The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-27
n THE MILITARY COURTS
Obsrlin n. Carriers Sensational
Trial.
ONE OF A LARGE NUMBER
Ths Case Of Lisutsnaut Whittaker Who
Raised . Howl By C~rittcisang
the Little Big Horn
Disaster.

with the fate Of Oberiin NJ. Carter.
late captain of engineers In the Unit
ed States now In the hands Of Pres
| ident NcKinley-the court Of nnal re-
sort-the mind OF the public natural
ly turns to other trials of military
tribunals where officers Of rank have
been charged and convicted OF vari-
GUS military offenses. The number IL
not strikingiy large. yet the total at
hand shows how easy II Ii to get Into
mischief when the duties are not on
erous.
Carriers trial ranks easily with the
most sensational ever held In this or
any other country. The convicted CT
hcer finished his academic career with
the highest grade ever bestowed upon
q cadet lieutenant. He In of excellent
family. highly accomplished Inc con-
sidered one OF the most expert enxi-
neers in the service or out OF II for
that matter. He married great wealth
and through his own and wife's con-
nections acquired exceptional political
influence. But % of these good
things could restrain him when tempt
ed to defraud the government Ia the
operations in the south.
The trial lasted two months and was
most ably conducted on both sides 1t
il not denied that the Judge advocate
"a seriously handicapped by political
influence too strong for h admins
trat1on to ignore. But in spite OF all
| this a verdict of guilty on the charges
of diverting the public funds, conduct
unbecoming an officer and gentleman
and practical embezzlement, was found
against him Judge Advocate General
Lieber reviewed the case fully. He
was assailed by the same powerful in
nuences to disprove the findings. but
ruggedly refused and sent the docu-
| ments to the secretary of war with his
official Endorsement.
Then Secretary Alger was besieged.
but he too. in the light OF the facts
proved, was unable to interpose. He
sent the papers to the president. who
will hear the friends of the officer be-
his power to modify the sentence. dis
approve the findings and remand or
| pardon the convict-for hat Is what
he is-his sentence involving a term In
prison. II Is not likely Carter will
succeed In his efforts. But for the war
with Spain the case would have filled
the public eye. The scandals Uncover
ed have never had their equal or u
terpart in the history OF army OF
navy.
But Carter's case is but one Of a
large number which were sensational
and exciting to the public in their day.
one major general, m b~rigadier. one
commodore In the navy, several maj
ors and a number of captains have
l-~-A -. -~--r. .-A. 49, A.-tr
ming OF the revolutionary war. One
civilian, resigned from the army. was
under trial by a court OF inquiry In
Chicago for serious charges alleged
ar officer of the army. The civilian
substantially won his case, as the mat
ter resulted in findings which practi-
cally sustained his position. Frederick
Whitaker. a former lieutenant of cav-
airy n an author, was the man who
stirred up the army and whose trials
were passed upon here.
Whitaker had been In the service
as lieutenant of cavalry in the civil
war. He had the opportunity to re-
main. but devoted himself to a liter
airy life. 1t was his criticism on the
conduct of the campaign In the bad
lands resulting in the Little Big Horn
disaster n the death of Gen. Geo.
A. Custer that excited the country.
Whitaker boldly condemned the DASH
ing cavalryman, was harshly criticiz-
ed for his writings, a memorial to con-
gress was sent in and approved and
a court of inquiry ordered to assemble
in this city in 1879 to investigate. As
has been said, the court substantially
sustained Whitaker. But the matter
caused a woeful howl all owe the
land.
Almost the first military court ever
held under the flag OF the United
States was that which tried Maj. Gen.
Charles Lee of revolutionary fame. IL
that court had possessed all the pri-
vate papers of this officer, with his
proposals to the Howe brothers while
a prisoner of war, he would have join
ed Andre at the end OF a rope. But
1t was nearly 80 years afterward that
the true facts came out. Lee was a
soldier OF fortune, an Englishman,
who became an officer OF rank In the
American army while holding the COM
mission OF lieutenant colonel under
King George.
He was a truculent. insubordinate
and aggressive man. who was ambi-
tious to succeed Washington in SUI
preme command. He was second in
his grade when he began his services
and in the campaign about Princeton
and Trenton ~disobeyed orders. acted
Independently and m~isbehaved so that
IL failed. But IL was at Monmouth
that he met his Waterloo. He was Sec
ond in rank to Washington then. He
was ordered to attack Clinton. but re-
fused, and Lafayette was placed in
command. He asked for and received
the command again. but strangely in
disobedience to orders. withdrew his
division in d~isorderly retreat. WASH
ington rushed on the field. reprimand-
ed him severely and relieved him. He
was tried on charges Of disobedience
of orders. misbehavior In the front OF
perior officer. found guilty on all three
and suspended from rank anu pay for
one year. The sentence was pronounce
ed on June 2s. IT'S. The case was a
noted one at the time.
Benedict Arnold held the rank OF
~brigadier general when he was tried
by U martial on trivial charges.