Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18
A COURT MARTIAL
ARRoWooD WILL
BE TRIED FOR DISCRETION.
Claims That No Christian Gentleman
Could Associate With His Compan-
ions in the Naval Service.

Midshipman Milton w. Arrowood of Bur-
lington, n. c., now prisoner on board the
receiving ship Hancock at the navy yard,
New York, is TO be sent to the naval sta
ton, Guantanamo, Cuba, on the first naval
vessel going to that port, and turned over
to Rear Admiral Barker, commanding the
North Atlantic fleet, for such action as
he deems proper. The case of young AFRO
wood is unique in the annals of the navy.
1t will be the first case where rnidship-
man has been called on TO face trial on
the charge of desertion. But what makes
the case more remarkable is that the young
officer bases his desire to leave the service
on the alleged ground that he could not
be a Christian gentleman and an officer of
the navy at the same time.
1t seems to be settled that Midshipman
Arrowood will be tried by court-martial at
Guantanamo on the general charge or de-
sertion and on the special charge of con-
duct to the prejudice of good order and
military discipline in rejecting upon the
moral character of his associates in the
service.
Resigned His Commission.
Arrowwood, who is the son of minister
at Burlington, n. c., was graduated from
Annapolis two years ago. During those
two years, spent on cruise on the battle
ship Kearsarge, the young man, according
to letter directed to the department by
the elder Arrowwood. discovered that his
associations were of such an immoral chaf-
acter, he told his father, that no Chrls-
tian gentleman could live with them and
not suffer.
Accordingly at the end of the cruise he
rendered his resignation to the Navy De-
partment, but, after consideration OF the
case Secretary Norton declined to accept
it, taking the ground that the government,
having educated the young man, had a
right to expect from him some service IN
return.
Deserted the Service.
A few days after the receipt Of this letter
of refusal, when the Kearsarge was lying
at Hampton roads, the midshfpman ap-
preached the executive officer of the vessel
and asked for shore leave. This was 1mme-
diately granted, and Arrowood went ashore
and was not heard from again until the Sc
cret service detectives gathered him in in
New York city last Monday. He had beer
living for a month at a house on East 56tE
street and was employed by a. real estate
and brokerage firm.
So far as known the record of Midshipmar
Arrowood has been creditable and nothing
in his career that would suggest cause 1ol
wishing to quit the service, other than the
singular reason given by his father to the
Navy Department, has been discovered.
Arrowood's Complaint.
| That letter has not been made public bJ
| Secretary Morton for reasons considered ex
cellent by the department, but the gist o.
| its complaint was that the service was con
ducive to immortality; that many of the Off
| GERS he associated with were not the kind o
men that a God-fearing youth should have
| as constant companions, and that no Chris
| tian gentleman brought up as he had been
I could live in such surroundings and not suf
] fer.
| The only other naval officer in good stand
| ing who deserted in the last fifty years, II
l. the recollection of the admiral. was a pay
| master who deserted in 1860. That maj
| man drew a voucher for his pay, got shor
| leave and disappeared. The Navy Depart
| ment never caught him and years afterwar'
| he died somewhere out west.
! The view of this case taken by naval Off
GERS, generally is summed up in the remarl
| of one of them:
| Its all very we'll to talk about mora
| atmosphere, but what kind of an atmos
| phere does fellow live in whose oath l
nothing to him, carrying with 1t no mora
| obligation? / suppose the consideration o
this side of the moral question never sug
! gested itself to our young friend"