The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-21
General Will Send it to JUDGE
This Day.
ERROR IN GIVING A LETTER
General Kings Response and Judge
Wilcox'S Retort Case of
General Greene.

More correspondence has passed be- /!
tween Gen. King and Judge Wilcox. !
The district commander received the
first note OF the magistrate Wednes-
day afternoon. Yesterday he adj
dressed TO him this note in reply:
Headquarters District of Hawaii.
Honolulu, H. l., Oct. 20, 1898.
Honorable w. Luther Wilcox, District
Magistrate.
Sir: l have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt of your letter dated
the 18th, but not delivered at my Of
fee until the afternoon of the 10th.
You admit that the report of your
language was in the main correct, but
assert that the statements were based
upon information you considered re-
liable, and regret having made the
same if the information was not cor
rect.
Accepting this assurance in all
courtesy and good faith. 1 desire TO
point out TO you that which was in
furious and untrue.
First-You say, Next day, when
complaints Were to be made, your COM
manding officer was sick abed and
could not be seen" So far from this
being true the commanding officer re-
ferred TO left his sick bed the next day,
went to his Office for the express pur-
pose of hearing complaints and spent
much OF the morning investigating the
matter, with the result that the pro-
vOst marshal, who was mainly at
fault, was promptly removed from the
office and sent back to his regiment.
Second-You say in the same con-
nectiOn Of the commanding officer,
was sick aned and could not be seen,
but gave a big dinner to friends that
evening ali the same" The command
ing officer attended no dinner what
ever that evening, but was i'll in bed
three days after concluding the inves-
tigation.
Third-You say, The officers We're
| whitewashed." That, too, is untrue.
| You were probably unaware that a
! mere district commander has no
| power to order a court martial for the
trial OF commissioned officers. 1t rests
with his superiOrs, TO whom a full re-
| port of the affair was made and whose
action in the case neither you nor |
| can yet know.
Merely reminding you that these as
4
| cial capacity, from the protection and
sanctity OF the bench, TO soldiers OF
my command and in the presence and
! hearing of the soldiers and civilians.
! / await with confidence that public re-
! traction and amend which is to be eX-
! pec-ed of a gentleman and a jurist.
! Very respectfully.
! CHARLES KING.
Brigadier General L. 5. V, Command
| ing.
In an afternoon paper, quoting the
above letter, Gen. King is made TO say:
The commanding officer rendered no
| dinner whatever that evening" while,
as the copy of the letter shows, he
really said The commanding officer
attended no dinner, ETC. AS a matter
! of fact Gen. King gave a dinner on the
| evening in question. He was too i'll
| however. TO be present and Col. Bar
Der officiated in his stead as host OF
the occasion. The error in reproduc-
ing the letter makes quite difference
Judge WilcoX's reply was as follows:
Honolulu, October %, 1898.
Charles King, Brigadier General L. S
V, Commanding.
Dear Sir: | have the honor to ac
knowledge the receipt of your com
municatiOn of this date, and beg u
notice the contents. In reply peImi
me to say that l have nothing TO ado
or retract from the communication
forwarded TO YOU, dated October is
1898. l have the honor TO be, your
very respectfully.
w. LUTHER WILCOX,
District Magistrate Of Honolulu.
An authority close to Gen. King ha
made a statement of facts which ar
not generally understood here. II ap
pears to be an established form tina
Brigadier Generals have not the powe
to convene courts martial for the tTia
of commissioned officers. This author
ity rests entirely with department
commanders, ranking major general
and the authorities above them. Tn
instance of Gen. Greene is cited as
case in point. He, having a full bri
gade and a fleet under his command
convened a court martial at sea. Tn
Adjutant General ruled all the pro
ceedings null and void for the reaso
that the Brigadisr had exceeded hi
authority.
II is understood from the sam
J., source that Gen. King, when appoint
ed district commander, in view Of Tn
isolated position of Honolulu. request
4 ed the authority TO handle all case
arising here. This request was denie
- in the case Of commissioned officer
The course left. then, was TO subm
charges and recommendations in sue
| matters. which was done, as Gen. Kin
"a now states, in the cases Of MerriaI
and Whealock in the martial law al
fair.
Gen. King will send another note I
Judge Wilcox. It viii be short, point
ed and Will not call for a reply. 1t wi
doubtless terminate the correspond
ence.