The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-04

How an Incident in Capt. GiIIette'H
office Was Overheard.

/ urday, does not appear TO have any date.
II was probably made sometime go by Mr..
| Blair, who was one of Capt. Carriers coun-
/ sci. The matter with which it deals was
| spoken of at the time the trial was in
| progress here. The purpose of it is appar-
cnaly TO show that Gen. OTIS was not
/ proper party to sit as member of the
| courtmartal. 1t is apropos of the dis
patch that was in the Morning News yes
| terday, and, therefore. we publish it.
state Of Illinois County Of Cook, S.:
/ That on a Saturday evening IN the latter
! part Of January or early part of February
of said year, afflant returned with said
/ Capt Garter from the Offices of Charlton,
! Mackall & Anderson. in said city, about
! 10 O'Clock D. m, 20 the De Soto Hotel. in
said city of Savannah, where afiant was
| then lodging
That on the arrival of said Carter with
| afiiant al said hotel. affiant was informed
that Brig. Gen. Elwell S. Otis, president
of the said courtmartial Col. Thomas f.
Barr judge advocate thereof; Capt.
Charles 5. Mcclure, assistant judge advo-
cate, ana Col. George S. Gillespie, Corps
Of Engineers had been in close consulta-
ton in the lobby of said hotel, and mad
been, just prior to the arrival Of affiant
| and Capt. Carter, aforesaid, acting in
a manner so as to attract to them the at
tention of various guests in the hotel
That Immediately thereafter the four
persons above mentioned separated Col
Barr and Capt. Mcclure leaving together
and Gen. Otis and Col, Gillespie following
shortly thereafter; that the action of said
four officers. as detailed to affiant arous-
ed his suspicious TO such an extent that
ne concluded the said four officers had
| made a rendezvous at the temporary Of
fees OF Col Barr, the judge advocate of
said courtmartial, and that acting upon
said suspicion affiant and Capt. Carter at
once proceeded to the said temporary Of
flee of the said Col Barr, located between
third and a half mile of the said De
Soto Hotel.
Afiant further states that the temper
airy office of the said judge advocate was
located on the fifth floor of the Citizens
Bank building in said city of Savannah,
and was one of the suite of offices occu-
pied by Capt Cassus Il. Gillette, engineer
in charge of the Savannah district; that
at that hour and for some considerable
time prior thereto no elevator had been
running in said building, and that in or
der to reach said temporary office of the
| judge advocate it was necessary 10 mount
! four high flights of steps
Affiant further states that Capt. Carter
and he at once proceeded to the engineers
office entered the building thereof and
mounted the stairs, intending to enter the
said temporary office of the judge advo-
| that when said Capt. Carter and affiant
| reached the fourth floor, having paused
for breath, affiant distinctly heard voices
on the floor above, the night being warm
and the doors and windows being open,
lights also being displayed on the fifth
floor, occupied by said judge advocate and
the engineer in charge.
Affiant further states that as he paused
on the fourth floor he recognized the voice
of the said Col. Barr, in a monotonous
voice as if reading; that at that moment
| he recognized the voice of the said Col.
Gillespie breaking in upon the said Col.
Barr and saying; "He says he got 1t all
from Westcott," at which there was a
! general laugh. Immediately thereafter
| affiant recognized the voice of the said
| Col Barr continuing his reading, perhaps
for the space of ten seconds The ma tlfre
of said reading the afiiant was not abl6uo
| distinguish
That thereupon the tone of said Barr
| changed to a conversational tone, and the
| affiant distinctly heard him say: Il will
read that to counsel and see how they
| like it,"
Whereupon affiant heard the voice OF
| the said Gen. Otis, in a loud and what
| seemed to be a defiant and exultant tone,
| remark: THAT viii be good"
That thereupon affiant, who was mount
| ing the last flight of stairs with the said
| Capt Carter when said last remark was
made, entered the temporary Office of said
| Col. Barr and found there assembled Gen.
Elwell S. Otis, Col Thomas f. Barr, Col.
George L. Gillespie, Capt. Charles S. Nc
| Clure and Capt Cassius e. Gillette.
| Affiant further states that as he entered
| said room, Immediately followed by the
said Capt. Carter, a silence fell upon the
parties there assembled.
| That no one greeted affiant although he
was well known personally to all persons
there present; that the said Col. Giles
| pie, who was sitting in the far corner or
the room, elevated a paper in front of his
| face, as if to conceal his identity.
That no one arose to greet the affiant
| but that there was an awkward pause,
prolonged by affiant for ten seconds or
| more; that thereupon affiant addressed
| himself to the judge advocate, Col Barr
and asked him for a certain book, known
by atfiant to be in the engineers office,
TO which Col. Barr made reply.
Affiant further states that thereupon the
said Gen. Otis arose from his seat and
stated that he was there only for mo-
ment and must be going"
That affiant and the said Capt Carter
at once left, and that said Gen Otis did
not Immediately follow, but remained in
said office.
That the said Otis replied in substance
that the said Gillespie, prior to leaving the
hotel as above detailed herein, stated to
| him. Otis that Capt. Gillette probably
| mas some or his. Gtllespie's, mail and
| thereupOn that he, Otis offered to show
him, Gillespie, the way to said Gnlette's
office.
THAT in pursuance they together went
to said office but he, the said Otis. dis
claimed and denied having discussed or
having heard discussed upon that occasion
! the case against said Capt Carter
'Affiant further states that upon the
conversation with the said obs in, the
presence Of the said Rose. as aforesaid.
| the said Rose stated to the said Otis a
| hypothetical case, in substance as follows:
Suppose, general, you were the attor-
ney for the plaintiff in holly contested
| civil case and | for the defendants and at
! hah-past 10 O'Clock on Saturday night. on
the fifth floor of an Office building, i'm my
office, the elevator having stopped running
and l a man of past 60 years. YOU had
found me in close consultation with one of
the Jurors in the case in which you were
interested. What would you think of the