The times., 1901-05-31
REWARD FOR CAPTAIN HALL.
An Advancement of Ten Numbers
Recommended by Captain McCaiIa.

An Advancement of Ten Numbers
recommended by Captain McCaiia.
The Board on Naval Awards organized
| by Secretary Long to determine the rec
| ognitlon to be given to officers and men
OF the Navy and Marine Corps who dis
| tfnguished themselves in the Spanish war,
the Philippines insurrection, and the
| China campaign, has under consideration
| the advisability of making more com
ptete the vindication of Capt. Newt II.
Han, the young marine officer recently
acquitted by a court of enquiry of allega-
! tions affecting his courage growing out of
the defence of the legations at Pekin.
The boards consideration of the matter
is based on a recommendation of Capt.
B. H McCalla commanding the cruiser
Newark, that Captain Hall be advanced
ten numbers for his services in defending
the legation quarter of the Chinese
capital Captain Hall commands the
marine guard on the Newark, now on her
way from the Asiatic station to New
York, and has had a warm supporter in
Captain McCalla, who has informed the
Navy Department officially and officers
of the department personally that the ac-
cused officer showed courage and soldier
ly ability at Pekin during the trying
period of the siege. With the court of
enquiry's verdict to sustain the conten-
tions of Captain McCalla, the Board on
Awards has plenty of evidence with which
to base a decision as to the character OF
Captain Halrs conduct.
The record of the proceedings of the
court of enquiry has been received at
the Navy Department and referred to the
Board on Awards. There is much in the
testimony contained in the record to show
that during the siege of the legations
there was considerable il-feeling among
the legationers, and particularly between
some of the members of the American
diplomatic contingent and Captain Hail.
While the naval authorities decline to
permit examination of the record of the
court 1t is understood that it contains the
testimony that Captain Hall became un-
popular with certain Americans because
he declined to direct his marines TO salute
ladies attached TO the American legation
giving as his reason that constant saIuting
was fatiguing to the men, who were pretty
well exhausted from the hard work of
defending the legations from the Chinese
besiegers
According to some witnesses this was
the beginning of the trouble which re-
suited in the charges against Captain
showed that II regarded a woman or
women with being partly responsible for
the allegations against the courage of
the young officer. and also intimated that
an official of the American Legation, who
had made charges against him, had been
shown In an unfavorable light by testf-
mony produced by the defence 1t is prob
able that the Board on Awards will read
the testimony in the case before render
ing it's decision.
Captain Myers of the Marine Corps and
Surgeon Lippett of the navy have been
rewarded for their services at Pel1in, but
the Board on Awards passed over Captain
Hall because lie was under charges at
the time the reports OF gallantry in the
Pekin campaign c-ere under consideration.
The question for the Board on Awards to
determine is whether Captain Halls gen
eral conduct at Pekin was Of such a
character as to be deserving of recogni-
tion by the Government.
The Navy Department has decided that
review of the Hall court of enquiry is
not necessary in view of the approval of
It's findings by Admiral Remey. This
makes the vindication of Captain Hall Of
ficially complete.