Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-11-27
THE SECOND WEEKS TRIAL.
BRINGS OUT LITTLE ADDI-
TIONAL EVIDENCE
In The Meriwether Case At Naval
Academy-More Midshipmen
Testify-Enmity Is
Shown.
THE AUTOPSY REPORT is NOT
SUBMITTED.

SUBMITTED.
Contrary TO expectations the testi.
mony introduced in the morning ses-
sion OF the Meriwether court martial
today was entirely devoid of any bear
ing on the result of the autopsy p6r.
formed yesterday ON the body of Mid
shipman Branch. All of the witnesses
placed on the stand by the defence
this morning swere midshipmen, and
their testimony was along the same
line followed the latter part of last
week and showed the pronounced and
declared enmity of Branch.
Assistant Coroner Glazebrook, the
District of Columbia expert on micro
scopical and chemical analysis, who
represented the defense at the autopsy
yesterday, was introduced as an ad-
ditional assistant to the defense S
counsel, and will aid in bringing out
the medical points fRvoring Meriweth-
er. The opening session this morning
was delayed over an hour and half
on account of Captain Wainwright,
member of the oourt, and the official
stenographer. having missed their rail
road connections from Washington
through the change in the railroad
schedules.
The first witness sworn was Mid
shipman Kahler, of the fourth class,
and the owner of the clothes found
in Meriwether' clothes bag by Branch
the day before the fight The witness
testified that the clothes had been
loaned Meriwether by him to use on a
two weeks leave which the accused
had applied for Kahler also testified
TO the bad feeling entertained by
Branch for Meriwether, showing that
the dead midshipmau had given him
an opportunity to get the clothes away
without being reported, while at the
same time he wanted to report Meri-
wether for having them in his posses
sion.
MIdshipman Bradley. Of the second
class, was next called. after the court
had first been cleared TO discuss the
admission of his testimony He was
on duty as cadet officer in charge of
one of the floors the same day that
Branch was aud testified that Branch
had said to him the night before
when they learned that both were ns-
signed for duty the next day: 1--WE
have a common object tomorrow stick
ing that fellow Meriwether on the
report " Bradley said further that
Branch had requested him 60 report
Meriwether for having his bed made
upiby an attendant instead Of doing
this himself. Bradley, however, re.
fused to report the accused for this
offence.
Midshipman Hoyes. who has pre-.
viously testified, was recalled to the
stand to tell more of the fight Having
heard of the clothes bag incident,
Noyes testified to having gone to
Branch and asked: Are YOU going
to report Meriwether If it's in the
line of your duty 90 do so I haven
anything to say If il isn't have.
know you two have had trouble, but
don't think you ought 70 use your
authority to get back at him " To
this Branch was said to have replied
that he didn't think he would report
Meriwether, because he had since
learned that the clothes belonged to
someone else.
Noyes was excused while Lieuten-
ant Commander Robson. counsel for
Meriwether, stated that the defense
was now ready to take up the first and
most important charge, that Of man
slaughter, and said further that lie
thought the official report on yester.
days autopsy should now be intro
duced. Judge Advocate Mark, how
'fRAg W on VI NAlt BljtuAOD Iithb bAb ENll1~
moning of the surgeons to testify in
person was more to be desired than
the presentation of their written re-
port. Investigation revealed the fact
that the physicians were then working
on their report to the superintendent
OF the Academy, who is handling the
autopsy arrangements and that this
report would not be completed until
tonight and possibly not until tomor-
row morning.
Noyes was then recalled and asked
regarding the number of falls to the
floor by the participants in the scrap
during its progress. He stated that
there had been three such falls, all Of
hem during clinches and not the re-
suit OF knock down blows. One result
ed in a bumped head for both of the
fighters, while in another, Branch be-
ing the shorter man, went down under
meath, the head and shoulders Of both
men then falling inside the clothes
press into which the book case had
been placed. The witness was not in
a position to say whether or not
Branch's head struck the floor, but il
1t had. the blow, in the opinion Of
Moves, would have been on the back
of the head. from the position of the
two men. The other fall was one in
which both men slipped after Meri-
wether had clinched to avoid the rush
es OF hissopponent, and the heads Of
both men scraped along the venetian
window shade with such slight force
as not to even break the thin wooden
strips of which the shade was con
structed.
Midshipman Fitch. who refereed the
fight, was theh placed on the stand
as the final witness Of the morning
session. His testimony was largely
corroboratiye of that of Moves. only
he went into greater detail and illss-
trated the three clnches aud their O.
sulting falls. He thought the one by
the venetian blind did not amount to
much, but stated that in the first fall
the contestants had been so closely
cllncned that Branch's head had hit
the floor after first receiving a glare
ing blow from the inch and a hall
Offset near the Dashboard of the door.
de seemed TO think that the crack re-
ceived at the back of Branch's head
when the two fell into the cothes
closet was possibly the most serious.
In reply to cross examination by the
prosecution, Fitch stated that so FAR
as he could observe Branch was not
dazed nor stunned by any of the falls.
At the conelus:on Of Fitch's testi-
mony the court took a recess at ]
O'Clock until O'Clock, when the ses-
sion for the day will be resumed