The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-12-05

scat: on the WIS or tie iest arm. He
said n silver plate had !;eel put I'm
here.
".At the end Of the twenty-third
round" he continued, Mr.. Branch
came across the and we both
apolo2ized, and he said, Afterwards
we will he friends He then left. and
| have e seen him since. We
parted as friends. / could lot go to
breakfasts the next morning. i had to
20 to the hospital. An orderly came
and said that there was a man uncon-
scious in the hall. He was brought
to the hospital that night. After n
operation DR.. Ames told lie that
Branch was doing well. About 3
O'clock the next afternoon | was told
by a nurse that Branch was dead. /
requested an official investigation by
he superintendent. / was hurt and
Grieyed beyond al expression. think
that Mr.. Branch was indeed fortunate
in being in his place, in going to sleep
and rot waking up, than TO he in
mine and having to live this life after
this sad and deplorable affair"
In answer to IL question Meriwether
said: IF / had not resented Mr..
Branch's continued actions, ! would be
in the same position as another class
mate with whom 10 one has anything
TO do. Under these circumstances, /
would have to resign and could never
hold up my head again"
The prosecution then began its o
examination. Meriwether said in an
swer to a question: "HaZing consists
of physical exercises. Running is
much worse than hazing."
Lieutenant Commander Robinson
"Hazing is Il molestation."
Observation-Disclosures had taken q
number of opportunities of reporting
me and asking others to report me-"
The defendant was requested to de-
scribe running as Branch had conduct
ed it toward him. Pressed for direct
answers as to what Branch had done,
Meriwether said: Il don't care to re-
late them"
Meriwether then whispered to the
;udge-advocate and the question was
withdrawn.
II was evident that Meriwether hes
itated to mention certain things be-
fore the women, of whom there were
a number i'll The court room. He then
declared that he had not been ''ratty,"
but had unfairly acquired the repu-
tatiOn.
Captain George II. COlyocOresses,
commandant of midshipmen. was the
first witness for the rebuttal. He told
of IA conversation with MidshiDman
Churchill Humphreys, president of the
second class. in which he had told
Humphreys that he W~aSaAnder oath to
obey all regulations. He as command
ant took the stand that fighting at the
academy was against good order and
discipline and would not be tolerated.
This" he said. Il think, is also the
view Of superintendent Sands"
Midshipman Joseph r. Williams, Of
Paterson. \. J.. a member Of The first
class of the naval academy, awhO testi-
fed before the court martial Xester-
day, was this morning dropped from
the navy for general inefficiency by
order of Secretary BOnaparte.
Midshipman Williams testified yes
terday that Commander Hugo Oster-
haus had reported Il midshipman for
not %resenting an insult. He was not
dropped on account Of his testimony
rejecting on a naval officer, but it is
stated because he has been unsatlS-
factory in several of his studies dur
ing the present term and was set back
a class last year. The superinten-
dents recommendation that he be dis
missed was made before the Meri-
wetter court martial proceedings be
gan. Williams was a leading member
of the academy track cam