Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-08
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
Civil Courts Jurisdiction Over
Military Reservations.

The war department has now on hdnd
another interesting case involving the juris-
diction of civil courts over persons COM
hitting offenses on a military reservation.
A native soldier of the Porto Rican Pro-
visional Regiment, stationed at San Juan,
sentry. shot and killed a trespasser on
the military reservation. The insular court
undertook to investigate the case, but the
commanding officer of the post denied its
right to serve process on the reservation,
claiming that It was exclusively under the
jurisdiction of the United States district
court. lin the meantime the soldier was
tried by military court and acquitted. Sub
sequent correspondence between the War
ana Navy Departments revealed the fact
that the United States and insular courts
of the island took different views as to the
right to try persons for crime committed
on United States military reservations
In order to settle that important question
the commanding otncer of the post at San
Juan has now been instructed to permit
the service of process TO the point of plac-
ing the accused soldier under arrest. and
the Department of Justice has been re-
queSted 70 direct the United States district
attorney for Porto Rico to sue out writ
OF ha beas corpus directed against the Dis
trict court thus bringing the matter before
the United States court. An appeal from its
findings then be taken by either party
to the United States Supreme Court.
The Ordnance Department
Gen. Crozier chief of ordnance has COM
pleted arrangements to execute the act ap-
proved June 25 last to increase the eff
cheney of the ordnance department, and his
plans have been approved by Secretary
Taft. In accordance with the law an ex-
animation of candidates of the line will be
held as a condition precedent to detail for
the first time in the ordnance department
which examination will be open to competi-
ton. For subsequent detail in the same
w he cd
nor Will such examination be required for
detail to higher grade If there shall have
been sufficient service in the department
on the part of the candidate to enable an
intelligent recommendation to be made by
a board of officers; otherwise there will
be qualifying examination, which will
include subjects appropriate for the grade
to which the detail IS under consideration
and not covered by the examination which
the candidate already may have passed. At
the time of the approval of the act there
were fourteen vacancies In the ordnance
department; the act created fourteen more,
making twenty-eight in all. During the
next four years the expiration of details
and the rettrements of officers will cause
nineteen vacancies IN the department. so
that there will be forty-seven vacancies
to be filled. 1t is the intention to fill these
vacancies gradually in the four years by
detailing, as nearly as may be, officers to
fill one-quarter of the vacancies each year.
For the first year eight officers have already
been detailed. and an examination will be
held about September next for the detail
of four more which will be to the grade
OF captain and for which captains and
first lieutenants will be eligible. The Of
hcers recommended will be detailed i'm
mediately upon the result of the exami-
nation being known.
In next March another examination will
be held for the detail of captains or first
leutenants to the grade of captain in the
ordnance department and of first or second
Heutenants to the grade of first leuten-
ants in that department; these details to
effect m tba
her which will be specified of the vacan-
cies which will then exist in those grades
Less Than one-Third Pass
OF the fifty-eight candidates who ap-
peared before the examining board at the
Washington navy yard for appointment as
assistant paymasters in the navy eighteen
have passed, or five more than are neces-
sary TO fill the existing vacancies in the ma
val pay corps, thirteen in number. II IL
proposed TO establish a waiting list upon
which the names of the five additional
qualified candidates will be carried until
such time as the young are all APP
pointed to vacancies in the junior grade
of the pay CORPS or until the candidates
have passed the maximum age limit.
Course at Naval Pay School.
The naval pay corps school of application
Will begin al the naval medical school In
this city on the 10th inst Pay Inspector
Paymaster John D. Robnett, u S. N, as
executive officer. Lieut. D. L. Wilson L
S. N, will be the military instructor In
addition to the newly appointed pay Off
GERS there will be five assistant paymasters
who have been at sea and who are to at
tend the course. The term will last about
three months and will possibly terminate
with trip to New York for the purpose of
observation at the navy yard and naval
clothing factory There will also be an in
spection OF the Puritan at Washington.
Skirmish Practice in Marching Kit.
By direction af Acting Secretary Oliver,
Col ]. b Hickey. military secretary. has
advised the various commanding generals
OF divisions and departments as follows re.
garding equipment TO be worn by officers
and enlisted men in slow and rapid firing
small arms practice: Paragraph of gen
eral orders. No. "A. prescribes that here
after sktrmish fire, both instruction and
record practice, for officers and enlisted
men required TO fire, will be conducted In
the marching kit. Under subhead &C. fur
Their explanation is given as to the equip
ment at skirmish practice of officers and
enlisted men permitted but not required to
fire. Subhead e refers 10 instruction prac-
tice only, at slow and rapid fire. The in
ference drawn by the commanding officer,
Fort d, A. Russell, that record practice.
slow and rapid fire. must be held In the kil
as prescribed is erroneous"
Providing Camp Kettles.
Col. Mccain, military secretary. by order
OF the Secretary of War, has written the
following self-expianatory letter to the
commanding general of the Atlantic Div.
sion AT New York; Camp kettles furnish
ed by quartermaster's department should be
all that are required for troops on march,
a sufficient number being used for boiling
water in excess of those actually required
for cooking purposes: all army posts are
supplied with camp kettles. If water at any
maneuver camp requires sterilization such
number Ford's sterilizers will be supplied
as can be spared, Where sufficient number
can't be given for camp 1t will be supplied
with special large boiler. which will be pur-
chased through chief quartermaster having
charge of preliminary arrangements. Steril-
izers and boilers should be grouped, not is
sued individually"