The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-08
PA1 DIhrcroR nnImes AooUsED.
Csurt.s1ar,tsI Oraesed ut rlis own Reausst 70
Try EHirn or n Change or Raisshoed.

Try Him or n Change OF Faisshood.
WASHINGTON, Feb. ia court-martial for
the trial Of Pay Director Luther q. Billings.
General Inspector Of the Pay Corps Of the navy.
was ordered to-day at his request The court
will assemble at the Washington Navy Yard on
Wednesday. Feb. o. 1t will DO composed OF
Commodore +. v. McNair, President; Commo.
dorcs II. l. Howison. Albert KautE, @. n. Remey
and N. II. Farquhar. Capt. Silas Casey. Pay
Directors c. II. Eldridge, Edward May and 7. I.
Caswell. and First Lieut.. c. II. Lauchheimer,
United States Marine Corps, Judge Advocate.
The main charge against Pay Director Billings
is falsehood to tho Navy Department. This and
the other allegations have grown out OF the In
yention by the accused officer Of an emergency
ration on which no obtained q patent. In
the latter part OF the Cleveland Administration
he was requested by tho Navy Department to
inquire into the merits OF his W invention and
made a report recommending the purchase OF
500 pounds, to DO tested by medical officers Of
the service to determine its advantages. Tho
purchase was never made.
Last month q clipping from tho Arntp and
Navy Register. saying that Pay Director Bill
ings was one OF the incorporators OF tho Ameri-
can Compressed Food Company, q corporation
organized under the laws of New Jersey, was
brought to the attention Of Secretary Long. It
was stated that the company had been formed
to manufacture the emergency ration which
Pay Director Billings had invented, and Sec
rotary Long called on the Pay Director to
explain his connection with q company whose
product he had to the Gov
eminent. Mr.. Billings denied that be. was an
incorporation. and commended that he had not
merely the purchase Of an amount sufficient for
experimental purposes. He said that he had
iis saas w ?v srq has a aa Who w Tisnt 70 nav 20 mi hin ne 3 row.
atty on sales. hut their contract had explicitly
stipulated that no royalty was to be paid on
Secretary Long wrote to the Secretary of
State of New Jersey and ascertained that Mr..
% S1ll,pss,' Of pane the 1fS ood eom ns Sno Mr. NJ 'h Bil hGSr,
again denied his connection. with the concern.
He said he had given his nephew permission to
certain stock given him had been returned to
the company and had been cancelled. Subse-
had signed a paper brought to him by an attor.
ney. which he understood was merely a pro
ization Of the company. but which turned out
to DO the certificate Of Incorporation. He had
not known the purport Of this paper, he said,
company. This was Followed BY request from
Mr.. Billings that he be retired from duty as
department had any doubts concerning the
he had made, and that a courtmar-
tis soS be o r]sIstiSe to 81 ipT Dlseefor B shH mst saye stock
in the American Food Company. and this fact is
set forth in the specifications TO indicate that
OF the emergency ration. He has denied to the
department that he had anything to do with
their possession of this stock.
Mr.. Billings has been in the naval service for
thirty-hve years. His integrity has never been
questioned, and naval officers are very much
astonished that such a charge as falsehood
should be brought AGAINST him. In response to
q request for a statement of his side Of tho case,
one OF the directors friends said to-day that all
the accused officer asked was that the public
SHOULD suspend Judgment until he had a chance
to be heard before the court-martial. and that
he felt confident of showing that he was guilt
of any wrong doing.