Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-17
ONE OF ALTGELO'S STORIES
Pitiful Recital Of Woes Of Private Hoon, Who
Won Popocratic Sympathy.
WAS NOT VICTIM OF MILITARY sNoBBERY
War Department Records Show He
Was Convicted of Audacious For
geries Committed TO Secure
Promotion from Ranks.

During his speech at Creighton hall the
against militarism and trying TO picture the
snobbery for which 1t is alleged to be respon-
sible, Governor John p. Altgeld of Illinois
related really pitlful tale concerning the
troubles Of a young Ohio boy who had en-
listed and gone TO the Philippines. AS the
story was told by the ex-governor 1t was
indeed narrowing recital. 1t was to the
effect that this young man, Lawrence +.
Hoon by name, son OF respectable citizen
OF Belle Center, o., having neard that there
were to be some promotions from the ranks
and that they were to be made on COM
petitive examinations, wrote a polite note
to General Otis, asking permission to enter
the competition. He did not, 1t was said,
know that 1t was against the rules for a
private to write to the commanding officer
What" Indignantly inquired Altgeld, "do
you suppose General Otis did with that letter
and with that young man? He would not
even touch it, but had 1t returned to the
young man. letter from a private was
something that this military snob would not
touch. The young man was arrested and
thrown into prison and after lying there
three months he was tried by a commission
of six officers and condemned to one year s
imprisonment in the penitentiary, then to be
dishonoraby discharged from the army, and
in addition they held back SIS of the pay
that was due him.
Governor Altgeld read at great length a
letter written by the young man to his sick
father in Ohio, in which he led his father
to believe that he had been disgraced simply
for having written to General Otis 1t is
possible that Governor Altgeld, in his zeal to
berate the phantom militarism seized upon
that letter without further investigation, as
living truth upon which to erect the speech
he delivered here. 1t was a pathetic letter
and from It's TENOR as well the letter
written by his father to Governor Bushnell
and the one by the latter to President Nc
Kinley, which were also quoted one would
be led to believe that Hoon was a well edu-
Gated, high-minded young man, of unusually
patriotic instincts, and Governor Altgeld
waxed oratorically indignant because the
papers had not brought to him the informa-
tion that President Mckinley had rebuked
this so-called snobbery and set the boy free.
The story told by the ex-governor in his
speech was SO unlikely that Jesse H. Neill
OF this city Immediately wrote the War de-
partment for the facts, which are fully set
forth in the following letter from the secre-
tary OF war and the accompanying copies of
correspondence of the case sent to Mr. .Neill.
WAR DEPARTMENT., WASHINGTON,
Nov. s, 1S99.-Dear Sir: L am in receipt of
your letter of November g. inclosing the
report of speech by Jonn P. Altged re-
corded In the Omaha World-Herald of Mo-
vember 5.
For your information enclose herewith
copies of correspondence on this subject
which passed between the War department
and Governor Bushnell of Ohio. The
presentation to the people of Nebraska of
the first part of the correspondence and
the suppression of the last, as indicated by
the correspondence l enclose showing the
hoy's statement to be false, needs no COM
ELIHU ROOT, Secretary of War
STATE OF OHIO. EXECUTIVE DE-
PARTMENT, OFFICE OF GOVERNOR,
. COLUMBUS, Sept. IL, 1870 His Excel
lency, William Mckinley, President of the
United States, Washington, d. c.: Dear
Sir-I send you herewith copy of a COM
munication from one of our boys at Ma
Mia, a private of Company X, Fourth
United States infantry who seems to have
been a. victim of ignorance rather than a
wilfu desire to commit crime He is the
son OF a worthy citizen of Ohio. who is an
invalid and feels very keenly the disgrace
of his son. 1T does seem as though this
young man had been too severely pun
ished and that his is case deserving your
clemency. VIII you not intervene IN his
behalf by sending IA cable to the military
and him given an honorable discharge? L
also inclose copy of letter from the
father of the soldier, which l am sure will
appeal to your sympathy and sense of
justice. have felt that this case was one
that would justify my coming directly to
you and making the request / have. May
not hope for your early interference in this
case and notification that favorable action
has been taken? L have the honor to be
very respectfully yours.
ASA s. BUSHNELL, Governor of Ohio.
WAR DEPARTMENT. WASHINGTON
Sept. 10, 1S99.-Sir. Your letter of Septem-
ber IA to the president, inclosing n letter
from Lawrence II. Hoon relating to his con-
y.ction by. court-martial in the Philippine
Islands, has been referred to me for reply.
/ have the honor to inclose a copy of a
dispatch from General OTIS by which you
will see that the young man was regularly
tried and convicted for attempting to Sc
cure promotion by means of petition upon
which he forged the names OF six non-com-
missioned officers and privates of his COM
pany; that the trial was at the instance of
his regimental commander, and that the
Bentenoe was approved by General Lawton.
Very respectfully, ELIHU ROOT,
Secretary of War
Hon. Asa Bushnell, Governor of Ohio, Co
lumbus, o. ,'3
Copy of fpCabIesram.
MANILA, Sept. 19.-Secretary War, WASH
ington; Private Hoon, *. Fourth infantry,