The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-23
HOPE MAY Be TRIED
COURT MARTIAL MAY RESULT
FROM CRITICISM OF sUPERIoRs.
DISINGENU0US AND UNFAIR
ARE CHARGES HE MAKES AGAINST
OFFICERS OF STATE SHOOT.

Superior Officers of Him Who Now
Accuses Them of Unfairness and
Injustice - Col. Cam, Inspector
General of Rife Practice, VIII De-
fend Management of COntests-In-
stances of Hopes Ideas of Sports
manIiI<e Conduct.
A court martial for Capt. George NJ.
Hope, of the Governors Horse Guard.
is not improbable outcome of the
letter he recently addressed to Maj.
w. w. Williamson. If it is ordered it
will be based upon Capt. Hopes unjust
criticism of the officers of the state
rifle contests of 1900, which took place
in Savannah.
This has no reference to Capt. Hopes
alleged. reply to the protest of the
Georgia team against his companys
conduct in sending a team to Sea
Girt, but refers exclusively to the ex-
traneous matters he dragged into the
controversy, of which alleged injustice
done the Horse Guard team at Sa-
vannah forms the burden. The other
matter will also receive attention.
The State Shoot of 1900 was held
under the orders of the Governor, and
the officers who conducted it were de-
tailed by the Governor directly for
this purpose. The executive officer of
the shoot was Col. George T. Cam, of
Savannah, inspector general of rife
practice of the state forces, and the
other officers received their special
authority on that occasion by virtue
of the Governors orders. They were
Capt. Hopes superior officers gener-
ally and specially and his criticism of
them subjects him to court martial
by every rule of military law.
A DisingenuOus Criticism.
Capt. Hope complains that at the
state shoot he was induced to enter
the members of his troop team to make
up the team of the First Regiment of
Cavalry, on the alleged assurance of
the officers of the Georgia Hussars
that they would enter in the troop
carbine contest the same five men they
used in the regimental contest. Three
of the Savannah members of the cav
airy team, as stated yesterday in the
Morning News, were not officers or en-
listed men of the Georgia Hussars and
could not have participated in the
troop contest. AS a matter of fact,
these three men, Capt. J. c. Postell,
Capt. w. G. Harrison and Capt. Thorn
as Hunter, were staff officers of the
regiment. The company officers would
have been glad to enter them could
they have done so under the rules, as
they were trained and expert marks
men, and the men substituted for
them comparative novices on the
range.
Col. Cam, it is stated, intends to
make special answer to the criticism
made by Capt. Hope of the manage
ment of the state shoot.
While no action on the subject has
been taken, it was freely suggested
among military men yesterday that
Capt. Hope should be court-martialed
for what he had said. They say that
all of it that is material can easily be
proven untrue.
Hope Caught in Unfair Effort.
Another incident of the range during
the shoot of 1900 is also interesting In
the company team match the teams as
is customary, drew for positions in the
order of shooting. Company B, of the
Savannah Volunteer Guards drew thir-
teenth place and the Governors Horse
Guard drew tenth.
As the teams approached the 500 yard
range gusty and unfavorable wind
arose. The wind blew strong and in
various directions and created con-
ditions so unfavorable that under it's
influence some of the best shots on the
range made poor scores. The team of
Company A, of the Guards, unques-
tionably the strongest from that bat
talon, went all to pieces, virtually, on
the 500 yard range.
The shooting continued and it came
the turn of Company B. 1t went on
the range and shot, under the most I'M
favorable conditions, making, however.
fairly good scores. Some one of the
team informed Capt. Stephens that the
Horse Guard team had not shot, al
| though its turn had long passed
| Capt. j. c. Postell was in charge of
the 500 yard range and Capt. Stephens
| Immediately asked him on what ac-
| count the change in the regular order
| had been suffered to take place Capt.
| Postell answered that the Horse Guard
| team was not on hand when it came its
turn to shoot and that he had been I'M
willing to delay the match A report
| OF the matter was made to Col. Cam,
| and he ordered the men on the 500 yard
| range to cease firing, while efforts were
prosecuted to find the members of the
| Horse Guard team.
Hidden in the Grand stand.
They were at last discovered hidden
away in the top of the grand stand.
! talking to some ladies. Col Cam ask
! ed Capt. Hope what he meant by act
| ing as he had, to which inquiry no
| satisfactory reply was, or in the ma
ture of things, could have been, given.
Capt. Hope" then said Col Cam
your conduct has been such that in
| justice to all the competing teams 1
! should debar you from this contest
| However, l am willing to permit you
to finish your score if the other teams
| give their assent
With a sheepish smile Capt Hope
| turned away, and the assent of the
! other teams being readily accorded, the
! Horse Guard was permitted to con-
tinue on the range. This attempt to
! force other teams to shoot under con-
| ditions of weather that were unfayor-
able, which the chances of war had
prescribed for the Horse Guard, was
! freely commented on at the time of
| the contest.
There were other actions of Cant
| Hope that were suffered to pass. Time
| after time when his team was at the
| butts officers say he would stand be-
| hind the marksmen and call a three
| when a two had been made and sig
nailed by the men i'm the pits, and il
| required considerable diligent attention
to keep him from winning the contest
after this fashion.
/ Meeting May BE Tonight.
A meeting OF the Savannah members
of the Sea Girt team is 10 be held TO-
night and at this gathering an outline