The age-herald., 1899-10-07
AN AM ERICAN DREYFUS
An Army Officer Prosecuted for Forty
 Years Because He Was Jew

| 1 Years Because He Was Jew ! In the September Century MT. James l Morris Morgan tells the story of Con- mander uriah P. Levy of Ithe United States navy, who for forty years was made an object of persecution by his fellow officers for no ether reason than that he was Jew.
 l In the war in 1872 Commander Levy who 1 was then 20 years of age and thorough 1 going seaman, received an appointment as 1 sailing master in hhe federal navy and was l assigned to the brig Argus which carried l Mir Crawford the American envoy to 1 France He served valiantly in this brig
 until the close of the war; and in 1916 he wls promoted to bhe rank of lieutenant, 1 though his promotion encountered violent opposition, his first assignment in this ca pacity being to the frlgdte Franklin. Here 1 he was made the victim of oStracism by 1 his fellow officers who carried their con l temptuous treatment to extremes in hope l that the lieutenant might become induced to resign.
 Tn due time he was transferred to the l frigate United lSltates, but before the tras- fer had been made the captain and other officers of this vessel filed d written pro test against the coming eff the JeW-a pro- test that called down upon them the stern condemnation of the commodore in com mand of the fleet.
 "As lieutenant" says MT. Morgan. ''Nfr. Levy spent nearly the whole of his time under arrest and under suspension. It is difficult for a man with 500 pairs of eyes concentrated upon him to avoid dfspleassng somebody. Frequently his enemies were successful in having him sentenced to dis missal. They always had him in coventry h,Lt hrnlxa his dam tleSS spirit l or impaired hls patriotism"
 Once while w1Ih his vessel at Rio de Ja- l neiro Lieutenant Levy was offered the com mand of man ofIwar by the Brazilian eIn- l peror on aecourh eff the intrepid manner l fin which he had interp0sed his own per 1 son and received a. wound intended for 1 midshpman, but Levy thanked the emper- l or, saying 5hat he 'loved his own service l so well that he would rather serve in 1t as l a cabin-boy than as a captain in any other l servicet in the world.
 l At arfofher time Lieutenant Levy was in
 Paris as the bearer of dispatches to our 1 minister and on the evening of the Fourth ! of July he attended dinner at which La fayette was the guest of honor. To the 1 amazemerlt of Levy the toast, Andrew
 Jackson. President of the United Sta'tes," l was received with groans and misses, | "wIhereupon Levy struck one of the French | officers in the face with his glove and 1 challenged two others to fight duels, but 1 they prefefred NO apolOg1Ze.
 l These things are related to' show that | Levy was d man of undaunted courage, but | nevertheless he was once court tmdrtialed I on the charge of cowardfce Six times was 1 he courtmartialed on charges so trivial l that it is difficult Ito believe that American l officers could ever have preferred them, l and in several instances he was convicted l and made to suffer the penalty or else had l the sentences revoked by a higher authori- | ty. His last trial was on the charge Of 1 cruelty. The secretary of war had ordered
 that the practice of fiogsing sailors should l be discontinued and that for it must be
 substituted some badge of disgrace or a | fine, Levy took the secretary at his word
 and when Midshipman Afterwards admir- | aD Ammen complained of one of the 'ooys | mimcking him Commander Levy, instead | of nfiicting a dozen with the cat o-l1ine- tails had the youth tied to a gun and a
 lump of tar about the size of dollar stuck | to the small of his back Ito which was at
 tackled a few feathers, saying that ''as ithe | boy was so fond of mUching people he
 would make parrot of him" This punish
 rnelft lasted only five miniftes when the tar
 and feathers were removed by the boy
 with little grease The court as usual
 found Commander Levy guilty and sen-
 fenced him to be dismissed from the service
 but President Tyler reduced the sentence
 to twelve months suspension without pay.
 In 1914 Commander Levy was promoted
 to a post-captaincy but his many appica-
 tions were pigeon-hole1 though the inf1u-
 ence of the Jew-baiters in the navy. When
 war with Mexico was declared he made | piteous appeals to be allowed to serve his
 country but his requests were ignored. Not | being allowed to serve in the navy he busi- | ed himself in rehabiftating ''Monticello,
 the home of Jefferson, which he had bought | fin 1S2S-a patriotic work which has been | continued by his nephew, the Hon. Jeffer-
 son M. Levy the present owner.
 Tn 1255 tho Shubrick commission of fifteen
 members came into existence 1t held it's
 meetings in secret, listened to no defence
 and dismissed from the naval service
 whomsoever It chose. Levy was one of the
 unfortunate and he received a curt letter
 srfornling him that he had been dismissed,
 Though no cause was recited. The presi-
 dent, Franklin Pierce, approved this find
 ing and at Fast the enemies of the Jew
 seemed to have triumphed. But the Amer
 ican sense of justice became aroused, a
 clamor was made, new board ordered and
 Captain Levy was restored to his rank and
 emoluments In 1858 he performed his last
 sea service as flag officer of the Mediter-
 ranean squadron. and he died in New York
 in 1862 and was buried with full naval
 honprs.
 However discredftafble the long-continued persecution of Commander Levy may be
 made to appear the fact still remains that
 he trilln1rlhed in the end and that in every
 case of ceurtmartfal where appeal was
 taken to the higher officials of our navy
 iusffce appears to have been done. And
 this fsfc,t stands out clear and distinct as
 differenItiating our own from the Deyfus
 persecution. While it Is a sad commentary
 upon the officers of the American navy that | they should annoy and persecute fellow
 officer on account of race or religious pre-
 ipdfce it nevertheless may be a matter of
 national pride thai the American sense of
 justice was strong enough to maintain this
 officer in this nghtful place and close hls
 years with the honors due.
 = TO CURE COLD IN ONE DAY