The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-17
DESERTED THE WICKED NAVY
vJDDJE ARROWOOD RAN AWAY
tTTER TRYING TO RESIGN.


re wrote NDcr Years SerNlce-tle'S
Prisoner on the Hancock Now,
Tn, first officer OF the United States
-a,7 10 desert in half a century Midship-
man Milton w. Arrowood of Burlington,
T. b, prisoner on board the receiving
Aim Hancock In the Brooklyn navy yard.
n, Dan G. while the batteship Rearsarge
ga. Iunr in Hampton Roads, Alidship-
man ,rrowood went ashore on leave. Until
lat Monday, when he was arrested in this
.,tv n, a desei ter by Secret Service Agent
Fvnn the Navy Department could get
M trace Of him, although Chief Wilkes
sleutbs we're searching in every city OF the
Past from North Carolina to New York.
Ndsh.pman Arrowood turned his back
On his oath and his career because he found,
no wrote 10 his father at Burlington that
h,c,ud not b. a Christian gentleman and
anoficerof the navy at the same time The
lstt,r from Tho son to the father resulted
IN another from the elder Arrowood who
4, preacher at Burlington, TO Secretary
NJ the NAVY Morton. asking that his son
h porn 'ted 10 resign.
The letter TO the Secretary Of the Navy
va .,Yt shorty after Midshpman AFRO
wood fo.shed a years cruise on the Kear-
sarr, The Young man entered the Naval
i,ld,mv MT Annapolis in 1900, ACmiral
CoeS.rr cdmmandant Of the navy yard said
,o.t.~!iv n. took the four years course
and aid hi. work creditsbly, graduating
With the class Of 1904. SO far as the Ad-
mimi ar other officers know. there is moth
ing about his record that is discredtable
,r ANYTHING that would suggest cause for
rshluc % quit the service, other than the
.ny1,ar reason gwen by his father TO
the Navy Department.
Arrowood. a tall, good looking, clean
cut fellow Of ~, is Of a quiet reserved dis
position. an officer that mixed It'll with bis
fellows, and one who didn't care much Tor
hops. gay mess dinners or social high inks
nf.ct or ashore. Possibly for that reason
he did not make many friends in his alb
brev,ated service At any rate, during his
cruise on board the KearsGrge he kept
pretty much 10 himself and report has 1t
that he was a glum fellow with no liking
for company.
1t was in March, 1901. that the midship-
man was Gssi gned to duty on the KearsArge'
his first dctull Sic vent On cruise ast-
Ing lie 5 tlan year Toward the nd o.
that tine he wrote to his father. summing
90. it is understood. his experiences on the
cruise. That letter has not been made
public by Secretary Of the Navy Morton,
for reasons considered excellent by the
Department, but the long ana short Of its
compla Mt was that tie service vas con-
ducive to immortality; that many Of the
officers he assoc. ated with were not the KIND
of men th-t a Gld tour.ng youth should
have as con, slant conn an.Ons ana that
no Chrst.Gn gentleman, btouSnt up as he
he'd b stn, coud I've IN eGcA surroundings
and not suler. ,,,,.,,,
Arrowood rendered his resigr alton TO tLe
NAVY Department. Secretary Morton de-
voted a good deal of consideration TO tie
case and finally refused to accept the re SIG
mutton. The Secretary took the ground
that the United ) atos had educated tie
North Carolinan and Lad a right 10 expect
In return the young maE's services Tor a
reasonable length Of time.
4 short time after the decision OF me
Secretary, when the Rearsarse wa In
Hampton Roads, on Jan. @, M1dshipman
Arrowood went ashore and did not retl IN
nj the expiration Of his leave. He was not
to be found in Norfolk. ard the " ar Ieptrt-
rnent vas notified that he had deserted
Chief Wilde of the Secret Service was
ordered to arrest him as q deserter, Agent
liyrn Of the New York Office learned. after
trrowood rad been In the city about
month that he was living in boarding
house on tne upper w tHl Clbcs AIN wa Nv
rad a job in a brokerage Office downtown
on Monday evening he was caught, He
made no resistance ard had nothing 10 say.
AGENT Flynn delivered him the next day to
Admiral Coghlan at tho Brooklyn navy
yard and he was locked M on board the
Hancock. living at the Cob D )ck.
He will be tried by court-martial as
deserter. but the Admiral does not know
when the trial will be held The witnesses
FIR tho most part ere TIE midshipmm 3
r. k. Kon p e-n md tho
haf'eship Is now cruising IN the West
Indies It NAV be a considerable time before
thew will be able 10 appear aoalrst him.
II WIS said NJ the navy yard that AFRO
wood is keenng silent about TIE whole
matter awaiting tie time when he will be
brought 70 'rial,
Hi, case /, in MANY ways the most re-
markabe the NAVY Depar' ment ever had
90 deal with Implied accusations against
the character Of tho service and the con-
duct Of brother officers will have TO be
con iipred when he makes his defence.
That the young mans statements are true
i5 simply laughed at by Admiral Coghlan
and other officers Nothing could be
more preno''erouS, they say, than asser-
lions OF general immortality in the navy,
or a belief In any one's mind that man
cannot be a naval ofIicer and a Christian
gentleman
While ! know nothing o1leially save
That tho young man i under arrest as
] have heard Of the letter to Secretary
Moron giTny Arrowood's reasons for
waning 10 resiyn. said Admiral Coghlan.
~ hardly seems 10 mo that the subject
n general l. worth extended discussion.
There must be something behind tho Young
mans attitude. The case il certainly q
mo't remarkable one.
4 mover heard anybody, par i"ularly
An oa7rpr. saw that we sailors were I'M
chm ian or immoral II isn't So YOU
NAV depeni on that. II the service pri1es
i'--if on anv one thine, 4 IA The sterling
character Of the mon who officer the ships.
Good gracious, what are chaplains for
anyEa7, Don't you suppose that the
domi7i>s would have found II out long
ago, II We were not all that we ought TO be?
~ all very well to talk about m oral at
ros0here. but what Kind Of moral atmos-
rrcfe does o fellow live in whose oath is
n0'iirc 90 him carving with il no moral
o0icquor7 Probably that never sug-
eeEod i's II 70 our young friend
AdmUl Cochlan slid 10 had no desire
70 trrat the matter in a s0i-it Of levitv, hut
there were s1me funny points about it r. n
f7vh-dr with a sense Of humor couldn't
helm s-oing
Think Of tho possibilities s7id h.
WY we will have to send missionaries 70
mo s.i-s 10 rescue our chaDlains who do
IL. l.