The sun., 1903-11-23

citation.
The Impending Appearance of Mr..
James e. Runcie.
In May and June last THE SUN pub
lished and discussed all the known cir
cumstances concerning the attack in the
North American Repie,o on Major-Gen.
JOHN r. BROOKE by Gen. WOODS former
confidential friend and adviser, Major
JAMES E. RUNCIE.
One conclusion was even at that time
inevitable. If Major RuNCIE had told
the exact truth in oral statements at
tributed to him by responsible persons,
and also committed by him to paper In
his own handwriting, the question was no
longer one Of promoting Gen. LEONARD
WooD to higher rank, but rather Of
driving him in disgrace from the service,
for conduct unworthy Of an officer and
a gentleman. On the other hand, if
Major RUNcIE had slandered Gen. Woop
in assigning to him initial responsibility
for the preparation of the attack on his
superior officer, Gen. BROOKE, and also
in charging WooD with false statements
to the War Department intended to
cover up his original completely in the
attack on BROOKE, then Major RUNc1E,
not Gen. WooD, was the officer with
whom military justice had to deal.
We say this conclusion was inevitable
Ave months ago. No intelligent officer
or civilian who studied the facts then
presented could fail 30 to regard it.
Leading newspapers of both parties
agreed with THE Sun in 30 regarding
1t; notably our neighbor the Tribune,
which promptly and accurately ex-
hibited the ethical significance Of the
incident in all its gravity when 1t said:
This is a most serious charge. 1t is
unquestionably true that II Gen. WOOD
participated in the Runcie attack and
then denied his share in it he should be
court-martialled. If Major RUNCIE has
been bearing false witness against Gen.
WOOD, he should be punished.
Major RUNCIE is reported as having
left Havana on Saturday, expecting to
arrive tomorrow in Washington, where
he will testify before the Senate Com
mittee on Military Affairs.
In order that the crucial Importance
to Gen. LEONARD WOODS reputation of
Major RUNcIE's testimony may be un-
derstood by everybody, we present
again in brief form the substance of the
statements which we have previously
attributed to Mr.. RUNcIE:
That he, Major RUNCIE, then Gen.
WOODS closest personal friend and I'M
official legal adviser at Santiago, pre-
pared the article attacking Gen. BROOKE
at Gen. WOODS request; that RUNc1E,
believing in good faith that it was highly
desirable to get BROOKE out of the island,
wrote the attack as requested by Woon
and gave the manuscript to person
whom RUNCIE had never seen before and
never saw thereafter, this person being
at that time and for that purpose brought
to him by Woop; that when the article
was published over Major RUNCIE's s
name it aroused the indignation of Gen
BROOKE, who demanded that RUNCIF
be court-martialled; that the demand
was by President MCK1NLEY's direction
referred to WooD at Havana, who re.
| ported back to Washington that his
understanding was that while RUNcIE
had written the attack he had not in
tended it to be published as an article
but had given it to friend OF his, RUN.
| CIE's, to be used as the basis of editorial
comment in some newspaper and that
this attempted evasion by WooD of his
original responsibility for the attack or
BROOKE was shock to RUNC1E, a prac.
tical betrayal of him by friend he had
served faithfully and trusted implicitly
and the occasion of the breach in the re.
lations previously existing between them
OF course, testimony to that effect by
Major RUNCIE, unless contradicted in
all essential particulars, would exhibit
Gen. WooD as man not only unfit to be
honored with the promotion his friends
covet for him, but actually unworthy
to hold his present commission as an
officer of the army.
New light of an extraordinary charac-
ter was thrown on the Runcie-Wood in
cident by the publication on Saturday In
the Army and Nary Register of Washing
ton of parts of certain correspondence
between both Gen. WOOD and Major
RUNcIE and Secretary Roof in relation
to this affair We are not sure that
these letters are given out by the War
Department in Gen. WOODS interest and
as part of his case in defence; If so, the
effect Of the publication is somewhat
different from the intention.
Gen. WooD is represented as writing
| to Mr.. Roof after the appearance of the
North American Review article:
1T was written last fall In Santiago by Mr.. RUN
Gle. who is excellent man and good friend o
mine. Mr.. RvsoIR informs me that the pape