Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-09-15
GEORGIA MILITIA OFFICERS MUST
ANSWER FOR ALLOWING
LYNcHING.
AWAIT COURT MARTIAL
Military Court of Inquiry Arraigns Cap
tain Hitch and Others Who Were In
Charge of Guard at statesboro-
Brave Boys Are Awarded Praise.

Atlanta, Ca, Sept. 14-Five of the
six militia officers whose failure to
protect Paul Reed and Will Cato, ne
groes under sentence of death for MUIR
der, made it possible for an harmed
mob at Statesboro to burn the men at
the stake, will be court martialed, One
officer, Lieut.. Mcintyre, is exonerated
and praised for his efforts to defeat the
mob, and several privates are COM
mended for their individual efforts to
uphold the law.
Superior Officers FUNK.
The court of inquiry declares that
the men were willing to do their duty,
but were prevented by the action Of
their superior officers, who made abso-
lutely no effort to protect the prison
ers.
The officers to be court martialed
are:
Capt. R. NJ Hitch, First Lieut. G. E.
Cone, First Lieut. G. A. Nell, Second
Lieut.. H. L. Griner, and Second Lieut..
Morrison.
The report of the court, in military
language, expresses no opinions nor
draws no conclusions. But it Is Sc
we're arraignment of the militia for its
failure to preform it's sworn duty. 1t
shows the officers were openly in sym
pathy with the mob and that Capt
Hitch, in command, issued orders
which plainly were destined to make
the work of the lynchers as devoid Of
danger to themselves as possible.
Mob Respects Loaded Weapons.
AS q matter of fact the only orde
i given by Hitch to his men was t
load or fire only when specifically OF
dered to do SO. These instructions
the court said, had the effect generall
of restraining the men from loadin!
their guns when attacked by a mob
What effect a threat to shoot had wal
shown by the fact that Corporal E. w
Shortridge Of Company l. First in
fantry, held at bay number Of thu
mob by simply loading his piece ant
threatening to shoot. This, says th,
court, demonstrates the effect on
mob of loaded gun in the hands 0
determined man.
Youngster Cows Six Lynchers.
Another evidence of what few d,
termined men could have done wa
furnished by Bugler w. E. McDouga
a ninety pound youngster Half do
en- of the mob attempted to seize hi
rifle, but the boy stood his ground, AN
. threatened to shoot and drove off hi
( assailants.
/ This, declares the court, furnishe
further evidence of the effect on tn
!. mob of a determined resistance"
Capt. Hitch the Most cuIpabIe.
d Capt. Hitch, according to the fin
S ings of the court, was the most cul
: able of all. He was in complete chare
! and had plenary powers to furnish pr
q lection to the prisoners. His vario,
excuses of being unable to obtain al
: at the critical moment are shown to |
I false. The court finds:
q "That the force under Capt. Hitt
a was sufficiently large to have afforde
ample protection to the prisoners hs
|. it been properly handled, but the col
t manding officer did not use proper pr
a caution. nor was his conduct suficier
ly energetic or forceful, he having ia
T. ed to avail himself of the services
S a large percentage of the comman
e who were within his reach;
THAT there is no evidence of al
D damage having been inflicted on al
o member Of the mob by the soldie
n during the encounter, either from ba
onet wounds or from firing gun;
y THAT no attempt was made to pr
q tect the courthouse by establishing
D. Gordon around it"