The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-21
AGAINST WOOD.
Additional Witnesses Called at
InstigatiOn of Rathbone.

Washington, Nov. PA summons is
sued by the senate military affairs COM
mittee has been served on Ernst Lee
Conant, of the New York law firm of
Page & Conant citing him to appear be-
fore the committee in connection with
the charge against Brigadier Leonard
Wood made in an effort to prevent his
confirmation as major general. Mr..
Conant has been in Washington several
days prosecuting Cuban cases before the
6anish claims committee. 1t is under
stood the subpoena was issued at the
request of Major Rathbone Mr.. Conant
will be expected to give testimony as to
the character of Jai Alai, the alleged
gambling establishment which General
Wood is charged with having given
ten year concession to operate in Ha-
Vana.
Mr.. Conant went to Cuba as an at
tache Of the evacuation committee and
while there he acted as legal adviser of
department of Havana. Later, he
served General Wood in the same ca
pacity.
Another witness summoned by the
military affairs committee is Herbert J.
Brown, a newspaper man who was in
Cuba during American occupation He
is said to have made an inquiry into
the character of the Jai Alai company.
Major James E. Runcie, now practic-
ing law in Havana, has sent a cable
gram to a member of the committee
stating that he will sail from Havana
today and will be in Washington Tues
day. He Will be examined by the com
mittee in reference to his statement
that General Wood inspired an article
in the North American Review
rejecting upon the administration Of
Major General john r. Brooke, his
predecessor as gOvernor9 general.
Major Rathbone has filed specific
charges with the committee. He al
legged that General Wood while military
governor of Cuba had accepted money
from the Jai Alai, which was, he said,
gambling concern and asserted that
he had made q personal friend and boon
companion of an ex-conVict. He also
charged him with giving, instructions of
an entirely unconstitutional and I'M
American character to the courts. With
reference to the charge that Governor
Wood had exceeded his authority in Civ
ing instructions to the court, Major
Rathbone said the general had pursued
this course in the Cuban postal case
when he (RathbOne) was under prOSecu-
ton This was, he said, in violation of
an article of the penal code of Cuba
and in a manner prejudicial to the rights
and interests of those under trial He
also charged General Wood with auth
orizing the use of ex-parte dispositions
in the postal cases, a proceeding which
he asserted, is contrary to law and the
principles of law and in this case, con-
trary to instructions given by the secre-
-tary of war.
Major RathbOne charged that IN ac-
cepting gifts from the organization
commonly known as Jai Alai to which
Major Rathbone said General Wood had
granted a 10 years exclusive conces-
sion, General Wood violated the For
alSer law which prohibited the granting
of franchises or concessions during the
occupation of the island by the Ameri
can authorities. He also charged that
the acceptance of these constitutes a
violation of an article of the penal code
of Cuba.
Other charges We're made against
General Wood as follows:
Completely with another army officer
in the preparation and publication of an
article rejecting discreditably upon an
officer who ranked both of them, in
4tary service and constituting an
offense commonly known as conduct
unbecoming an officer and a gentle
man." Causing the auditor of Cuba
by a military order to violate the law
in the treatment of accounts with uti-
LIKING the services of an ex-convict,
with whom he was on intimate, person
al association in an effort to displace
superior officer, and by such means to
secure to himself the vacancy thus Gre
ated. Incidental to these there were
many minor charges. Major Rathbone
also offered to produce evidence and
testimony in support of these allega-
tons He submitted documents to the
committee and gave the names of sew
eral witnesses whom he asked the COM
mittee to summon.