Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-11-24
WAS NEVER INTERVIEWED.
Tie Declares That Ho is Entirely Innocent,
and VIII Not Rost Until His Innocence
is Officially Prociaimcd--The Only
Thing Against Him is Admittedly Pure
suspicion--The Means of Proving His
Innocence suppresscd--wm Appeal to
United States Supreme Court.
(By Telegraph to virgInlan-Pilot.)

~
Leavenworth. Kan. Nov. 23.-Oberlin
Nj. Carter, former captain of engineers,
to-day. for the first time since his ar
rest last winter for defraudlng the
government on Southern harbor con-
tracts. made public a statement in de-
fence of his acts. Carter had attended
the hearing in the United States dis
trlct court OF the habeas corpus pro-
ceedings brought In his defence, and
was proceeding during the noon recess,
accompanied by his attorneys and the
warden of the penitentiary, to a hotel
Tor lunch, when he accosted a newspa-
per reporter. 1t was the first time Car
ter had been out of the prison walls
since his incarceration last April
Since my arrest" he said, Il have
never given out IL statement for publ
cation, but L have prepared one to-
day."
With these words he handed the re-
porter a lengthy typewriter docu-
ment. The statement was in part as
follows:
is ENTIRELY INNOCENT"
Until this moment have never au-
thorized an interview, and you will UNI
uerstahu that considerations Of deli
cacy ana propriety forbid me saving
now one word concerning the matters
before the court. 1t seems manifestlv
proper, however. that l should give To
you my reasons for instituting these
proceedings. | am entirely Innocent
and shall not rest until my Innocence
proven at my military inuuistion is
o,ncially proclaimed. 1t will he proven
mat not one dollar ever came into my
isthus improperly. that not one dollar
ated or misapplicd by me. and that the
government was never defrauded
through me in any manner whatever"
SUSPICION ONLY.
Mr.. Carter then quoted General
Craishill and other engineers to prove
mat MS duties were performed faith
1uliy and intelligcntly," and added that
the only ground assigned by the at
torney general for his condemnation
was admittedly that of pure suspi-
cion, not only unsupported by anv ev
idence whatever. but indirect conflict
herewith. and has since been shown
IN u court OF law utterly false"
IN institutng habeas corpus pro-
ceedings therefore," he said, az have
an Infinitely higher motive than to Sc
cure mere liberty. What is mere lib
erty or even life to man of my aims,
associations and ambitions; to a man
whose life has been devoted to the
FAITHFUL service of his country and
whose good name is beyond price? /
nave sought liberty because I am in
nocent. and that l may have the OPP
are gone to compel the legal vindica-
ton of my character. I recognize thai
n soldiers life is in the hands of his
military Superiors and may be Sacri-
feed by them at their will. but no
government has the right to permit
military or political power to sacrifice
the reputation Of an innocent man. no
matter whose errors or interests are
concerned. nor whose crimes are
sought to be shielded
a PATHETIC PLEA.
What becomes OF my body matters
little. for | am but one man: but it
does matter 10 this entire country that
man should have been denied a fair
trial and declared guilty when he is
innocent. and that subsequently, on a
pretended judicial review of the evil
dence. virtually on n secret re-trial of
his case. at which he was not even al
lowed to be present My innocence,
established even during my military in
QUESTION, could have been proven again
publicly and with absolute certainty
long ere this had not the means of
doing so been suppressed, but sooner
or later, Notwithstanding the crimes of
my prosecutors and the conspired
clamor for the shame of an innocent
man, by vindication is bound to come"
In case the application for the writ
is denied, Cartcrs attorneys will APP
peal to the United States Supreme
Court.
HABEAS CORPUS PROCEEDINGS.
United States District Court here to-
day, before Judges Amos, Thaycr and
Hook. hearing was begun in the habeas
corpus proceedings brought by attor-
neys for Oberln NJ. Carter. ex-captain
United States Army, who was dis
missed from the army, fined and SEN
fenced to IL term of years in the Fede-
raj prison at Leavenworth, on the
charge of completely in alleged at
tempted frauds in the government har-
Dor works contracts at Savannah, Ga.
Carter was brought from prison to
the courtroom in an ambulance I'M
attended save by Warden McClaughey.
He appeared self possessed, but avoid
ed the gaze Of spectators who crowded
the room. He was attired in n new
black suit, which the warden had. at
the prisoners earnest solicitation. per-
mitted him to substitute for his prison
garb. His hair and heavy moustache
were much grayer than before he began
serving his term, and his face was wan.
Frank p. Blair of Chicago and Con-
gresham Grosvenor. of Ohio. appeared
Tor Carter. while Colonel ]. w. Clous
deputy judge general of the
army. and District Attorney I. L. Lam
bert and his assistant, II. +. Hone.
represented the government.
Judge Thayer limited Carriers attor-
news TO three hours and the govern
ment to two and one-half hours argu-
ment. Attorney Blair opened for Car
ter whose conviction, he alleged, was
Illegal. inasmuch as it should have
been secured under the Goth article OF
war instead of the ed and when the
President disapproved several findings
In n court-martial the full sentence
pronounced by the court-martial ceased