The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-24
A BIG BUSINESS
Done by the Legal Department of the
Army Last Year.

Washington, Oct 24-Gen. Lieber,
judge advocate general of the army, in
his annual report to the secretary of
war, says there were g. $50 trials by gen
fiscal year, of which number 50 were
commissioned officers eleven regulars
and "a vOlunteers), four cadets, 1851 en-
listed men 6, 424 regulars and ], 1914 vol
unteers) and twenty-three civilians with
the army OF the commissioned officers
rs aad of the enlisted men 5000 were
convicted A total Of 1850 men We're SEN
fenced to diShonOrable discharge, of
whom 2,215 were in the regular army
and 315 in the volunteers
Death sentences were imposed by SEN
tence of court martial in six cases of en-
listed men-One for murder, four for
criminal assault and one for striking a
superior officer. The death sentences in
the cases were cOnmuted by the presi-
dent to dishonora BILE discharge, a for
fixture of al pay and allowances and
imprisonment at hard labor for twenty
years in five cases, and for three years
in one case-that Of striking a superior
officer The death sentence was i'm
posed by sentence of a court martial in
one case of a civilian employee for Grim
inal assault and other offences, which
sentence, however, was committed to i'm
prisonment at hard labor for twenty
years. In addition to the above fifty
eight persons were tried by military
commissions during the year. of which
number forty-twO were convicted, fifteen
were acquitted and in one case the SEN
tence was disapproved.
Of the convictions, twenty-five were
for murder, five for assault with intent
to kill, six for counselling soldiers to
desert, six for robbery and one as a
spy. Death sentences were imposed by
military commissions in thirteen cases of
natives of the Philippine islands-eight
for murder and robbery, four for MUIR
der and one for being spy
The death sentence was disapproved In
one case, executed in five cases and
COMMITTED to imprisonment at hard
labor for 20 years in five cases, for fff-
teen years in one case and for ten years
in another.
The judge advocate generals depart
ment is now composed of eight officers,
a force in the opinion of General Lieber
entirely insufficient to meet existing re-
quirements- Under the law reorganiz-
ing the department the secretary of war
is authorized to supplement this reg
ular force with acting judge advocates
of departments, detailed from officers Of
the line General Lieber says that the
arrangement has proved to be a very
good one, and the officers so detailed
have done their work well, but he is de-
c1dedly or opinion that larger proper
ton Of officers employed on that work
should belong to the regular judge ad-
vocate generals department II the
present corps were doubled, it would be
still necessary he says to resort to the
detail Of line officers. While not advo-
eating the abandonment OF the present
practice, he expresses the opinion that
the number of detailed officers should
not SO greatly exceed the number Of off,
GERS Of the department as IS now made
necessary by the demands Of the serv-
ice.
In closing his report General Iieber
recommends the passage of bill drafted
by him Ito prevent the failure OF mill
tary Justice which was favorably re-