The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-10-21
one MORE NOTE
General viii Send Il 10 Jude
This DAY.
e0aoR IN GIVING A LETTER
aaasaaa
General KINGS Response ana Judge
wllooss Retort Case OF
General Greene.

tween Gen. king aud Judge Wilcox.
The district commander received the
hrst note OF the magistrate wednes-
day afternoon. Yesterday he adj
dressed to him this note In reply.
Headquarters District OF Hawaii.
Honolulu, n. J., Oct. 20, 1898.
Honorable w. Luther Wilcox, District
Magistrate.
Sir: have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt OF your letter dated
the 18th. but not delivered at my Of
nee until the afternoon OF the 18th.
You admit that the report of your
language was In the main correct, but
assert that the statements wore based
upon Information you considered re-
liable, and regret having made the
same II the information was not cor
rect.
Accepting this assurance in all
courtesy and good faith, desire to
point out 10 you that which was in-
furious and untrue.
First-fou say, Next day, when
complaints were 70 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-iou say In the same con-
nection OF the commanding officer,
was sick abed and could not be seen.
but gave big dinner to friends that
evening all the same" The command
ing officer attended no dinner what
ever that evening, but was i'll in bed
three days after concluding the invss-
tigation.
Third-You ssy. THE officers were
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. IL rests
with his superio-s, TO whom fun 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
pensions were delivered In your Off
cial capacity, from the protection and
sanctity OF the bench, to soldiers OF
my command and in the presence ami
hearing of the soldiers and civilians,
! await with confidence that public re-
traction and amend which Is To be ex-
pected OF a gentleman and a jurist.
Very respectfully.
CHARLES KING,
Brigadier General U. s. ", 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 dinner on the
evening in question. He was too i'll,
however, TO be present and Col. Bar
Der OBLIGATED in his stead as host of
the occasion. The error In reproduc-
ing the letter makes quite q difference.
Judge Wilcoxs reply was as follows:
Honolulu, October 20, 1898.
Charles King Brigadier General U. S.
", Commanding.
Dear Sir: have the honor to &C
knowledge the receipt of your COM
mun!cation OF this date, and beg to
notice the contents. In reply permit
me to say that have nothing to add
or retract from the communication
forwarded TO you, dated October Is,
1898. ! have the honor to be, yours
very respectfully.
w. LUTHER WILCOX,
District Magistrate of Honolulu.
An authority close to Gen. King has
made a statement OF facts which are
not generally understood here. II ap-
pears to be an established form that
Brigadier Generals have not the power
TO convene courts martial for the trial
OF commissioned officers. This author
ity rests entirely with department
commanders, ranking major general,
and the authorities above them. The
instance OF Gen. Greene Is cited as a
case in point. He, having a full bri-
gade and a fleet under his command,
convened a court martial at sea. The
Adjutant General ruled all the pro-
ceedings null and void for the reason
that the Brigadier had exceeded his
authority.
1t is understood from the same
source that Gen. King, when appoint
ed district commander, In view OF the
isolated position OF Honolulu, request
ed the authority to handle all cases
arising here. This request was denied
in the case OF commissioned officers.
The course left, then, was to submit
charges and recommendations In such
matters, which was done, as Gen. King
now states, in the cases OF Merriam
and Wheelock In the martial law" az
fair.
Gen. King will send another note to
Judge Wilcox. 1t will be short, point
ed and will not call for reply. 1t will
doubtless terminate the correspond
ence.