New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-03
MILDLY DENIES HAZING
Decatur,s Testimony at Variance
scitb That of Other Witnesses.

Annapolis Nd, Jan. 1.-THE court martial which
is trying Midshipman Stephen Decatur, jr., for
the hazing of Isaac y. McCrary and Gaylord
Church, fourth class men, resumed its sessions at
10 o'clock this morning.
The testimony OF M!dshipman Decatur in his own
defence revealed the fact that midshipmen IN the
United States Navy in direct conflict in state
nents they have made under oath
Decatur denied specifically and positively all the
statements made by McCrary and Church which
connected him with the hazing. He said on the
stand that he had never hazed either of the men
and did not even know McCrary before ne saw
him In the court martial room
McCrarY had testified positively, during the hrst
days session, that Decatur had ordered him on his
head and 10 do NO. Ie," and Church also said
that Decatur had given him similar order
The cross-examination brought from Decatur the
admission that he had ordered Church TO report
to his room and that some one there had compelled
the under classman to perform No. 10 AS
Decatur the ranking cadet officer present the
prosecution will that this fact is sufficient
to fix the offence of hazng on him
The defence contends that. under the charge as
well as the Act of 1874. the mere countenancing of
OF allowing haziug is insufficient and that actFe
participation must be proved
Decatur was asked If he remembered being in ms
room after dinner on the afternoon when the PCT
ures OF the cadet and petty officers were TAKEN
this being the day on which McCrary said Decatur
had hazed him. He said that he did not and was
then asked by his counsel in the language of the
specifications. whether not he had done any OF
the things there stated. To every one OF these
questions his answer Il did not
Finally he was asked If he had ever hazed either
McCrary or Church. and his answer was a posi-
tive negative
The most interesting testimony, next to that Of
Decatur, was given by AIdshprnan F. B. MaTzoni'
Of Florida, who also under charges for hazlng
and will be tried shortly Marzoni was the hrst
witness other than the fourth class men TO state
that any fourth cass men were in the room win
Decatur, ard in that particular his testimony cor
robcrated that OF Midshipman Church.
He said that while he in DecatuTs room
Church had come in and had been told &c do NO
ls' in the closet, and afterward had been tod
to stop. He could not remember who had given
the order, but positive Il was not Decatur.
His evidence was IN strong contradiction to other
evidence produced By the defence, as he said that
a person could easily be in the closet undergoing
hazing and not be seen, while all the others said
that II a person had been hazed in the closet
while they We're in The ROOM they Wolnd certainly
Marzoni mentioned Midshipmen Graves and Lowe
of the first class, and Cox. Maggie ana keIeT, OF
Of Church. The first two named viii also be tried
for hazing shortly. II Is understood ,rtdsbin-
men George A. Trevor and Robert E. Thornton
bofh fourth class men who testified that Sunday
II the more unwilling he TO swear that DECAY
was the one who had haSed him rms Is q FiG no.
to converse about their testimony
II is understood that the Hungarian Band ref
erence 10 which made by Judge Advocate Har-
which the court of inquiry has discovered and
that number of the upper class men may be COM
PEELED TO face charges based on the band s com
pose It. sing and play the banjo for the enter
Iainment of all upper class men, who order T. ana
McCrery is said TO be one Of the bandsmen.
The defence in Decatur's case closed to-day. and
there will be several witnesses in rebutta brought
by the prosecution 1t is probable that the case