The times., 1899-04-21
LANG's CASE.
The Lieutenant Who Wns Crushed
for Lack of Pull.

for Lack of Pull.
While Lieut.. Clarence L. Lang. of the
Second Artillery. has taken his dismiss
sal from the service philosophical;y and
is preparing TO resume life where he left
of ten years ago as a civilian his friends
are ignoring his wishes and criticising the
court-martial and the speedy execution OF
its sentence.
They say that the court-mart ial ended
its work at II O'Clock Friday and that the
finding had been approved by the depart
ment commander, the Judge Advocate
General and the President by p. M Sat
urday. They are talking in rather loud
tone of voice. He will not talk at all. He
holds that it would do the service harm
were he to discuss the proceedings against
him. and it would look 10 the public like
a case OF sour grapes.
They went after me and they got me-
and that's all there is to say" is the lam
euase friend quotes as Lans's reply 10
his attempt TO commiserate. "All the
same, / would much rather be private citi-
zen Lang than the inforIner whose v0lun-
tary testimony. that he thought ne recog-
nized me, was the cause of MY dismissal
from the Army. He caused the service to
be soandaliZed. | did rot. IL admitted
that there was nothing to indicate that
the persons he saw were not what they
pretended to be. He was not even able to
convince the iaadlady that his charges
were true. There was no ASSOCIATION with
a notorious character. There was no Lnfa-
vorable attention attracted TO the uniform,
for the person recognized Wore nome
Lieutenant Lang. his friends say. had
letters to the President from prominent
Ohio personages which came 10 him with
cut solicitation. and he did not present
Ttl aAt
make defence. He felt that there was
no use. His friends seem to think that the
game being played was net fair one. They
say the cards had been stacked against the
lieutenant from the time he married the
sergeants daughter and that his enemies
have lied about him and laid for him. and
his undoins was is certain as anything not
accomplished could be. II it had not come
by means of the charge made by Lieuten-
ant Sewell, of the Engineers, it would
have been brought about in some other
way. He was outside the Army ring He
was not afraid to recognize volunteer as
a man.
There was no doubt of his efficiency as
an officer, they say. II was unusual, as
General Merritt himself said in COM
mending his work at Fort Schuyler and at
Willet's Point. Ths General wrote that he
was sorry that he did not have it in his
power to Cffer Lieutenant Lang something
appropriate to his abilities under the gem
erals own command.
An artillery officer. sent out by the Sec
retary of War to inspect fortiiications from
Galveston to Maine, saw the mounting OF
mortars and breech -loaders at Fort Schuy-
Ter and Willet's Point, and said in his re-
port that Lieutenant Lang was the most
efficient artillery officer he had met. and
was better informed as 10 the arrange
ments OF these modern heavy guns than
anyone in his personal acquaintance. His
work was phenomenal.
Lieutenant Lang bad his plans under way
to leave the Army in March 1898. But
volunteers were asked for to 20 TO VIII
let's Point, and he felt it his duty to go.
He had read law some. and he had a no.
ton then that he might make LAWYER
He writes and speaks French and Spanish.
is a shorthand man. and does things for
the magazines so he had a way of smooth
ing out the rough places. He went to Porto
Rico and he had chance there TO make
himself independently rich. but here again
he felt the Government needed experienced
offers. and he stayed in the service Now
he is out. He may become the agent OF
some commercial house. II such house
seeks his services, and go to the new pos
sessions of the United States, where his
poyglot as well as his executive ability
might count.
He was in the Navy two years and was