The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-21
SOLDIER LIFE'S BIG SCANDAL
COURT MARTIAL OF CAPT. RoMEYN
FULL OF SENSATIONS.

Makes Ii Look As Though the Cap
tain's UncOmpIimentRry Remarks
About Lieut.. O'Brien's Wife Were
Due to His Anger over the Break
ing OF of the Engagement with
His Daughter The Ladies' of tho
Post to Be Put on the stand To-
day.
Atlanta, Ca. April 2o.-The court mar
tial for the trial of Capt Henry Romeyn
of the Fifth Infantry convened at Fort
MCPHERSON this morning, and has already
developed considerable of a sensational
nature in the case against him.
1t was decided that the sessions of the
court should be open, and there was quite
a large crowd OF officers and citizens pres
! ent in the ball room of the administration
building at the post when the hearing
began.
Eight or ten of the most prominent
ladies of the post have been summoned
as witnesses to tell about the gossip about
Mrs Lieut.. O'Brien, which was the direct
cause of the present trouble. None of
! these ladies were introduced to-day, how
ever, but win be placed on the stand to-
| morrow, when the prosecution will be
closed, according to the announcement of
Judge Advocate Carbaugh to-day.
Mrs. O'Brien. the lady who figures as
the principal in This gossip, and Miss
Romeyn, the daughter of the captain on
trial, are among the witnesses.
There are several charges against Capt.
| Romeyn, as stated in the official papers
read before the court to-day Stripped of
| their technical language the substance of
| the matter upon which these charges are
| founded is this: Last February, Capt.
| RomeYn is alleged to have stated to Capt.
| Randall, brother officer at the post, that
! DR. Taylor, one of the surgeons, had said
| that Mrs. O'Brien, the wife of Lieut..
| OBrien, was not a proper person from
| whom his daughter might accept an invi-
| tation to dine Also that Capt. Romeyn
| took it upon himself to come to Atlanta
| several weeks ago and to tell Stephen II.
Bennett, secretary of the Atlanta street
| railway, that he could not afford to con-
| tinue on terms of intimacy with Mrs.
| O'Brien if he expected to retain the esteem
and friendship of others at the post. He
| told Mr.. Bennett that he ought 10 abandon
a certain trip to Washington, which it was
| reported he expected to make in company
| with Mrs. OBrien Another thing the
captain is charged with telling Mr. Ben
nett was that the ladies at the post had
| ostracised Mrs. O'Brien and refused to
| have anything to do with her on account
| "A alleged,
Capt. Romeyn stated through a false and
malicious intent to injure the fair name
of the lady in question.
In addition he is accused of having vio-
/ lated the sixty-second article of war by
striking Lieut.. OBrien in the face while
! upon parade.
While these are in brief the official
charges against Capt. Romeyn, 1t seems
| that there are other sensational features
| in the case which will be brought out as
| collateral issues when the ladies are call
| ed to testify tomorrow.
| According to the story, Lieut.. Bamford
was engaged to marry the daughter of
! Capt Romeyn, but when Lieut.. OBrien
and his young wife appeared upon the
| scene, after his return from Japan, where
! he had been sent by the government to
| represent this country on the scene of ac-
| ton in the Japanese-Chinese war, Lieut..
| Bamford suddenly ceased to pay any at
tention to his fiancee and played the devo-
ted to Mrs O'Brien, who is a very fasci-
mating woman. This angered Capt
Romeyn and he took Lieut.. Bamford to
| task for his conduct. 1t is said that the
| Lieutenant thereupOn denied that he
was engaged to marry Miss Romeyn and
| a stormy interview ensued. which ended
| in Capt. Romeyn ordering him to get out
| of his house and never return to it again
| under any circumstances.
The friends of Lieut.. and Mrs. O'Brien
\ say that the breaking up of the match be-
! tween Miss Romeyn and Lieut.. Bamford
| was what caused the captain TO entertain
| a wholesome hatred for Mrs. O'Brien and
made him instrumental in trying to have
! the lieutenants pretty wife ostracsed at
the post
Capt. Romeyn entered plea Of not gull
| ty to all the charges and specifica-
tions, and will undertake to justify him
| self for his references to Mrs O'Brien and
In,
| suited him upon the parade ground
The witnesses examined to-day were
| Capt Randall, who stated that the con-
versation regarding Mrs. OBrien, had
passed between him and Capt Romeyn,
as set forth in the charges. Mr. Bennett,
| who also confirmed that part of the speci-
| fications in reference TO capt. Romeyn's
statements TO him. and Lieut.. OBrien.
When the latter was introduced, Capt.
| Romeyn asked that his testimony be re-
| fused on the ground that he was an athe-
| list, but the court refused to reject him,
| and he was permitted 20 describe how he
| had heard about the slanders OF his wife
| by Capt. Romeyn, how he demanded by
letter a retraction and apology and when
| this was refused how he publicly denounc-
ed Capt. Romeyn on the parade ground.
Capt. Romeyn conducted his defense In
person. cross-examining the witnesses, and
| when Lieut.. O'Brien was on the stand
there were several dramatic periods in
the proceedings. Lieut.. OBrien stated
! that he had never heard a breath against
his wife until IT came through the remarks
made by Capt. Romeyn From
! the testimony Of Mr. Bennett
| IL appeared that Capt. Romeyn was actua-
ted in his accusations against Mrs
| OBrien by the fact that she danced al
most constantly at a recent ball with
Lieut.. Bamford. and had also taken sew
eral buggy rides with him. Mr. Bennett
declared that he himself had never heard
| any adverse comment on Mrs. O'Brien ex-
cept that from Capt. Romeyn, though the
J latter tried hard to show him that she was
! being publicly ostracised in consequence
/ Of her alleged moral SHORTCOMINGS.
CANADIAN LIBERALS WIN.