The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-03
TELL ABOUT
HOWELL
Court Martial of
9th Artillery
Officer
TO PROVE HE
WAS DRUNK
Sentence Will Depend Largely
Upon Whether He Was
intoxicated.

ing out OF the recent dIalf at camp
Stotzenberg, was opened yesterday be-
fore the commission in session at the
headquarters of the Department of
Northern Luzon. Several of the most
important witnesses were placed upon
the stand and testified The pivotal
point round which most of the testi-
mony seemed to swing was whether
or not Lieutenant Howell was intoxi-
Gated, and doubtless the sentence will
depend largely on the view which the
commission takes of this important
question.
The first witness called to the stand
was Trumpeter H. F. White. He was
followed by Private Osman Freeman,
orderly for Lieutenant Howell on the
crucial day, and by First Sergeant
William Muller. Their testimony va
ried in no important particulars. 1t
chiefly concerned the condition of
Lieutenant Howell, and the time and
nature of the battery exercise. Ser
geant Muller testified to riding to
headquarters at San Felipe Neri, and
there the condition of affairs at Camp
Stotzenberg.
First officer to take the stand was
Second Lieutenant Hamilton Foley, of
the Fifth Cavalry, stationed at San
Felipe Neri. His testimony ran as fol-
lows in reply to questions from the
judge advocate: 81 happened to be in
Camp Stotzenberg that day as a re-
suit of a note from the district COM
mander, saying that the presence of an
officer there was necessary. On arrival
at the camp at about 8 or $50 at night,
at once saw the accused was under
the influence of liquor. I judged this
from his personal appearance-the
flushed face, the bright moist eye, and
the trembling hands. / spoke to him
and told him / was sent out by the
district commander, and, in obedience
to orders, he must consider himself
relieved of command of the battery
and under arrest. He nodded his head
quietly two or three times, and said
yes; yes. He then went to another
room and put on his blouse. After
remaining quiet for awhile he pushed
his chair back and wanted to know
what the trouble was, and why he
was placed under arrest. He then
asked several times what I wanted him
to do in order to demonstrate his
HlHeSS. ne OuSTeQ TO OTuST out the
battery and exercise it before me. I
replied that it was too late. After ten
minutes he asked me to go outside
with him, which I did, and he showed
me the different pieces Of artflley. He
wanted to conduct me all around the !
battery. 1 told him I'd remain all
night, and did SO, leaving at O'Clock
the next morning. AS to Mr.. Howells |
condition, l should say he was drunk
. C oft tTcrI, r. tnIl
in his walk he staggered very percep-
tibly. On my way to Camp Stotzen-
berg I was accompanied by Sergeant |
Muller, and he showed me where the |
lieutenant had taken the battery L
-hink the ground was not fit to exercise
a battery in the night time
Under short cross-examination by
HauSSermar, acting for the
accused, Lieutenant Foley admitted
hat he drew his deductions regarding
he state of Lieutenant Howell partly
rom the information impaired by Ser
seant Muller.
The next witness, David w. Over
on, acting assistant surgeon at Camp
baked on the question of
he judge advocate. whether or not,
Howell was drunk. This
lie refused to answer directly, saying
t was not a fair question, and he had
lever heard a case diagnosed as
drunk" After a tussle between the
witness and judge advocate regarding
he question and answer, the latter
lnally compromised matters by pro- {
a more than sesquipedalian ]
of drunkenness It ran in {
his wise: DO you consider that the 7
ccused was in such a condition result !
ng from an inordinate use Of intoxi- {
atfng liquor as would materially i'm |
air him in the full and entire ,1sa oP |
is mental and physical faculties?'
he surgeon replied that according to :
hat definition, Lieutenant Howell was
runk He also said that he could at
end to his duties and knew what he
vas doing. AS to the amount, Lieuten-
Mt Overton said the accused drank a
title in the morning of the day in
uestion, at luncheon a cocktail, and
gain in the afternoon he drank at
1tervals of fifteen or twenty minutes.
On cross examination by the Judge Y
dvocate the lieutenant said that at :
ne place during the ride by the bat
cry he thought the sergeant in charge
one battery was going to collide with
large stone, but he narrowly escap- :
4. 4
After the testimony of Lieutenant I
verton the counsel defending the ac-
used asked that the case be continued
IL Wednesday morning, pleading the
hort time allowed to prepare a de-
anse, and very pressing matters in
onnection with his other official du-
es which had to be attended to at
nee on account of changes at the LIST
July. After discussion the commits
ION adjourned until that time
Lieutenant Whitsett, who was ex- :
ected to undertake the defense, was
OF present, his place being taken by