Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-11-13
MER|NETHER is ARRESTED.
HELD BY AUTHORITIES PEND
ING A DECISION
Of The Court Martial Ordered By
Secretary of The Navy
Bonaparte.

Immediately after the Secretary of
the Navy ordered Satu rday, as Stated
IN the Capital of Saturdays issue that
Midshipman Meriwether De court.
martialed, he was arrested by the naval
authorities and placed in confinement.
according TO regulations of the Navy.
The Judge Advocated General OF the
Navy immediately engaged in the prep.
aration of the charges and specifica.
ions upon which the trial bv court.
martial Will be based. Secretary Bona
paTte turned the papers over TO the
Judge Advocate General after order
ing the court martial, and the speci-
fications will revolve around the three
distinct charges of "maDslaUghter -
"disorderly conduct gravated
case), and conduct TO the preiu-
dice of good ORDER
These offences come under the general
head of Article 20, governing the Navy,
of ''all otfenses committed by persons
belonging TO the Navy which are not
specified in the foregoing articles
which shall be punished as a court
martial may direct I" The articles
governing the Navy are supplemented
by rules prescribed by the President
fixing maximum Limitation sof pun
ishment Manslaughter under Article
%, which has been applied to the
Meriwether case, fixes dismissal and
imprisonment'a hard labor at 10 years
as the maximum punishment in the
case of any officer convicted of that
offense.
Under the rule applicable to aggra.
waited cases of disorderly conduct,
which includes assaulting and striking
another person in the Navy, the max
imum punishment is dismissal. and
the maximum punishment for conduct
to the prejudice of good order is also
dismissal from the service While all
three of the offenses alleged in the
specifications for the trial of Mi6ship-
man Meriwether involve maximum
punishment of dismissal from the SER
vice, the trial court, in its discretion,
according TO the facts adduced, may
impose any lesser punishment and of
course, entirely acquit Midshipman
Meriwether if the facts do not war
rant conviction. This lesser punish
meDt might by any one or several of
number of things, such as reduction
in his standing at the Academy or
reduction to another class if the court
thinks the testimony warrants such a
finding. The report says in part:
The department. sees no necessity
for the appointment of a court OF in
quiry III the premises. The facts de-
veloped by the several reports submit
ted to it, as above stated, are suffi-
cient TO determine its action in the
premises. 1t is clear that these re.
ports impute to Midshipman Minor
Meriwether, ,Jr., offenses Of such grav.
ity that his trial by court martial is
indispensable. Section 531 of the
United States Revised Statutes reads
as follows:
Every person who - unIaw-
fully and willfully, but without NAL.
ice, strikes. stabs, wounds or shoots at
or otherwise Injuries another, of which
striking, stabbing, wounding, shooting
or other injury such other person
dies, either on land or sea, within or
of the crime of manslaughter.
1.-The crime of manslaughter. as thus
defined. is punishable nnder Article
% of the Articles of the Government
of the Navy, and it's maximum punish
meut has been duly fixed by the Presi.
dent. Moreover, under the same ar
ticle, assaulting and striking another
person in the Navy is defined as dis
orderly conduct (aggravated case),
and its penalty is likewise fixed BY
the President Under the third sec
ton of Article of the Articles for the
Government of the Navy, any person
in the navy who 'quarrels with,
strikes or assaults or uses provoking
or reproaehful words, gestures or
menaces toward any person in the
navy is likewise declared ito be sub
ject to "such punishment as court
martial may adjudge;' aud, finally, any
one of the three offenses above de
scribed necessarily involves the further
offense of conduct to the prejudice
of good order and discipline, and, as
such, is punishable under Article p,
above qaeted
10 view of the foregoing facts a
court mai tial is hereby ordered for the
trial of Midshipman Minor Meriweth.
er, Jr., third class, on such charges as
may be preferred against him, and all
papers in the case are referred to the
Judge Advocate General. The depart
ment feels that it has a duty to dis
charge toward Midshipman Meriweth-
er in connection with this deplorable
affair by reminding the public that
he has had no opportunity to give his
version of the affair aud that, in view
of the very serious situation in which
he is placed, khe will not have such
opportunity until he makes his defense
before the court-martial hereby order
ed. The department therefore asks.
'as an act of Justice. suspension of
judgment respecting his conduct until
he has been heard in his own de-
fense.
The law Of Maryland provides that
the punishment for manslaughter may
not be more than ten years in either
jail or penitentiary or fine Of 5000
to $500 or two years in either Jail or
peniteDtiary. or both. Not more than
ten years may mean anything from one
day up, in the discretion Of the court.
Anniversary of Blizzard.