The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-10-03
CARTER COURT MARTIAL.
PRESIDENT APPROVES THE FINDING OF
THE COURT.
CAPTAIN CARTER ARRESTED.

CAPTAIN CARTER ARRESTED.
The Judgment of the Court Orders
Dismissal from the Army. a Fine of
$1,000 and Five Years at Hard Labor
in a Federal Captain
Carter Yesterday Taken to Govern
1nement.
Washington, September 30-The pres
ident has approved the sentence i'm
posed by court-martial on Captain
O'Berlin NJ. Carter, corps of engineers,
United States army, and a formal or
der was today issued from the war de-
partment directing the execution Of the
sentence
The verdict of the court was as fol-
lows: And the court does, therefore.
sentence the accused, Captain O'Berlin
M. Carter. corps of engineers, United
states army, to be dismissed from the
service of the United States, to suffer
a fine OF $1,000; to be confined at hard
labor, at such place as the proper au-
thority may direct, for five years, and
the crime, punishment, name and place
of abode of the accused to be publish
ed in the newspapers in and about the
station and the state from which the
accused came, or where he usually re-
Sides"
Following is the formal approval of
the verdict:
"The findings of the court martial in
the matter of the foregoing proceed
ings against Captain O'Berlin NJ Car
ter, corps of engineers, United States
army, are hereby approved as to all
except the following: Charge II, speci-
fications z, s, 9 and 10; Charge III,
specifications 3, 4, S, 6, Z, 9, II and %,
which are disapproved. And the SEN
tence imposed by the court-martial
upon the defendant O'Berlin M. Carter,
is hereby approved.
"ELIHU ROOT,
"Secretary of War;
Executive Mansion.
Washington, D. c., September 20.
Approved and confirmed:
WILLIAM M'KINLEY."
Appended to the orders as given
above is the following:
by direction of the secretary of
war, Captain O'Berlin NJ Carter. corps
Of engineers, ceases to be an officer of
the army from this date, and the Unit
ed States penitentiary, Fort Leaven-
worth, Kas, is designated as the place
for his confinement, where he will be
sent by the commanding general, de-
partment of the east, under proper
guard.
"By command of Major General
Miles:
III. G.. CORBIN,
"Adjutant General"
Charges were preferred against Cap
tain Carter by General John M Will
son, chief of engineers, on December Is,
1897. These charges were made after
the investigation by a board of engi-
neers of the river and harbor works, at
savannah, Ga1and other points in that
district, which had been under the su-
pervision of Captain Carter. The
charges mainly consisted of a declara-
ton that Carter had entered into a
conspiracy with other persons, intend
ing to defraud the United States.
1t was alleged in the charges that
Carter and certain parties had defraud-
ed the United States of from $4,000 900
to $4,000, 900.
The charges resulted In a court-mar-
tia1 which lasted several months and
was presided over by General Otis,
now commanding in the Philippines.
The judge advocate Of the court was
Colonel Thomas F. Barr and the court
itself consisted Of officers in nearly ev-
~
rank The trial resulted in the verdict
and sentence which was approved to-
day.
The case has attained widespread no
tOriety on account of the financial and
social connections of Captain Carter.
No such consideration, and no such
amount of time has ever been given
previously in a cOurt-martial case. The
reference to the attorney general is
also something unusual, but this ac-
ton was taken, it is said, to give the
officer every possible opportunity to
prove his innocence. The charges
which are disapproved are Of minor i'm
portance and relate to smaller items of
river and harbor works in which it was
alleged Carter had defrauded the gov
eminent. The main contention of the
prosecution are sustained.
The only matter pending in the war
department in the Carter case is the
proposition to annul the contracts
which Carter made for river and harbor
work.
CAPTAIN CARTER ARRESTED.
New York, September 3O.-Captain
O'Berlin NJ. Carter was arrested early
today in this city by Assistant Adju-
| tant General Simpson, who came on
specially from Washington for the pur-
pose. Captain Carter was taken to
Captain B. K. Roberts, the command
ing officer, with orders to keep strict
guard and put Captain Carter in close
confinement.
Captain Carter is now in one of the
upper caseuate cells in Castle William
L. L. Kellogg, of the firm of Kellogg,
Rose G. Smith, called upon Captain
Roberts and asked permission to see
Captain Carter.
| After his visit to Captain Carter, Mr..
Kellogg said the prisoner was terribly
/ detected, and seemed to realize that
there was no appeal from the sentence.
| Captain Roberts, in speaking Of the
| arrest, said: 1T was the hardest duty
ever allotted to me as an officer in the
army to place Capt. Carter under arrest
| and have him placed in close confine-
| ment. He was a classmate of my broth
ers and as such became friendly with
the members of my family. OF course
duty is duty and we have to obey or
ders.''
| There's always hope while there s