Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-18

commons to-day the chancellor of the
 exchequer replying to John Redmond,
 the Irish leader, announced that the
 tax on maize would be reduced by
 one-half.
 Southampton, June 1S.-The United
 States battleship Illinois (hagship of
 Rear Admiral Crowninshield. com-
 handing the European squadron),
 which is to represent the American
 navy in the naval review in the Solcnt
 in honor of the coronation of King Ed-
 ward, arrived here to-day.
 London, June 1S.-Sunny weather and the promise of good sport were quite sufficient to attract big crowds to Ascot Heath today without the presence of King Edward and Queen Alexandra, neither of whom attended. The king has practically recovered from his indisposition and their maj
 esties are expected to go to the races Wales represented the royal family at Ascot to-day. Otherwise the crowd of fashionable people was much the same as the one at yesterdays Ine
 ing.
 London. June 1S.-The text of the findings of the court of inquiry III the case of the United States naval ott1- cers imprisoned at Venice in the lat ter part of April throws a new ana important light on the affair. It now appears that the United States consul at Venice, Henry A. Johnson, and the lawyer provided by him for the de- fense urged the officers to plead that they were violently drunk. This they utterly declined to do. Rear Admiral Crowninshield, in reviewing the find- ingss of the court, severely censures Captain James H. Dayton, the com- mander of the Chicago, for not per- sonally attending to the defence of the officers and comments on the tres volting indignities'' suffered by the of- ficers while confined at Venice. Una der the circumstances, Admiral Crowninshield holds, "a courtmartiaI would be farce.'
 Captain Dayton's court of inquiry traces the movements of the officers of the Chicago on the day of their arrest and says Lieutenant John $. Doddridge and Surgeon Robert E. Ledbetter were affected by liquor to a noticeable extent. but were not in- toxicated in the ordinary meaning of the term, and there is no evidence that the other parties were affected by drinking"
 The disturbance arose when Cap- tain Robert E. Wynne, commanding the marine guard of the Chicago, sec ing Doddridge and Ledbetter sitting outside Florian's cafe, "gave a hail. unusual in this place, resemblin vi, vi. yi.' Lieutenant Doddridge and Surgeon Ledbetter ran towards Cap- tain Wynne, upsetting chairs and two small tables. A large crowd and the police immediately surrounded Lieu- tenant Doddridge, who endeavored to explain. "The crowd" the findings ''pressed on, shouting and and were not well con trolled by the police. The police seized Lieutenant Doddridge and ap- at the same time the crowd him. Lieutenant Doddridge was roughly handled by the police md it required the assistance of citi- zens to effect his arrest. But there were no means of distinguishing the persons assisting the police from those who were wantonly attacking he prisoner"
 Captain Wynne, Surgeon Lcdbettcr. Naval Cadet James c. Kress and Langley. marine. all forcibly en- ieayored to help Lieutenant Doddridge for the assistance of tho .itizens. but not attacking the police.
 "At the station," 1t is added in the :, lndings of the court. ''therc was much excitement. The crowd was at irst allowed therein and no one ap- ,eared to be in high authority. The rowd shouted and gesticulated and he officers made demands and pro- ests. Their treatment in prison was evere and extremely humiIiating, but here is no evidence that the prison ules were exceeded"