The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-12
OFFICERS COMMITTEE DENIES
 THE DISORDERLY CONDUCT

in session and if possible. will fix the responsibility for the shots that were fired and punsh the offender.
 "The charge in the article referred to. that more than one officer of the regiment was in the city drunk and under the influence of whiskey is false, and We call upon snd demand, as Q matter of jusice, that the writer of such article furnish and publish the names of such officers discrderiy in the city of Montgomery. Called on Police.
 'It Is also stated in this article that the officers of the camp were not able to control the men and were forced to call upon the Police Department for de- tail of twenty patrolmer to queil the disturbance. We are informed by the of- ficer of the guard that the only call he made on the Police Department was for the purpose of having them take in charge the two civilians under arrest. '.All soldiers who engaged in the dis turbance on the first night in camp were arrested, confined to the guard house and were tried by court martial the next day and punished. The non-commissioned officers. there being two in number. who were engaged in such disturbance. were reduced to ranks and their stripes strick- en of, and every step was taken to pre- vent recurrence of the disorder of the first night. and that. the steps have result cd in good Is shown by the fact that since that time the camp has been remarkably quiet and orderly, and has been exception ally so. >y
 that the soldiers have been drung and disorderiy on the cars and have used profane language in the presence of ladies the undersigned committee has inyesti- gated this matter by personally seeing all of the motormen and conductors who op- crate the cars to and from camp that could be seen, and these conductors and motormen state that there has been no unusual disturbance upon the cars. no profanity in the presence of ladies and no conduct at which they could complain l or have complained.
 "On the night of the 10th q telephone message was received by the officer of the day at Camp Graham purporting to be | from the headquarters of the Police De-
 partrnent stating that there were some 1 seventeen drunk and disorderiy soldiers al Court Square, and that unless a provost guard was sent to take care of these men l they would be placed in confinement sby
 the civil authorities. A guard was al once sent to Court Square and when Il arrived found that there had been nc l disturbance nor any complaints made about any soldiers. The officer of the Montgomery Street Railway who was present at the Square stated that he had been there for some two or three hours and had seen no disturbance. The officer in command of the guard at once took the guard to police headquarters and was
 told by Chief Gerald that the message sent to headquarters had not been sent from the Police Department and that his Department had received no complaints at all in regard to the conduct of any soldiers. At the request of the officer of the guard Chief Gerald then kindly sent a bicycle patrolman. who made a visit over ali portions of the city. both Teputa- ble and not reputable. saw ali of ths other policemen and reported back that there had been no complaint and that there was then no disordeiy conduct on account of any of the soldiers.
 Claims It Was Misleading.
 'The undersigned committee. after mak- ing Q full investigation, Is clearly of the opinion that the larger portion of the ar- tiele referred to Is without foundation, and, to say the least. Is palpably mis- leading. The officers of the Sd Regiment are not trying to condone any misbeha- vior or any disorderiy conduct on the part af the soldiers, but. on the other hand, are making, and especially on ac- count of the article referred to being 1 copied over the State in other newspa. pers. unusual efforts to have a quiet and Forderiy camp. and the rank and file oi | the regiment In response to tine calls made I by the officers for good department in or der to refute these charges. are respond l ing nobiy to the call, and we are now
 having at Camp Graham as orderly a ] camp as any that the officers there pres- ent, who have attended numerous camps, have ever attended, and we submit that even if some eighteen or twenty men In connection with citizens did create a dis | tufbance upon the first night of the camp, when camp was not fully organized and in working order. that the fault of these
 men who have been punished for it should not be held tip against the whole regi- ment and scattered broadcast as showing l the condition of the whole regiment. "As a last answer to the article so pub | lished, we suggest that the good people | of Montgomery give the regiment more
 of their support and come out and enjoy
 our hospitality and see whether or not we