The Cairo bulletin., 1905-10-20
CAPTAIN CARTER
DENOUNCES FARCE
CRICCS WAS CORRUPT
AND GREAT GENERALS GUILTY
OF CONSPIRACY - EXCiT-
ING TIME At CARTER
INVESTIGATION.

liHVES iGA IlON.
Chicago, October l9.-Charges o
conspiracy among army officers made
by Oberlin N Garter, who was convict
ed Of embez2ling $3000,000 from the
government, enlivened the proceed
ings before Special Examiner Wyman
today. In reply to questions by Assist
ant u. S. Attorney General Erwin
/ Carter asserted that the finding OF
the court martial which declared Car
ter guilty was the result of con.
spiracy among the officers constitu-
ting the court martial.
Il was condemned and sentenced to
| prison on secret testimony at a hear
ing where neither myself nor my at.
! torney was allowed to be present" !"
said Carter That is why | was in
sistent on obtaining a trial in a court
of justice where | could confront my
acusers ana summon witnesses. If
could have met my father-in-law, r.
f. Westcott, in open court | know he
would have told the truth AS it was
he was feeble man, and the Govern
ment representatives worried him into
signing the statement which is now
used as his testimony"
Why should the Government give
you another trial after a military
court martial, after three months in
yestigation had found you guilty and
you were serving the sentence In pris
on?' asked Assistant Attorney Gen
eral Erwin.
Because | never had a fair trial.
shouted Captain Carter.
The Investigation by the court
martial was an infamous farce. Gen
eral Otis, the presiding officer of the
court martial. was found one night in
The off ce of the prosecuting attorney
plotting to have me convicted. My
attorney and myself learned that Gen
eral OTIS had left the hotel secretly
to conspire with the prosecuting at
torney, and we made an investigation
and found he and other members of
the court martial In secret conference
with the government attorney. They
walked a mile and then climbed FIVE
flights of stairs after the elevator
stopped running so as TO be alone"
"Ycu charge that General Otis and
other members of the court martial
entered into conspiracy to send you
to prison?"
| do, and ! know what | am talk
ing about" replied the witness. "The
late President William Mckinley was
an honest man from the top of his
head TO his toes bur | was advised
that Attorney General Griggs was cor
rupt."
How do you know Attorney Gener.
al Grlggs was corrupt" asked Assist. |
ant Attorney General Erwin
Because high official Of the Penn. |
sylvania railroad told me" replied the
witness. He said his road ran
through New Jersey, and he had rea.
son TO know of Mr.. Griggs' character.
He advised me to have nothing TO do
with him"
Carter described the manner in
which his books and private papers
were seized by government officials
while he was absent in Europe in De
ober, 1897. Certain papers which. he
;aid, he intended TO use TO prove that
many of the prosecutions witnesses
perjury at the investigation
~ the court martial and board of In
uiry with having taken them in order !
0 deprive him of use of the documents |
4 his defense He acused CAPTAIN
iillespie. a member of the court mar {
lai, and others Of having copied many {
( the personal letters while the doc1l-
1ents were in their possession.t He
lso accused the government Officials !
I neglecting TO return several pieces c
{ personal property which he highly d
rized. One Of these was a piece Of 7
he flag which floated over Fl. Sumpter
hen the fort was first fired upon In G
sci. and another was a letter from a
is wife, signed Sweet Ann" and Y
a lock of her hair. {
Witness was questioned at length }
agarding a contract made with his un- y
Ie. l. ID. Garter, in 1897. 10 pay him v
10000 year TO work for his release u
'Om prison. The attorneys showed
nat L. d. Carter had about $4,000
orth of the defendants securities al q
he time he was supposed to be draw.
lg a salary Of $1,000 a year for legal
srvices.