The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-21
CAPT. HOPES REPLY
SAID TO HAVE APPROVAL OF THE
HORSE GUARD.
SOME BOLD CHARGES.
THEY REFER To SEAGIRT AND TO
SAVANNAH


clares They Had a Hearing on
Their Protest and Appeared Salts
fed-Charges That Horse Guard
Team Was Not Given Fair Treat
ment at the Savannah Tourna-
ment.
Atlanta, Sept. 2O.-Capt. George M.
Hope, who commanded the Governors
Horse Guard team which went to Sea
Girt, N. j., in 1899 and again this year
and participated in the shoot held on
the range at that place, to-day sent
reply to the letter of Maj w. W. Will
hanson of Savannah, and in it he
makes some sensational charges
against the Savannah team which went
to Sea Girt three years ago.
Capt. Hope asserts that members of
the Savannah team were discovered at
midnight on the range measuring the
field on the eve of the shoot for I'M
known distances and that when this
was discovered one of the men acted as
spy" the next day and endeavored to
give the Savannah team such informa-
ton regarding the field and distances
as would enable them to have an adj
vantage over their opponents. He also
declares that the Atlanta team which
went to Savannah in 1900 was not
treated courteously or fairly.
The letter, it is understood, was pre-
pared and read to the members of the
Horse Guard, and was Endorsed by
them. This Endorsement, it is stated,
came especially from the members of
the company who attended the shoot
at Sea Girt this year. Capt. Hope then
signed it and mailed a copy to Maj.
Williamson.
The following is a copy of the letter:
No Apologies to Make.
Atlanta, Ca, Sept. 20, 1902.
Maj. w. w. Williamson, Commander
First Battalion, Georgia State Troops,
and Captain Georgia State Team, 1899
Sir: Replying to your favor of the
18th inst: AIT the outset we have no
apologies to make to you or to any
one else for our action relative to the
Sea Girt meeting. We sent team to
Sea Girt-we sent it on proper author
ity-and our only regret is that we
came back empty handed.
If we are as fortunate next year
to the meeting, we will not come back
empty handed, and we might say here
and now, that so strongly are we fix
ed in our opinion, that If it is posi-
BILE to do so, we viii send a team to
Sea Gin next year to participate, not
only in company matches-to which we
confined ourselves on this trip-but in
the regimental and state events as
well.
1t requires but little space to show
Sea Girt relations up in such a light
that the position assumed by your team
as the "custodians of Georgia honor"
will fade into thin air, and indigna-
ton at your impertinence will result.
A Few of Hopes Facts.
Now, let's have a few facts about
the behavior of the Savannah contin-
gent at Sea Girt-let's set them up in
cold type so that the good people of
Georgia" may have both sides of the
question; let's then see what must
have actuated the New Jerseyites to
have participated in the fraud charged
if, in fact, they did-and then let
the good people" see of just what
the honor of Georgia" consisted while
in the hands of the Savannah con-
tingent of the Georgia State Team at
Sea Girt in 1899.
On a night of September, 1892 the
night before the Skirmish stage of
the regimental match was to be shot,
one of the members of the Governors
Horse Guard team had occasion to
leave his tent, which was located on
a camp street close to the skirmish
range. The hour was very close to
midnight-probabl after. He was sur
prised to see occasional flashes of light
out on the skirmish range near the
point which seemed to have been clear
ed for the purpose of locating sill
houette figures for the skirmish stage
of the match.
Found Them Marking Distances.
He suspected something wrong.
and, knowing that his command
had a team entered to shoot this
match, and fearing duplicty on
the part of some team which was to
compete against him, and that some
unfair advantage was about TO be
taken of other contestants, he called
to a comrade to get up and dress as
quickly as possible and go out with
him to investigate. Together they went
silently forward till the light was
reached, when lo!-what was their as
tonishment and disgust to find some
member of the Savannah con-
tingent of the Sea Grit team OF
1899 - that down-trodden, oppressed,
robbed % DOTIlOU u LiC 0COA SiH
State Team-with dark lanterns, tape,
and pegs measuring, marking and
identifying the distances on the range
where they were to shoot match the
next day on unknown distances,
against-not only regimental teams
from all other states represented, but
against the team from the Governors
Horse Guard, which they now see fit
to censure and malign because it chose
to represent it's company-not the state
Of Georgia-three years later at Sea
Girt meeting. But more-the manage
ment OF the range discovered the fraud
attempted by our self-constituted CEN
sors-these protectors of "Georgia's
honor"-on the morning that this skir-
mish stage of the match was to be
shot, and after their duplicity had been
discovered, the management, determin-
ing that the distance should be un-
known, and that no advantage should
be gained by the Savannah contingent
marshalled all the teams that were TO
shoot IN this skIrmish. and marched
them half a mile behind a large mess
hail and halted them where they
could not see the placing OF the skir-
nnish figures. or know where they
were.
Then Il was that you. our censors,
distinguished yourselves a. "custodl-
ans of 0eorgia's honor" for. IN tse
person ~ II. y. FhHpof referred 70 IN
your letter., 20 whom you delegated
the trust. CFoFgla's honoF-keeper, en-
oof0paFFed with lurld NFhft. went
spffnpDE across tbs nfig dressed. not