The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-10-05
CHARGES SENSATIONAL.
Captain Hitch and Subordinate Off.
GERS Accused of Many Serious
Breaches of Military Duty.

have been preferred against the Off
ers on duty at Statesboro, when the
negroes Reed and Cato were taken by
a mob from the troops and burned.
The charges were served on the Off
Gers Wednesday by Judge Advocate
Napier and contain many salty ale
cations.
The Judge advocate general did no.
,rince words, and the conduct Ct the
i've officers is arraigned in no uncer.
tain terms.
Two charges are made against Cap
ain r. M. Hitch, of Company A, the
Savannah officer who was in charge of
the entire Statesboro detail. The first
Of these charges, with an outline OF
the specifications hereunder is as
follows.
Conduct to the prejudice of good
order and military discipline, in viola
ton of the sixty second article of war;
Specification 1--Disobedience of or
ders issued by the adjutant general.
Specification 2-Failure to throw
out Gordon, whereby mob secured
possession of the two prisoners.
Specification 3--Failure to formT-
late plans or confer with junior Off
GERS on duty with him.
Specification Failure to guard
against surprise by mob, and after
being surprised, failure to call for re-
Inducements or to make further Ell
forts to prevent mob violence.
Specification Giving improper and
misleading commands and failure to
take proper precautions in regard to
loading and firing.
The second charge, with the single
specification under it is, in full, as toll
lows:
Charge-Gross neglect Of duty, inef
ficiency, and misbehavior before riot.
GUS mob, in violation of the sixty-sec'
ond article of war.
Specilcation-In that Captain Rob
~rt NJ. Hitch, Company l, First Infan'
Try, G. S. T., commanding Company A,
and other troops Of the First infantry,
G. S. t., while on riot duty, allowed a
riotuos mob to capture and burn to
death two civil prisoners, to-wit: chs
Reed and one Cato, then on trial be-
fore the superior court of Bulloch
county, Georgia, which he had been
lawfully commanded to protect, with
out proper and sufficiently forcerul
and energetic efforts to prevent the
same: and, after the capture Of said
prisoners, failed to pursue said moo
and to make any effort to rescue and
to protect said prisoners, or to pre-
vent the execution Of mob violence
upon them, when said Captain Robert
M. Hitch had under his command an
ample military force to rescue and
to protect said prisoners, and to pre-
vent the execution of mob violence
upon them.
The charges against the other four
officers are equally pointed and specf
fic, and are, like those against Captain
Hitch accompanied by specifications
purporting to set out the conduct upon
which the charge Is based. The
charges against the four Junior Off
GERS, without the accompanying specr
fications, are as follows:
The charges against Lieutenant Nell
are as follows:
Conduct to the prejudice of good or
der and military discipline.
Gross neglect Of duty, inef1ciency
and misbehavior before riotuos mob.
The charges against Lieutenant Nor
rison are as follows:
Conduct to the prejudice OF good or
der and military discipline.
The charges against Lieutenant CIR
ner are as follows:
Quitting his guard without leave.
Shamefully abandoning his post OF
guard.
Conduct to the prejudice of good or
der and discipline.
The charges against Lieutenant
Cone are as follows:
Conduct to the prejudice of good or
der and discipline.
Quitting his guard without leave.
The courtmartiaI will meet for the
first time on October 10th.
Ghost to Walk During Work Hours.