The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-10-12
Incompetency and LooiIng Are Among the
Other Allegations Made.
RESPONSIBLE FOR FORTSONS DEATH.
COlonsl fcc.soi Of Fleeing from The Ilrng Line
and Sending a prs'O tscE for kat Winch
ho lrapp;d In His Figh,

San Fra anclsco. Cal. oct l2.-Army
officers who returned on the transport
Pennsylvania from Manila say that
nine charges and twelve specifications
have besn filed with General Cas, ac-
cusing Colonel Wholley, OF the First
Washington regiment, OF cowardce,
incompetency lcoting and responsible
ity for Captain George IL. Fortson
death.
X Is stated that Lieutenant Colonel
Miley. of the Eighth Army Corps, was
ordered by General OTIS TO conduct a
conf~ental investigation. Testimony
was taken among une regimental Oiil-
GERS, but the result of the lnVestiga-
non was not made public. Ii is under
stood THAI senator Foster and Repre-
sentative Cushman Will demand on the
floor of Congress that the charges ana
findings be produced.
The specifications charge Colonel
Wholley with coWardice at san Pedro
Macau on several different counts. Il
is alleged that he would run and duck
and cool and seek to avoid danger
when the other officers held their
ground. ON one occasion. NC is asserted.
in his haste 10 get TO the rear his hat
blew of, but he did not stop TO recover
", and afterwards sent private back
TO the firing line TO find II.
On the trip to Laguna de Bay Il is
charged, Colonel Wholley concentrated
the troops in the rear about his own
person. while Major Wesenburger was
isolated at the front with a portion Of
one company and subjected to great
danger. II is further said that # was
due TO the gallantry- nf-the major and
the bravery of his men that the COM
pany was saved.
CHARGE OF INCOMPETENCE.
Incompetency at Pasig also figures in
the charges. Ii is said that Colonel
Wholley made no preparations Tor de-
fence, and sent two companies, A and
Il. across a creek without scouts I'm the
darkness to attack insurgents who were
only thirty yards distant and whose
strength he did not know To this
blunder, IL ds charged. was due the
death OF Captain Fortson and two en-
listed men and the wounding of five
others.
Ii is also charged that Colonel Who'll
ley "bolted to the rear" ait the first fire
in this fight and confined himself
thereafter to a safe retreat in a church.
giving no orders during the engagement
even neglecting TO send out ammuni-
tion TO the men on the firing line. and
afterward making a false report of the
affair.
Lieutenant Colonel McCaslkey, OF the
Twenty-frst infantry. and General
Hughes Provost Marshal of Manila
preferred the charges Of looting which
embrace the pillaging of the houses of
natives and the seizing of furniture.
pianos, dishes. etc. which he had boxed
up AMI labelled as the property of the
First Washington regiment.
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION.
Officers of the rev lment, I'm conversa-
tion, quite generally sustain the charg-
es, while many OF the enlisted men
stand by Colonel Wholley and say his
bravery cannot be questioned. Those
who made the charges declare they viii
press them. and hint at sensational de-
yelopments.
There seem TO b some politics in the
affair. Colonel WhOlley is a democrat,
and some of the officers say he was
jealous Of Lieutenant Colonel Fife. who
is a n publican. The latter was in charge
of portion of the regiment that went
o. the Philippines on the Valencia, and
arrived at Manila on Thanksgiving day
last year
Captain Lame. of the transport gave
a banquet 90 the offipers OF the regi-
mcnt in honor OF the holiday. and
Lieutenant Colonel Fife gave some
champagne 20 the bandsmen who were
playing on the bridge Colonel Wholiey
heard OF the affair. ana had Fife tried
for conducting a bolsterous frolic. The
court martial suspended Fife for thirty
days.
This did not increase the harmony In
the regiment. some OF the men alleging
that wholly was afraid Fife would
make record on the firing line and
took this means OF shelving him