Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-28
TROOPER KELLY TRIED
ARRESTED FOR INSULTING MISS
JORDAN OF BALLsroN.
Court-Martial Proceedings at Fort
Myer-Better Order to Be
Maintained.

A court-martial met at Fort Myer yes
terday to try Private ]. J. Kelly of Troop
F, 18th United States Cavalry on four
charges, growing out of the alleged insult
to and hold-up of the daughters of Mr.. E. l..
Jordan of Ballston, Va. by soldiers from
the fort on the evening of January 10. Sew
eral soldiers were arrested as result of
an investigation by the commanding Off
Ger Of the post. The investigation was in
stituted by direction of President Roose-
welt. Only one man-KeIly-w held for
trial.
Miss Jordan, accompanied by her father
and the young man who was with her when,
it is alleged she was insulted by the SOL
diers, visited the fort and the arrested men
were taken before them. The only one
identified was Kelly. He was held for court
martial the others being released from ar
rest.
Kelly was tried on four charges, but, it
Is said, he was found guilty of but two
of them These embraced conduct unbe-
coming a soldier and to the prejudice of
good order and military discipline by OBJ
structing the free passage of Miss Jordan
and her sister and using profane and in
sulting language in the presence of ladies
and to them.
Statement by an officer.
An officer at the fort stated last night to
a Star reporter that the offense was much
less serious than was at first supposed, and
that Kelly had been shown to be the prin-
cipal aggressor. In resenting the action Of
the young man who was with the ladies in
requesting them to move away from the
soldiers, Kelly, it is alleged, INDUCED In
the offensive language.
l. The findings in the case have been for
warded to the reviewing officer Miss Jor-
dan and the young man appeared at the
nit, ,,,et I IL,
The army officers at Fort Myer and the
big majority of the soldiers there say they
deplore the unpleasant incident. II is an
derstood that the proper authority will be
sought to guard the Aqueduct bridge and
reservation in the future against unpleas-
ant happenings. This guard, it is said. will
be maintained by the military authorities
Discipline to Be Enforced.
The lines Of discipline will be drawn
tighter on prisoners in the guard house. and
they will not be allowed cigarettes and
other luxuries which it is said have been
heretofore passed surreptitously in to them
by comrades. In other words an officer
SAID, the guard house will be made a place
more to be feared in the future The Of
f1cers of Fort Myer will also require good
reasons from all soldiers who want CHECK
passes to leave the post and they will
be careful regarding whom such passes are
issued check pass premts a man to be
absent from the reservation when the nom
commissioned officer goes through the quar-
tiers after taps have sounded and checks
on his books all men who are not in their
hunks.
1t is also said that Maj. Sylvester. super
intendent of police, will cause an additional
ponce patrol box to be placed at the Vir-
ginia end of the Aqueduct bridge as the
District police authority extends to high
water mark on the Virginia shore of the
Potomac. A detail of bicycle policemen
VIII, 1t was added, be provided to patrol
the bridge. The bicycle men will be re-
quired to pull in alternately on the half
hour from the boxes at each end of the
bridge.
Every step is to be taken by the police,
II rs announced, to prevent repetition OF
the Jordan affair, and the laws relating to
unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct
will be rigidly enforced.