Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-18
ARGUMENT NOT HEARD
As the Thirds Leading Counsel
Was UnWe||.
WILL COMMENCE TO-DAY.
And Will Probably Not Be
Very Long.
SENATOR DANIELS INTEREST.
He Would Like to Address the
COurt-A Significant RemnrL-Hard
Work Put Upon the Regiment by
Butler.
He wouId Like to Address the
Butler.

CAMP ALGER, August 17.-(Special)-
All day long the court Of inquiry has
sat at division headquarters. Camp
Alger, reviewing the evidence in the case
which involves the reasonableness OF
General Buffers order, No. is, issued
August 9Th, and the conduct of the Third
Virginia Regiment. Contrary to expec-
tation, argument was not heard to-day.
Mr.. Hamilton, leading counsel for the
regiment. being still lndsposed. Attor-
ney-General Montague and Mr.. Moore, as
sociate counsel, declined to ask for a
continuance, but the Court suggested
that the day could be well spent reading
the testimony. and Colonel Duval said
he would like TO hear the case argued by
Mr. Hamilton, and so it goes over until
10 o'clock tomorrow morning, when II
will probably be concluded in a single
session. Various measurements between
the Third Regiment Camp, the hospital
grounds, and division headquarters. which
had been made at the instigation Of
the recorder, were submitted by Lieuten-
ant Alfred Hampton, acting chief engi-
neer of the division, and were accepted.
both by the Court and by counsel for Col
onel Male. The recorder had intended
to submit further evidence, and to this
end all those men who were on sentry
duty on the Sth instant were ordered
TO be present, but 1t was decided by the
court that no further evidence was need
ed. The record of the proceedings was
amended in several minor particulars,
though counsel for Colonel Nalle objected
to an alteration in General Buffers evil
dence where an egregious contradiction
appears. This point will be settled to-
morrow morning, when Mr.. Hamilton is
present.
SENATOR DANIELS INTEREST.
Senator John w. Daniel was on hand
this morning. He arrived at the camp
before 10 o'clock, travelling from Wash
ington with the president OF the court,
TO whom he expressed Il desire that he
might be permitted to address the court
on behalf of the regiment 1t is doubt
ful If he will be able TO be present to-
morrow, but he has left nothing undone
that might have been done In the inte-
rest or the regiment He has had a
personal Interview with General Gra-
ham and was much pleased with the re.
suit. A very significant remark was
made by the distinguished senator to
your correspondent yesterday afternoon.
| 1t Is not now the time to talk on this
matter" he said, that time will come
hereafter, at present we have our head
in the lions mouth and are az his mercy
l 44rnI D. 4
cation would rather hurt than aid our
cause" The coolness which exists be-
tween Senator Daniel and General But
| Ter is most marked, but it is nothing
| compared with that between General But
| Ter and Colonel Male. for the latter
studiously avoids the former, and wher
a meeting is inevitable, the scant courtesy
| of military salute is all that passes be-
| tween them.
The Third Regiment Is not only in
durance vile, but is literally doing hard
| labor. Out Of twelve captains, seven are
| now on detached service, and the remain
| ing five are scarcely sufficient to carry on
| the work Of the regiment. Besides
guard of 250 men constantly on duty
around the camp, there are provost
guards. and guards at the outlying farms
| and large number of men employed
| policing the camp. One of the captains
| came into Colonel Males tent this morn
| ing while your correspondent was there
| protesting that he had received twenty
orders from division headquarters. and il
was impossible for him to carry them all
out. one of them required him to send
| a sergeant, in charge of a detail OF ten
men, to cut brush in the woods. and an
idea of the way in which the regiment is
engaged at present may be gathered from
the fact that he had only two men avail
able for this service. Another man. who
had received a message that his sister
was in extremis, applied for a furlough
| and had to be refused, though he was re-
commended TO go to headquarters.
SHORT ARGUMENT PROBABLE.
Congressman Rixey, who expected that
the case would be closed this morning
left for his home last night The argu-
ment, IL is thought. will not be a very
long one, and counsel for the regiment
will dwell particularly on the evidence of
the Connecticut and Pennsylvania officers,
which was emphatically in favor Of the
regiment and the contradictions and
weak places in the testimony of General
Butler Major Wright, and DR.. Devine will
be pointed out. That Colonel Male has
tremendously strong case cannot be gain
said, but that he will win a clear verdict
is by no means certain. There seems 10
be no doubt that some few members OF
the regiment chased the negro teamster
into the woods, but further than this, no
charge has been substantiated, and that
alone Is generally thought to be a too
slender peg on which to hang such a
harsh and unreasonable mandate as Cen
eral orders. No. Is, which condemns the
whole regiment. ii. c. ID.