Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-08-30


| Acknowledgement Griges TO answer Col
onei Barr made his answer very complete
~ covers 1l2 pripted pages. II Is interest
Ing. II not significant, TO note tnat the
War Department has published only
twenty-five copies of this reply by COP
orcl Barr. and these are guarded with =
Jealous care seldom displayed In the treat
mcnt OF any public document.
At the outset OF his rep.y Colonel bari
| calls the attention of Attorney Gen erai
| Griggs to the fact that the argument
and brief for the defence" to which ne
Is requested TO reply. IL unsigned me
general understanding IS that the unsigned
document was prepared by Wayne Mac
Voagh. though. OF course, since IT came
direct from the Attorney General with
| no signature attached. Griggs must stand
SPONSOR for H.
GRIGGs SPONSOR FOR 1T.
Colonel Barr says: THE Argument OF
| counsel appears TO 0e largely devoted 10
| the dement's Of the judge advocate Of the
| court-martial. rather than 10 the merits
! Of the case. Its discourteOus and
| caIumniatory character T. such as TO de-
nand specific condemnation, and such
! condemnation 81 shall receive, with re-
| futation Of it's untrdthful statements
After Colonel Barr had thus given ex-
preston 10 the smarting insult which he
felt had been put upon him ana every
member Of the cOurt-martial. and Tor
which the AttOrney-General stood spon-
sor. Mr.. Griggs had the effrOntery 20 re-
quest him 10 still further reply 10 the
so-called argument and brief for the
defence" with this request Colonel Barr
has politely but firmly refused TO com
ply.
Carriers lawyers had attacked the court
as being composed Of members ''necessa-
rily not learned in the law nor accustom-
ed to weigh evidence" To this COM
plant Colonel Barr replies: 1T Is am
cult to comprehend such a didactic state
ment 1t IS not possible to conceive OF
a class Of men more competent to judge
Of the weight and credibility Of testimony
than educated army officers OF mature
years"
The court appointed by the President
for the trial OF Captain Carter was com
posed Of thirteen members, all officers OF
high rank and advanced years. The pre-
sident Of the court is Il trained lawyer
as well as q distinguished soldier. more
intelligent, conscientious, and attentive
court-martial never sat In this or any
other country.
Colonel Barr then reviews the evidence
and shows conclusively that the charges
against Carter were fully proven.
CARTER TO POSE AS A DREYFUS.
Wayne MacVeagh, counsel for Captain |
Oberlin NJ Carter. United States army, |
convicted by a court-martial Of defraud- !
ing the government, will return TO Now |
York on Saturday from Europe and begin |
q vigorous campaign on behalf Of MS |
client.
An endeavor will be made TO show that
Captain Carter is the Dreyfus Of Ameri-
ca; that he has suffered from unjust ac-
cusations and unlawful trial
4 Journal representative saw Captain
Carter yesterday, and asked what he had
TO say I'm his defence. His answer was
the same as the cry of Dreyfus:
Il am innocent Truth must prevail"
Captain Carter added that he could say
nothing concerning the details Of his case,
as under the advice of counsel he wa-
bound TO silence.
The Captain is living at the New York
Athletic Club house, and will continue
TO live there for the present.
1t is charged by his counsel and friends
that the court-martial, owing TO preIu-
lice ana error. convicted Captain Garter
wrongfully. and that since then the legal
department. Of the army STAFF has done
in its power TO prevent a re-
versal of the decision. I'm order TO sus-
tain its own honor and avoid acknowledge
ng so great an error.
Mr.. MacVeagh, in his brief recently
submitted to Attorney General Grisgs,
irst brought forward the Dreyfus idea
md compared the Carter court to the
,ourt that condemned the French officer.
lie said:
IL need not dwell upon the general in
of a detail of officers selected
id hoe by the Secretary of War to- dedl
with such questions. Indeed, 1t is not
stating the case too strongly to say that
Il would not be easy to select an equal
number OF highminded gentlemen from
my other walk of life less competent to
leal with the proposition this case pre-
5ents.
"A great deal Of misconception has
)een caused by giving the title of court
10 such officers as happened to be ordered
~ the Secretary of War to try a person
n the military service.
The detail Of officers who condemned
he Due d'Enghien, whose grave was dug
before the officers themselves assembled, |
VAS called court The detail OF Of !
icers who condemned Admiral Byng, not
BECAUSE he was guilty, but as NOltaire
said, TO encourage the others, was called
court The detail of officers who con-
lemned General Fitz John Porter was Gait
ri a court The detail of officers who re-
emily condemned Captain Dreyfus was
allied court and the detail Of officers
Who condemned Captain Garter was call
ID a court But nothing can really be
'urther from the truth than to call u
by the Secretary Of War To
certain officers TO get themselves to-
5ether and try person I'm the military
service the constituting of a court "