The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-27
STORY OF THE M[PTlNY
PRIVATE ROsENoUIsT, WHO SAW
IT FROM FIRST TO LAST,
TESTIFIES
1T WAS A SPONTANEOUS MOVE

The Night Before the Camp Was
Quiet and the Men Had No Notion
of Going to TOwn-Several Wit
nesses Deny the Truth of the Au-
Eusta Herald Reporters Testi-
mOny-Case About Ended.
The testimony in the Leonhauser court
Of inquiry Is all in. and the court ad-
journed at noon yesterday until this
morning, when the arguments will be
commenced.
Five witnesses were sworn in rebuttal.
/ two Of whom, Lieut.. Stewart and Capt.
Connors. very fatty contradicted the tes-
timony Of Du Vall's star witness. H. HI.
| Harris. the Augusta Heralds reporter.
Quartermaster Sergeant Bierman was
the first witness of the day, and his tes-
timony was directed toward one Of the
main points at issue, that is. that on the
night of Feb. the gathering which had
been halted by Capt. Crossfeld had in
suited and abused him. Mr.. Bierman tes-
titled that he was there at the time. and
il the men had sworn at Capt. Crossfield
he would have heard it. but he heard
nothing of the sort. The camp was quiet
all night and until the next morning.
when he left. at S:45, to go to Augusta
with commissary supplies for the two
companies who were doing provost duty.
Hospital Steward Kehoe was called and
asked If he was present on the morning
of Feb. 5. He said he was, and that he
heard all of Col Leonhausers address to
the men. The colonels manner was
firm and collected, as usual There were
no indications Of timidity or nervousness,
and at no time did he make any promise
of immunity to the men If they would
return.
Capt. COnnOrS then testified as to Har-
ris' remarks that he would get even with
the Fifteenth regiment If 1t took ten
years to do it. Capt. Connors was senior
officer of the guard the day that Harris
was ordered out Of camp. He said he
saw Harris just outside the guard line
and he was crying. Connors asked him
what was the matter, and he had said
that Col. Gotham had ordered him out
of camp, and such a thing had never
happened to him before. and he would get
even with the Fifteenth If it took him
ten years to do so.
Lieut.. Stewart was junior DIGGER of the
guard when Harris made his grandstand
play, and he, too, had q little interview
with Mr.. Harris, and Mr.. Harris had un-
burdened himself of his little wall to the
lieutenant. He was standing near head
quarters and Harris passed by the colors
without saluting. Lieut.. Stewart halted
him and demanded that he salute, to
which demand Harris replied that he was
so d mad at the treatment he had
received he had forgotten about the col
nd ha +loo 70
teenth # it took him ten years to do it.
Private Rosenquist was one of the nu-
tineers. and told the story on the stand
yesterday of the whole trouble, from
beginning to end He said he was pres
ent on the night of the 4th of February
and was among those who attempted to
run the guard to go to town, when they
were halted by Capt. .Crossfield. He was
very near to the captain when he ordered
the men to return to camp and they ex-
pressed determination to go get 7O.Con-
nell S murderer and turn him over to the
military authorities. He heard all that
was said by Capt. Crossfeld and by the
men as well. The captain made his state
ment and ordered the men to return,
which they did, but there was no abusive
language or violence shown the captain
whatever by the men.
The witness went on to say that he re-
manned in camp all night, and it resumed
its normal condition at taps and contfn-
ued SO all night, as far as he knew, and
certainly was so at reveille and until
almost 10 o'clock, when the newsboys
came to-. camp, bringing the news that
OConnell's murderer had been captured
and was In jail at Augusta. and was to
be taken away to avoid being captured
by soldiers or taken into custody by the
military authorities.
Suddenly the cry went up lets go
down town." and In five minutes the men
fell in and marched to the commissary
with their rifles and he went with them.
Resistance was made by the officers but
they were pushed aside and the building
broken open. ball cartridges were seized
and the men started toward town. Just
after the start Col. Leonhauser came
across the parade ground. He halted
them and used all the means at his COM
mand to show them the folly of their ac-
tons saying that they were guilty OF
mutiny, the punishment for which was
death. More than half obeyed his order
and returned to their company streets,
but sixty-five or seventy, including him
self, marched away. Lieut.. Healy went
with them and he continued to advise
and admonish them until they finally con-
cluded to return to camp. They halted
and about that time the cavalry arrived
and one man thinking that the cavalry
might possibly hre upon them began load
ing his rifle, but the other men took it
away from him. The men were then
placed under arrest by troop of the
Third cavalry and marched back to
camp.
Being cross-examined by Col. Du Val
he practically retold his story and with
out variation. Asked If Leonhauser's
voice didn't shake when addressing the
men, he said no He was within TWEEN
ty-five feet of the colonel heard all he
said and he appeared cool and collected.
Capt. Crossfield then took the stand and
testified that he had not been abused or
sworn at by the men when halted by him
on the night Of Feb. 4.
Mr.. Harris was recalled and gave evil
dence in sur-rebuttal He swore very
positively that he had not talked to
Lieut.. Stewart He had talked to Capt
Connors, who was very pleasant to him.
and had told him not to mind his eviction
from camp that it wouldn't have hap
pened If Col. Leonhauser had been there
that Gotham was all to blame. Harris
denied telling Capt. Cennors that he
would get even with the Fifteenth.
This ended the evidence. Mr.. Catlin
will hepin his argument thic morning ar