Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-10-14
WAS II suicide?
PROBABLE VERDICT 0F COURT
OF INQUEST.
MYSTERIOUS Deafh Of Narinc 0fs<er-
Shooting 0CcBrred After Saturday
Nights Hep said 70 - 4
Womsn n tie case.
LIEUT.. JAMES X SUTTON JR
DIES or BULLET WOUND
or GOVERNMENT
GROUNDS.


TONED at the school - Application
attached ~ the naval Aeasiesnys ard
whose home gas PORT faii1 Ore, Vrst.slisiy
committed suicide by shooting - 8-s1
| YESTERDAY morning. TIE weapon asst
| vas a-1.-ealiBer revolver AMI t5e sop
81 llfs head was practically blown e.
lie died al the naval Hospital within
| twenty minutes u the shooting
sutton vas iD company with several
| young officers, classmates - has ~
| TIE school 81 Application. wien tire
shooting occurred. tbe whole party
| returning from a bop a. tire Naval
Academy. ~ al effort - disarm
| Sutton. IieutcnaBss E-E- adams wa&
shot IN the finger. ihe rOund being
very slight, and Lieutenant Edwart
/ +. g0elker received . slight lui1rg
~ the breast, probably 1Euise 9r .
| scratch during tbe seufle-
1 It vas AZ first fh0Bgnf f5at l-ienten-
ant Rocker had been shot ard II
| wae reported that BE- was seriously
Injured. However. this gzs agthori-
4 tatfreIv denied ~ the Nariag Ear
racks yesterday. LieDte1aut Reel
1 ker - rot confined 70 t5e hospital an1
| LIeatenznt Adams vas % daty ses-
| yesterday.
There were very Wldsprez1 reports
around Annapolis tb4E Sutton uszsls
as attack upOn one % more - his
l brother officers. bot This eosld NOS BE-
l absolutely confirmed, - tze EoaE1 -
1 Inquest which SET ~ the ease VIII
/ make Is report - tire Navy Depart
/ gnenk ard its members are sW0ru in
/ All the actual witnesses g tle oe-
1 earrenes were called before ig AnI Sc
f. the custom - ezgffCE fheU 70
make no statement IN regard 70 the
matter.
Immediately after being notified 81
/ the frageIy capt. Charles 8. EadZsr-
| auuerfutendent 81 the Naval AeafIewy-
| detailed = board - iHq8iFy- This
board held AZ almost e0uefnuaus seE-
sion a. the naval hospital Throughout
the day. Commander jobs ~ EfouGs-
| werG, head u the Departments ~ ord
nance and gunnery AZ the Aealemy-
| was senior member 81 the board The
other members were Major BeuIza1iE
| Fuller. Marine Corps :. SIlFZsou FranA
q. Cook, o. the navy With Lfen&- =
1 8. willing. Marine Corps A. recorder
The exact details u the affair have
1 not been learned. a. none ~ fhe en-
ciais at the Academy or at the Marine
1 Barracks would discuss IL Bntfl after
| the Official investigation - concluded
one account u the tragedy IS that
1 Lieutenant sutton. in company vita
| second Lieuteuants r = Adams anfs
r.. r. ROeIker. Of the Marine C0Eps.
| were returning to their quarters az
the marine Camp, after An evening
Of dancing At the midshipEDeD' hop
given at the Academy Saturday night
They made the trip a. Tar 4s the en-
Trance to the ground about the b1rrzelzs
In an automobile, and Is is said The
three walked Up the road toward their
tents together. 4 few minutes after
entering their tents. Is IS related. pr2c-
tfcalIy all the officers. Of whom tbere
are thirteen. were attracted BY firing
near BY and Immediately went cut "a
investigate. They f0und Lieutenant
sutton on the road within Ioo yards
| OF the camp. According 70 the reports
a tussIe ensued between Lieutenant
Sutton and Lieutenant Adamss the
| supposed purpose Of the latter being
| to dfsarm Sutton fearing perhaps that
ne contemplated shooting himself
| During the scuffie the revolver was
discharged in some way and the bal
tore the end Of adams right fore
finger. LIeutenantt Rocker was
struck on the breast by a Sullet. but
L QlU UOL DLMEALAAE- III NA1-IA~
which was later identified as Of the
regular Government .3S caiIber, was
taken from Sutton, but in the mean
time, SO the story goes, Sutton reached
into his blouse and took out another
revolver Of % calibTe, and before
anyone could intercede had fred the
fatal bullet through Ibe BRAIN Tbs
second revolver was the personal prop
erty Of sutton. That officer did not
have the guns with him while return
ing to camp, and it is supposed he Sc
cured them in bis tent
| The shots were heard By = number
Of men Of the barraek garrison bui
Lieut.. Col. Charles 4. DOyen. com
mandant. heard nothing Of the affair
until he was officially notified In
mediately after the shooting Lieut..
sutton was conveyed 10 the naval
hospital, which is about three hun
bred yards distant. Upon arrival
there II was found THAT he VAS dead
and had probably died Instantaneous
lIy. Surgeon George PickreIl lafei
probed and located the bullet. II
had crashed through the brain and
lodged near the other side d ths
head.
Some Of the circumstances q It's
tragedy are mysterious II - rumor-
ed that there was some feeling BE-
tween sutton and Adams. because q
girl TO whom both had been paying
attention, and that the shooting Vas
the result Of duel between the on
GERS, but there were no Witnesses *.
/ cept those concerned, and there has
been no Official confirmation u this
A number Of Witnesses were examined
At the Official investigation, but owing
to testimony Of others desired, tbs
sessions were resumed today.
| That he-0hicers should walk from
the entrance 70 the grounds when the
machine could have conveyed them =
their camp, was viewed As rather m
usual By many persons, bat the author
flies believe that this action va
taken because the officers, knowing
they were out later than the customary
time, probably thought that the nois.
Of the automobile would arouse h.
commanding officers
Lieutenant sutton, IL - said "a
fond Of firing revolVeFs. and On 4