The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-18
ARREST OF GENERAL EAGAN
THE ORDER M1Y BE SERTED ON
HIM TODAY.
Alger Says the Personnel Of the Court
Will be Announced To-day Eagan
Not Yet Relieved of His Official Du ties
No Friction Between the Secretary of
War and the President.

No Friction Between the Secretary OF
! War and the President.
Washington, Jan. 17.--Secretary Alger
tonight confirmed the announcement
made by members Of the cabinet to-day
that a court-martial for the trial of
Commissary General Eagan would be
ordered. He made this statement as he
was leaving the White house with Adj
| jutant General Corbin after a confer
ence of half an hour with the president.
| AS to the charges to be preferred
against the commissary general the Sec
retary declined to say anything, nor
would he talk respecting the personnel
of the court, adding that this would be
announced tomorrow. General Eagan
has not yet been relieved of his duties
in anticipation of his prospective trial.
but it is understood that the order for
his arrest preparatory to trial will of
itself carry with it his relief from off,
cial duties. 1t was said at the war de-
partment to-day that the order for ar
rest may be served on General Eagan
by an officer of the army some time
during the official day tomorrow. This
will enable him to make formal appll-
cation for the privilege of going beyond
the limits in which ordinarily he would
be confined.
Contrary to expectation no announce
ment of the personnel of the Eagan
court martial was made at the war de-
partment up to the close of business TINS
afternoon. Adjutant General CorDin at
the last moment, in reply to a question,
said that he had nothing whatever TO
make public touching the Eagan case,
Secretary Alger was absent from the
war department all of the afternoon
and just before the close telephoned
that he would not return to his office
during the day. He spent the morning
at the White house and leaving there
just before the cabinet convened went
to his house with Adjutant General Car-
bin and remained there. The secretary
is going to New York at midnight 50
that unless he acts upon this matter be-
fore his departure, there may be de-
lay until his return. The fact that Sec
retary Alger was not present at the
cabinet meeting was seized upon at once
as a sign of trouble in the cabinet and
soon the usual rumors of dissensionS
and an intention on the part of the
secretary of war to resign We're afloat.
There was no foundation for these in
fact, and Secretary Alger's colleagues
promptly denied them as soon as their
attention was drawn to them.
In the absence of the announcement
of the detail for the court martial there
was good deal of speculation as to its
composition. General practice is for a
majority of the court to consist of the
peers or superiors in rank of the de-
fendant. This would make the task of
selecting a court a hard one, because it
is not easy to find a sufficient number
of general officers ranking with a brig
adler general to make up a desirable
quota. But latitude is permitted the ap-
pointing authority in such selections, as
the ninth article of war reads:
No officers shall, when it can be
avoided, be tried by officers inferior i'll
rank" 1t will be noticed that the
phrase If it can be avoid d." leaves op-
portunity for the appointment of junior
officers. The mention of General Mer-
ritts name as president of the court
was due to the fact that he is the only
available major general of the regular
army. The friends Of General Merritt |
are hoping that he will not be selected,
fearing that he will be accused of pre-
judice by one or perhaps both sides The |
penalty for the offense with which Gem
eral Easan probably will be tried, con-
duct unbecoming an officer and a gem |
tleman, Is one of the most severe known |
in the army, being dismissal. Article |
81 reads as follows: ANY officer who |
Is convicted of conduct unbecomng an |
officer and a gentleman shall be dis |
missed from the service" If the court |
shall find General Eagan guilty even |
with extenuating circumstances they
must attach this sentence and then the
only hope for the officer would be in the
exercise of clemency by the president,
based perhaps upon the courts recon-
do