsst; o,b ysar x xoIss isns G please. Your
Romoyn publicly. He has grievously injured
That was as far as o'Brien got. Romeyn, who
had been standing. apart from the Others, rushed
int9 s tas EF0SH'BR ri 81 G a Sioie;n Iai bIow h on t the r hsRa
side of the face, telling him to the ground.
S R"%sy Of 3 f hand witnesses Mas Closed Of 81 osic saes ssg e s ssy
open. AT any rate. OBrien was sent to the
ground 1nS , HE spfsS9E Up gsp' t Sas m the officers Msjsr f Psl,sl
ordered ,Romeyn under arrest at once, but re-
leased him after twenty minutes Of confinement,
martial. to ."place the two men on an equal
iootiDs;" His reply vas vague when questioned
The storm had broken. The commanding
General OF the department was notified Of the
knoeks;d low blow 10 ia and asn when !, ENC Cen y |; m Merritt r. nnq as
Island charges against Capt. ROmeyn; He sent
case. Col. Barr soon made his report. and at
once g court.martial was ordered. ostcnsiblE, to
t6 81 Hiapt and a'G 1e%Iy to S aoterSinsy whether II aeS Lieut.
Hamford had acted properly in breaking his en-
s sass%sat to yi = bro Miss d htRl%syn wi hsa f # p sSdpt!
martial was composed OF this detail:
Col. Francis J.. Guenther. Fourth artillery, Wsshing'
Fort Thomas, Ky; Major j, y. Myrick, Fifth ARTILLERY.
Fort wadsworth. y Y.iCapt; q; s, Roberts, Seven,
NHHII III ~ " - -as't
ray, Seventeenth Infantry. Fort BaIEancas. Fla, Capt.
W. Il, II. crowell. sixth Infantry Fort Thomas, Ky.
Capt. W. p. Rogers; seyenteenth Infantry. Golumhas'
Fla. Capt. q. r. Cotton. First Artillery. Fort BarraE.
cas-, fla; Capt. W. T.. Van Ness, First Artillery. Fort
Barrancas. Fla. Lieut.. II. c. Carbough, Fifth Artl-
ieTy, Fort Hamilton. y. y, JudSc'Advocate
The court began work at once It's sessions
were marked by scenes in most Of which Capt.
Romeyn, who was his own counsel, figured to
some disadvantages; Lieut., o.Brien Testified as
in his personal knowledge leading up to II. Mr..
bennett told OF Capt. liomcyl's criticisms OF
Mrs. O'Brien and the decision on Benefits part
not to escort her TO Washington. o,Brien also
| said that up TO a few days before the parade
ground incident he had meyer heard Of the Cos
| sip about Mrs. O'Brien and Lieut.. Bamford:
On the day of the opening OF the court Bam-
ford denied In an interview published In an At.
lanta newspaper that he had ever been engaged
to Miss Romeyn. He. told how Miss Romeyn
had summoned him to her home and how he had
been ordered out OF the house, although he was
there by invitation. ROmeyn replied 10 Bam-
ford's interview by another interview In which
he said:
| to my daughter, he lies"
Miss Romeyn was also extremely agitated
over Bamford's interview, and she took an At
1890 80 AgA AEaEuAA