The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-07-17

brought tom Oyster Bay the ease Of Gel
! oral Jacob X. Smith, tried by court martial |
/ AT Manila on account Of orders issued To
/ Major Waller. General smith was found I
guilty o. the charge b5 the court and sen
tened TO be atlmcnIsheI hy the reveAtg
/ authority. The prcsiaput has SO gGmOn /
lshe4 Geasqal smith ami retired h.m uadr (
the law which provides that officers ha,-
Ing reached lie age or " years may DC re |
tired ar wiii by tue president.
Secretary loot supplements the repri |
nand ~ President Roosevelt Ia "a long cir
cu!ar iu which le tXglains lle conditions 1
eva! sMltA lisd shows thnt dtAongu zen /
clul Snttu issued the kiu AKA burn" or /
der as . -lnattcl 10 fact very rev persons I
were Aliied as q result OF tnat order, the /
casualties ttIE- confined almost wholly 10 {
I tue eleven natives kllild under Major Nai. /
( Ter uilCctl0n.
Following Is the text Of the president
review az the case.
BY the President
} White uouse, Washington. July III, 1902
\ Tue findings and sentence of the court are
/ approved.
am we'll aware Of the danger aud great
! ulinCuity of tbe tuss oar army has had iu
( iutoleable urovorslions 1t has received
! from the cruelty treachery aud the total
/ disregard " the rule and customs OF civ
'4AeN WUl@fe on the part ot It's Goes
n'su heartily approve the employment OK
the strluest measures necessary ~ pnt 4
slnp 10 such atrocities aud 10 bring Ills
/ war 20 close. IL would be culpIble 10
show weakness Ia GeJ lag with u d foes
OF to tai! 10 use an legitimate ana LuuptuJls
mciu'is 10 overcome them, But the very
/ IArt mat warfare Is OF such character as
20 auord lunnlte provocation for the com
mission Of acts Of cruelty by Junior ofa.
GERS ana the enlisted men. must make the
Vthcers IN high and responsible positions
particularly careful In taeir bearing aud
tuhau,t, 80 as 70 Keep Il moral check over
any acts of any improper character 10y their
su""Fdlhales. Almost universally their Of
hters have borne themselves as TO supply
tAlS necessary check and but with few py-
ceptlons the officers ana soldiers of tho
army have shown wonderful kindness aud
IoiDealauee III d. alus with their foes
suLLIED THE AMERICAN NAME.
But 'lege have been exceptions: there
nave been Instances OF the use OF torture
and of Improper haartcssncss In wa~fare
on the pert Of Individuals Of small de-
L. elements. In the recent campaign or.
eercl By General Smith, the shooting of
! tar native bearers 10y the orders OF Major
Waller was uu act which sulled the Amer.
, icau name aud can be but partly excused
because Of Major Walters mental .,,ndl.
tlon at that time; this mental 'NaItiou
being due 10 the fearful hardship and SUI
fenng which he had undergone In his cam
paign. IL Is impossible TO tell exactly now
mueh iuunencc language like that used by
Il General Smith may have hGd In preparing
:. the minds of those under him for the com.
mission OF The deeds which We regret
| Loose aud violent talk by an officer or
S high rank is always likely to excite TO
| wrongdoing those among his subordnates
whose wills are weak or whose passions
are strong
General Smith has behind him long
| career distinguished tor gallautuy and on
8 The whole for good conduct Taken IN the
lao. ~.
{, credit on the American army and therefore
upon the nation ana II Is deeply TO ne
regretted that he should have acted IN
s this Instance rs 90 Interfere with his lur-
Their usefulness In the army.
. / hereby direct that he he reured from
the active list Theodore Roosevelt
SECRETARY ROOTS REVIEW.
The following is the review OF Secretary
Root
: 10 the President;
War Department Washington, July l.,
I, lGu2,- transmit herewith the proceedings
- OF the tral OF Brigadier General Jacob H.
Smith by court martial convened under
6 Your orders dated April 81 1902, and now
brought before you as reviewing authority.
General Smith was found guilty of con-
quot to the prejudice of good order and
military discipline in that he gave in the
FALL of 1901 to Major L. W. 4. Waller
of the marine corps then serving with a
battalion OF marines under mis- orders as
III commander OF tue SIKH separate DrlSHue
in Samar the following oral Instructions:
. II wish you To XIII and burn, the more
Va you XIII and burn the better You VIII
10 please me-, aud further mat he wanted
All persons Killed who were capable OF
bearing arms and In actual hostility 10 the
United States, and ana In reply to ques'
ton by Major Waller asking for an age
IL limit. designate the age limit as 10 years
~ Of age.
~ The court sentenced him 70 he admon.
" ished by the reviewing authority and tho
court appended to the sentence the follow
IN Ing explanation; "The court Is thus lenent
:" In glew Of the uudsputed evidence that the
IN accused did not mean everything that his
10, unexplained language implied; that his sub
ordinateS did not gather such g meaning
and that the orders were never executed 10
az such sense Notwithstanding that desper
H. ate struggle was being conducted with a
cruel and savage foe"
W. LIGHT SENTENCE IMPOSED.