The times., 1898-02-16
cARTER's LETTER READ
Private Papers Produced Before
the COurt-MartiaI.
COUNSEL'S PROTESTS IGNORED
A Soldier, tue Judge Advocate As
serts, Has No Civil Rights A rmy
Men Not Under the Protection Of
the Constitution-C -Correspondcnce
with Capt. Green Produced.

| ID
Savannah. Ga, Feb. 15.-E. +. Blair
| attorney for Capt. Garter, now on trial
1 here before court martial, made a
| strenuous effort to keep the private
| correspondence of his client from being
| considered as evidence before the court
! and failed. n
Judge Advocate Barr will succeed in
| placing before the members of the
court several letters that have passed
between Capt Carter and Capt. Green,
of New York, who is prominently con-
| nected with the Atlantic Contracting
Company. the corporation with which
Capt. Carter is alleged to have con-
spired to defraud the Government.
These are now in possession of the
Government.
When an effort was made today to
introduce the letters Mr. Blair called
a halt He said that this was an i'm
portant time and an important pro-
ceeding. The accused should protest
vigorously against the admission of
any of the papers. They were the pri-
vate papers OF Capt Carter. the record
OF his life since boyhood, title to them
was his absolutely and no man had a
right to deprive him of them. 1t was
upon this high ground that the objec-
ton to the seizure was based. He said
that Capt. Carter and Capt. Green were
former officers together and the letters
dealt with inquiries as to stone and
other personal matters
Men do not leave he said, "fncrim-
mating papers in such a manner as
these Tad been Ii might be shown
that Capt. Carter had money beyond
his salary, and if it was afterwards
shown how this money was obtained
there would be little cause in introduce
ing the letters.
Il hated the United States engineer
office" he said. when / saw the seal
of papers bearing upon the martial
felicities of the sister-in-iaw of the ac-
Gused broken by the Judge advocate,
When | saw this done / wondered
whether the flag of the United States
still fioated over me. or if / We're in
Russia"
The judge advocate replied to Mr..
Blair at some length. He declared
THAT the papers which he proposed
TO introduce were not private pap
ers. They were public documents, and
should have been copied in the office
records. and not In private copy books
n soldier he said does not enjoy
civil rights. When the army service
was entered civil rights We're put aside.
The Constitution of the United States
did not apply to the man in the service
of the army. a court martial is a
court of honor. and when a man comes
before q court of honor he should be
willing to bare his very soul for the in
spection Of the court.
The court retired and after delibera-
ton OF half an hour. decided to admit
the letters.
The first letter shown was signed ''B.
d. c. 1t was written at the Hoff-
man House. New York, in 1855
Col. George Gillespie. of the Corps
of Engineers, q. s. A, who was on the
stand, said the initials were hose of
B. ID. Green. The letter referred to a
big contract which was coming Ip from
Chile. which the writer said they were
sure to get.
The Chile contract is the chance Of
our lives said the letter. The Chile
BUSINESS is business"
The letter was filled with personal
references, and the judge advocate
seemed to think that it was important
evidence
An effort was made to read Capt.
Carter's reply to this. but his attorney
still objected The court retired for
q conference and when they returned
it was time for adjournment The last
objection was not sustained and other
letters Will be read tomorrow