The Washington times., 1901-08-31
NATIONAL GUARD AFFAIRS.
The Discharged Men Planning 10
Appeal to the Court.
The Summary Action of the Com
mnnding General mt Camp Ordvay
Severely Criticised - Guardsmen
Going to Buffalo for District Day.

| The Summary Action of the Com
| mnnding General at Camp Ordway
| Severely Criticised - Guardsmen
| Going to Buffalo for District Day.
| Trouble in the Engineer Corps of the
| District militia which broke out during
| the recent encampment of the National
| Guard at Leesburg. and which resulted in
the summary discharge of five men.
members of the corps, has not yet been
settled Steps will be Immediately taken
| to carry the case of the discharge of the
men into the courts. and the action of
| the commanding general. which is alleged
| to have been taken without due consid-
Grafton of the question of law involved.
| 1t is expected. will probably be revised
| and the men reinstatet Fin the Guard.
The militiamen discharged were Cor
| poral Edwin F. Lord. Erivate l.. I. Bish-
op, and second-class Prtvates W. l. War
field, Fred Il. Pussy, and Reginald Nor
ris. After their return from LeesburS
the men received their discharges, as
published at the time in The Times. The
summary action of the National Guard
authorities has been the cause of consid-
cradle i'll feeling In Gtard circles since
the return from the enchmpment and the
action of the commanding general has
been freely criticised. The men were DIS
charged for the good Of the service,
yet, though they have made efforts, they
have not yet been informed to the
nature of the charges upon which the ac-
ton in dismissing them was based. The
Adjutant Generals Office, it is said, has
refused to give them the information. The
clause in the act establishing the Ma
tionaI Guard of the District of Columbia
under which the charges were probably
made is as follows:
That a man may be discharged from
tn. Guard when. in the opinion of the
commanding general, such action is Tor
the good of the service.
All of the men discharged, when seen
in regard to the matter. expressed them
selves as being incensed at the manner
in which they had been treated. From
other sources it has been learned that the
action of the commanding general Is
without precedent. The men do not de-
sire to remain in the Guard, and wheh
they have been vindicated they Will ten
der applications for discharge The ques-
ton at issue is one of principle and the
men intend to carry the case, IL necessary,
into the courts This information Is
given on good authority.
1T is alleged that the original charge
made against the WdS OhS Va VI uiAfN
enness. preferred by Lieut.. Roy b.
Hayes. of the Engineer Corps. The men
state positively that they were not un-
der the influence of liquor when at Camp
Ordway. They were however, it is said,
confined in the guard tent on several oc-
casions The men say that their i'm
prisonment was in the nature of spite
work.
I'VE reached the camp at Leesburg on
Thursday afternoon, July lS,'' said r. T.
Bishop last night. THE next night L Will
admit that there was rather rougn
house in our tent, but l deny that there
was anyone there under the influence OF
liquor. We made some noise, and no one
objected to being arrested and placed in
the guardhouse, as We believed In meas
ure we deserved 1t. There is rule that
a man cannot se confined in the guard
house longer than twenty-four hours un-
less charges have been preferred against
him. Lieutenant Hayes did not prefer
any charges against us. Notwithstand-
ing this fact we were kept in the guard
house until Sunday morning.
'On Sunday We went for a walk to
Clark's Gap distance OF hve miles.
We had only few bottles of beer. On
our return to camp Lieutenant Hayes
again placed US under arrest There were
six men in the party, but Lieutenant
punishment a few days later, on dress
parade, Lieutenant Hayes made a public
address, in which he advised US to seek
different commands. Otherwise, he said,
he would have to ask for our resigna-
TONS
The men are said to have good reputa-
tionS In the Guard. Carroll Mattingly, for
merly "A lieutenant in the National Guard.
commanding the Engineer Corps, has
been retained as counsel He will en-
deavor to have them reinstated through
the courts If other means fail. 1t is said
that Lieutenant Hayes received his COM
mission through the efforts of Corporal
Lord. Lawrence was d member of the
First District of Columbia Volunteer
Regiment, and has an excellent record.
He has also served in the Philippines with
the Twenty-seventh Regiment United
States Volunteers. Bishop and Warfield
have been members of the Engineer Corps
for only a short time. Pusey was also a
member of the District Volunteer Regi-
ment, and has a good record.
The following viii leave for Sea Girt
today: Capt. E w. Zea, First Battalion:
Capt j. 5. Tomlinson, Inspector of Rife
Practice, Second Regiment; Lieut.. A. M.
Allison, First Battalion; Lieut.. h. II.
Neumeyer, cuartermaster. Second Bat
TALON; Sergeant E. n. Jackson, n. E.
Colloday. The Sea Girt meet is the only
topic OF conversation among the members
OF the National Guard at this time. The
success Of the District aggregation of
sharpshooters Is regarded as being a
sure sign that many of the prizes and
honors from the meet will be brought
back to the Capital.
provisional company composed of |
members of the Capron, Morton, and Cor |
coran Cadets, under the name of the lat
ter orga anization. will leave the city on
Sunday morning in privaIe car for the |
Buffalo exhibition, where they will take |
part in the district Day exercises on Sep |
tember 3. The headquarters of the boys |
while at the exhibition will be in the |
car. where they will have every conven- |
fence. The return to Washington will be |
made on Thursday.
The provisional company will be under |
the command of Capt. Il. 9. Edwards, |
captain of the Corcoran Cadets. Company |
A, Second Battalion. Captain Robinson, |
Of the Morton Cadets; Captain Patter- |
son. First Battalion; Captain Heron, Sec |
ond Regiment; Lieutenant Groves. First |
Battalion, and Lieutenants Meyers and !
PrOsise, of the Corcoraii Cadets, will ac- |
company the company to Buffalo.
The white, nobby dress uniforms will |
be worn. Arrangements were perfected |
at Il meeting held in the armory last |
night.
orders will be issued today for the dis |
charge of Privates Clyde Scott and III. c. |
Beekham, Company b. Fifth Battalion |
Major Charles II. Ourand is acting ad- |
jutant general of the Guard during the |
absence of Captain Robbins, who is at |
Sea Girt with the rifle team.