The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-01
MUST GO TO JAIL
President Approves
Captain Carriers
Sentence.
COURT MARTIAL SUSTAINED.
Prisoner Will Be Incarcer-
ated in Fort Leaven-
worth.

Washington, Sept. 30.-The presi-
dent has approved the sentence imposed
by court-martial on Capt. o. M. Carter
of the corps of engineers, and formal
order was today issued from the war
department directing the execution of
the sentence.
The verdict of the court was as fol-
lows; And the court does therefore
sentence the accused, Captain Oberlin
M Carter. corps of engineers, U. S. A..
to be dismissed from the service of the
United States, to suffer a fine of $4,000,
to be confined at hard labor at such
place as the proper authority may d.
rect for five years, and the crime, pun
ishment, name and place of abode Of
the accused to be published in the
newspapers in and about the station
and the state from which the accused
came, or where he usually resides.
Following is the formal approval OF
the verdict
THE findings of the court-martial in
the rlatter of the foregoing proceedings
against Captain Oberlin NJ. Garter,
corps of engineers, U. S. A., are hereby
approved as to all except the following:
Charge Disqualification 7, 8, and
10; charge Ill, specifications 8, 4, 5, 6,
T. which are disapproved. And the
sentence imposed by the court-martial
uuon the defendant, Oberlin M. Carter,
is hereby approved.
"E;ihu Root, secretary of war
Executive mansion Washington,
Sept. 80, 1899. Approved and confirmed.
william Mckinley"
Appended to the order of the above is
the following
BY direction of the secretary of wal, ,
Captein Oberlin M. Carter, corps of en-
gineers, ceases to be an officer of tho
army from this date, and the United
States penitentiary Fort Leavenworth,
Kan. is designated as the place of his
confinement, where he will be sent by
the commanding-E general and proper
guard.
by command of Major General
Miles.
II. G. Corbin, acknowledgement"
Captain Carter is now at Governors
Island, New York, under arrest.
Charges were preferred against Cap
tain Garter by General John NJ Wilson,
chief of engineers, Dec. 10, 1897. These
charges were made after the investi-
cation by board of engineers of the
river and harbor works at Savannah,
l.
which had been under the supervision
of Captain Carter The charges mainly
consisted of declaration that Carter
had entered into a conspiracy with
other persons to defraud the United
States. Ii was alleged in the charges
that Garter and certain parties had de-
frauded the United States out of from
$1,000 900 to 100000. The charges re-
suited IN a court-martial, which lasted
several months, and which was pre-
sided over by General Otis, now COM
handing in the Philippines.
The judge advocate of the court was
Col. t. F. Barr, and the court itself con-
sisted of officers In nearly every branch
of the service and of high rank The
trial resulted in the verdict and SEN
tence which were approved today The
case has attained widespread notoriety
on account Of the financial and social
connections Of Capt. Carter. No such
consideration and no such an amount Of
time has ever before been given to a
court martial case.
The reference to the attorney general
is also something unusual, but this
action was taken to give the officer
every possible opportunity to prove his
innocence. The charges which are dis
approved are of minor Importance and
relate to smalled items of river and
harbor works in which it was alleged
Capt. Carter had defrauded the gov
eminent. The main contentious of the
prosecution are sustained.
L. L. Kellogg. the junior of the firm
of Kellogg, Rose & Smith, one of the
lawyers employed in the defense of
Capt. Carter. was given permission to
visit the prisoner at Castle William. Mr.
Kellogg said he found Capt. Carter
closely confined and unusually well
guarded in small cell in the upper
casemate of the prison. Capt. Carter, he
said, was terribly detected; felt acute
ly the position that he was in, and he
seemed to realize that there was no ap-
peal from the sentence.