Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-25
LETTER.
AROUSES ALL
SAVANNAH
MORNING NEWS SAYS ATLANTA
MAN ACTED UNFAIRLY IN SA- |
VANNAH SHOOT AND SMILED
SHEEPISHLY.

Governors Horse Guard, may. be court
martia1ed for the statements which he
made in his last letter TO the Savannah
men regarding their wall about the Sea
Girt shoot. The Morning News states
that the Savannah men are indignant.
and propose to see the matter to the
end. The morning paper of Savannah I
publishes an extended account of the af-
fair and charges that Captain Hope. when
his team was at the Savannah shoot in
1900, hid away his team in the grand
stand, to keep out of a match because +
the wind was blowing strongly at the
time. It Is also said by The Morning
News that Captain Hope smiled Sheep
ish smile and that he would count the
scores wrong. and further it took diligent
watching to keep him from winning the
match by counting wrong.
The following is what The Morning
News says about the matter:
A courtmartial for Captain George NJ.
Hope, Of the Governors Horse Guard.
is not an improbable outcome OF the
letter he recently addressed to Major
w. w. Williamson. If 1t is ordered IL
will be based upon Captain Hopes unjust
criticism of the officers of the state
rifle contests of 1900, which took place
in Savannah.
This has no reference to Captain Hopes
alleged reply to the protest of the
Georgia team against his company /
conduct in sending a team to Sea Ctrts /
but refers exclusively to the extraneous
matters he dragged into the controversy, |
of which alleged injustice done the Horse
Guard team at Savannah forms the bur-
den. The other matter will also receive
attention.
The state shoot of 1900 was. held under
the orders of the governor, and the Off
GERS who conducted it were detailed by
the governor directly for this purpose.
The executive officer of the shoot was
Colonel George T. Cam, of Savannah.
inspector general Of rife practice of the
state forces, and the other officers re-
ceived their special authority on that &C.
casion by virture Of the governors or
ders They were Captain Hopes superior
officers generally and specially and his
criticism of them subjects him to court
martial by every rule of military law.
Captain 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 caval-
~, on the alleged assurance of the Off
GERS of the Georgia Hussars that they
would enter in the troop carbine contest
the same five men they used in the regi-
mental contest. Three of the Savannah
members of the cavalry team, as stated
yesterday in The Morning News, were
not officers or elisted men Of the Georgia
Hussars and could not have participated
fact these three men. Captain ]. G. Pos
tell, Captain w. q. Harrison and Cap
tain Thomas Hunter, were STAN 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 Tor them
comparative novices on the range.
Colonel Cam, it is stated, intends to
make a special answer to the criticism
made by Captain Hope Of the manage
ment of the state shoot !
While no action on the subject has
been taken, 1t was freely suggested
among military men yesterday that Cap
tain Hope should be courtmartialed for
what he had said. They say that all OF
1t 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
teenth place and the Governors Horse
Guard drew tenth.
AS the teams approached the 500 yard
range a gusty and unfavoraDle WIND
arose. The wilma blew strong and in
various directions and created conditions
so unfavorable that under its influence
some of the best shots on the range made
moor scores. The team of Company A,
of the Guards, unquestionably the strong
/ est from that battalion went all to pieces
virtually, on the 500 yard range.
The shooting continued ana II eameS
the turn of company b. IL went on the
range and shot, under the most unfavor-
able conditions. making, however, fairly
good scores. Some one Of the team IN
formed Captain Stephens that the Horse
Guard team had not shot, although It's \
turn had long passed
Capt. ]. c. Postell was in charge OF
the 500 ward range and Captain stephens
Immediately asked him on what account
the change in the regular order had been
suffered to take place. Captain Posten
answered that the Horse Guard team was
not on hand when it came Its turn TO
shoot and that he had been unwilling TO
delay the match. A report Of the matter
was made to Colonel Cam, and he ordered
the men on the 500 yard range to cease
| firing. while efforts were prosecuted to .
| md the members Of the Horse Guard
team.
Hidden in the Grand Stand.
They were at last discovered hidden
away in the top o. the grand stand,
| talking to some ladies. Colonel Cam ask
] ed Captain Hope what he meant by act
ing as he had, to which inquiry no sat
I isfactory reply was. or in the nature Of
| things. could have been, given.
Captain Hope" then said Colonel
/ Cam. your conduct has been such that
in justice to all the competing teams
/ should debar you from this contest. How
/ ever, I am willing to permit you to finish
your score if the other teams give their
/ assent"
With a sheepish smile Captain Hope
| turned away. and the assent of the 9TH
er teams being readily accorded. the
/ Horse Guard was permitted to continue
Il on the range This attempt to force 9TH
/ er teams to shoot under conditions of
weather that were unfavorable, 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 Captain
Hope that were suffered to pass. Time
/ after time when his team was at the butts
/ officers say he would stand behind the
4 marksmen and call three when two
4 had been made and signalled by the men
/ in the pits, and it required considerable
4 diIigent attention to keep him from win
ming the contest after this fashion.