The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-10
CORPORAL NEW BUSTED"
He Testified Against Captain Lover
ing and Was Reduced to Ranks.

CHICAGO, Nov. 9.-Clarence New, until
within a week corporal of Company G.,
Fourth Infantry, u. S. A, stationed at Fort
Sheridan, has been busted" His comrades
were told this yesterday in the post bull
letin. The expression busted is a slang
word which has a world of meaning in
army parlance. 1t signifies the reduction of
a noncommissioned officer to the ranks
without explanation. That was the fate of
Corporal New, one of the strongest wit
nesses against Captain Lowering in the re-
cent court of inquiry. No charges of any
kind were preferred against New. he had
no hearing before a summary court or
court-martial; he was simply Informed
that he was unsatisfactory
The private soldiers openly charge that
New is the first victim among the witnesses
who dared to tell what they saw and heard
on the Gay that Captain Lowering had Pri-
vate Hammond dragged by his feet and
kicked and stabbed the man while he was
unable to defend himself.
Colonel Hall yesterday refused to be in
terviewed on the subject Captain Edward
II. Browne, of Company @, also declined to
divulge the reasons for News reduction.
Captain Browne intimated that 1t was no
body's business; that it was "impossi-
bility' for civilians to have any apprecia-
ton of army methods, especially when it
came to a matter of discipline
Ex-Corporal New is the soldier who was
ordered by Captain Lowering to take charge
of the prisoner from the guardhouse to the
courtroom. in testifying before the court
of inquiry he said that he had seen the
captain kick and prod Hammond. Con-
tinuing, he said that when they had got the
prisoner into the courtroom and the rope
was taken off Hammond began to cry, say
fr,rr thn% he ha1 hoo lit cd nr,A fob gNAG
Hammond had shown him the marks after
he had taken him back to the guardhouSe
One of the marks in the leg where Ham,
mond had been prodded was at least a
quarter of an inch deep. Here is where
New earned the undying enmity of the CO.
terie of officers who so stanchly uphold the
conduct of Lowering. These questions were
put by members of the court:
Colonel Snyder-Do you think such force
New-Well, could not say as to that. It
was necessary to get him into court.
Colonel Carroll-If you, had an order to
get him into court, and he had lain down,
what means would you have adopted to get
him into court?
New-Well. would have got cart or lit
ter. l would by no means have dragged
hill in a time of peace.
At this answer the members of the court
smiled broadly. When he remarked that
instead of dragging Hammond, he would
have secured a cart or litter to take the
rebellious prisoner to court, he cast d.
rect reflection on the acts of his superior
officer, Captain Lowering, and this is I'M
pardonable in army circles.
Clarence New has served six years and
six months i'm the United States army. For
five years he was a soldier in Battery G,
Second Artillery, stationed at Fort Adams
There was not blot On his record all this
time. He was model soldier. AT the .ex-
piration of his five years enrolment he re-
enlisted, and for eighteen months has been
stationed at Fort Sheridan.
New is a stalwart American, with just
enough Celtic blood in him TO give him
courage to fight a whole regiment when in
the right. He has little to say about his
degradation, but his felow-sodiers assert
that he is one of the most popular men in
the company and possesses their unbound
ed respect and confidence.