The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-12-29
NAVAL ACADEMY
COURT MARTIAL
Coffin Under Charges
Of HaZing MldShipman
Kimbrough.
MADE HIM STAND
ON HIS HEAD
---.-----
Alleged Confession Of Coffin Adj
mitted AS Evidence at Trial.
Kimbrough Himself Was
Important Witness at
the Investiga-
ton.
tBy Associated Press.)

fi3y Astnciatcd FreSs.)
ANNAPOLIS. MD. December s.
Court martial proceedings against Mid
sliipman Trenmor Coffin, Jr., member
OF the third class, on the charge Of na%-
inE Alidshiprn1n Jcrdonc p. 1imbrongh'
OF the fourth class. began at the Naval
Academy to-day,
Midshipnan George w. Hewlett, of the
:hird class. was the first Witness.
The witness testified that he had looked
In the door OF room So in Bancroft Han
on the evening Of December l2. ana tiiat
he had seen Kimbrough standing on MS
head and Coffin and KimbrouShs room
mate in the room with hiH.4 Nlthcss
said that he left the vicinity or room
"a and remained away about five minutes.
When he returned Kimbrough was still
on his head and Coffin was the only othef
person In the room. The WITNESS va" ""a
asked to illustrate what standing oH
the head" meant. He put his Ecad oi
,he floor and raised his feet a few inches
from the ground in d series OF JUMPS
Exercise apparently put much strain on
ne legs and arnls and was hard on .he
head.
Kimbrourh also exhibited this perlor-
nance to tic court Il little later.
Kimbrough AS a Witness
,,idshinman Kin,brongil was the next
witness. and it developed ttiat nc "'ns "'1
nnable 10 Identify Coffin as the man WHY
had hazed him. The rule, It appears - -
mat no lower classmani must 1908 loo - ~ q q : :
,,nner ella ssn,nn. under such circumstances
md this WIS SO rigidiy observed IN ths
,,resent case that Kimbrough could not
say that Coffin had hazed him. iae w.
however, how he had been hazeu pS -
,,a compelled to stand on his mead. ht
mad been hazcd. he said, until ne sdHe
out entirely. a;,r
tho bazing threw water over nun anu
comneicd him to go on again. he
hrourht the relation up to the polhl
,,herc he had lost consciousness. he had
,o,oineds consciousness. he said, III thc
Naval Academy hospital. HIS arms iess
and head were very sore.
4 7 Iicutenant Commander Charles b. NC
yey, Jr., was the last witness during .he
morning session. He Is attached 10 the
Icnartment or discipline at the academy
'St. ~ =
CATION now going into the subject OF haz-
ing at the academy.
Found Kimbrough in Bed.
rbe witness said during his testimony
+,.t hc had learned a great deal about
i,y;nr during the last few weeks. he
s,ia TINT he was on duty III Bancroft
Hall on the evening Of December l2tn.
Tie had found KimbrouGh In bed Which
was contrary to regulations at that timc.
lie had questioned him and found that ne
was apparently unconscious, ana hau
summoned the academy surgeon, Dy whoHl
K,mbrongh was removed to the hospital.
The witness then Investigated the mat
ter with the object of finding out VINO
had hnzed kimbrough. the fact that he
had been lazed having been elected from
his room ma te.s He discovered that Mid
shipman Hewlett had looked into the room
and secn the hazlng. He then informed
Hewlett that unless he told the name OF
the midshipinan he would either be re-
nortcd for disobeying orders or called
before tho board OF investigation in the
,norning and compelled to testify. Hew-
Z lett was allowed to make up his mind, and
In the meantime Coffin sought an inter-
view with the witness
Testimony Objected To.
Al this point the counsel for the ac-
c,lsed objected to the testimony, after an
alleged confession and asked the court
to be allowed to interrogate the witness.
This the court permitted, but took q re-
cess at this point
l1non rcassembling the court admitted
the testimony of Lieutenant- Commander
McVoy as to Coflin's confession. Coffin,
tho witness said admitted that he had
stood 1<imbrough on his head for about
ten minutes.
Cross Examination.
On cross-examination the witness said
thnt Ia was confident that Kimbrough
vas not fegnng Inconsistencies
Surgeon j. G, Byrncs, the ranklng
medical officer of tho academy, STATED
that he was called TO see kimprough on
the night mentioned, and found nm ~ an
alarming condition. being IN state ~
physical collapse. On cross-eNanllatloh
Dir. Byrnes said positively that KIM
brough's unconsclousness was real. and
that he might have died had he not mad
prompt attention. DR.. Byrnes was the
last witness for the prosecution Whlch
here closed Its case.
For the defense several witnesses tes-
tlfled that they did not consider kln'-
brough's reputation for truth telling the
h'oeti o"' oo'ittlSSs tIdL llley iipu of''
heard reflections upon his truthfulness
since the incident which forms the basis
Of the trial, and they also admitted that
the midshipmen had considerable feeling
against him. Tho two principal witnesses
who made this statement were Raleigh
u. Hughes, a first-class man, who is cap.
tain OF the comp9ny to which ,Ilimbrough
belongs, and Roy L. Slower, second-
class man and petty officer in the same
class The only Incident upon which they
based their opinion was one in connec-
tion whether or not Kimbrough had
crushed Ills blouse, as he had stated.
The case will be continued tomorrow.