The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1904-06-24

appointment OF Major General Hen.
nv C. Corbin 10 the command OF the
PHILIPPINE archipelago, relieving Gen
eral Wade. 1t is privately under
stood that General Corbin does not
At all like the assignment. He has
had the misfortune not to bs pop
ular officer, as the record Of black
balls in several aristocrasic clubs
testifies, but his status was mater
tally improved by his marriage with
the wealthy and much liked Edythe
Patton not long since.
Gen. Corbin's character rs man
and a soldier may perhaps be in
fered by an interview which your
correspondent had with him . year
ago. He was then Adiutant-Gener'
al of the United States army, a
large, sturdy, bluff man. | told
him bad called to see what was be-
ing done about the case OF Lieuten'
ant Sinclair, Of the army in the
Philippines, who had killed young
Richter, a soldier OF his company,
deliberately, after two hours and 8
half OF torture, in which he was at
last strangled to death.
Eyes, | remember il" said the
General, "there has been . great
deal of talk about it.
Apparently not too much, Cen
eral, !" / ventured to say, "if the re
port of the case is correct. Ii Was
what we usually call murder. A"
ooh, this case that you are 30 ex'
cited about"
General, interrupted, II cal
your attention to the fact that you
are not in the least excited, have
no occasion to be-"
80, Idon't especially mean you.
explained General Corbin, "bu'
these anti-imperialists, and people
all around. The fact seems to bt
that this unfortunate young man Tor
got himself for the time being and
. lost his head-and dom! wonder
at it in that philippine climate
. Before be made that mistake he wal
considered one Of the finest younl
men in the army"
"Do you define this offence as
mistake, Generals" asksd. "Dt
YOU forget the testimony as to whs,
Lieutenant Sinclair did3 He com
mitted murder"
"You call it murder, said thu
General, "but he was tried for TIL
allsdged offence, and was acquit
ted"
"CsItsinly, General. He wal
tried and acquitted by his comrade
who found that he had done tn,
things with which he was charged
and was innocent !"
The General leaned back, asks'
his interlocutor to be seated, an
continued: when think about il
| and my long service in the army,
| believe, sir, that have done wors
j things myself, than Lieutenant Sir
i clair is said to have done"
! "You have done worse thing
I General2"
| "Yes, / have. When was on
| in the West among the Indians on
J OF our men got fighting drunk an
a came whooping up the compan
r street and yelling that he wanted
n kill the Car tain that was me.
AZ was not afraid. be jumped into N
10 tent and drew . knife Oh me.
IS stopped and picked up root th
ga lay beside my chair and knock'
NJ him down with il. II might ha
j. killed him il it bad, | should hs'
been just as guilty as Sinclair"
ar Your correspondent was asto
ished. He reminded the Gsner
a, that one case was simple self dsien
u and the other deliberate murder
ed an imprisoned soldier, and remind
Ies him further that young Richter W
n. bound upon the ground that he "
gagged with q cloth stuffed into |
er mouth with the end of q club; II
10 he was tortured with ice waite,
a two hours, and was finally suffocat
,sa and died under the torture. +"
or "Where did you get these facts
hi as ked General Corbin.
% "There is but one place in
a United States, General, II answsr'
me "where they can be found. lou
them in the records OF your own
his fee, General" / added that Go
the eral Corbin had friends in the Uni
sep States, and perhaps some enemi
hut that be had not a friend or
. enemy who would not be astonisl
ma, and grieved to thiak him capable
mo- such q deed as that of Sinclair's.
swell" concluded the Gener
'you came to inquire about the
putation Of young Sinclair. |
on il was uniformly good"
his Itis known that General Cor
old did not like his removal from I
"A. city to Governors Island last Il
~. although his pracioua wife made