The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-06-10
WEST POINT SCANDAL
Army Officers Wife Sues Acad-
emy Officials for $l0o,OOO.
BARRED FROM RESERVATION
Husband Declares Her Exclusion 10
Result of Years Of Malice and Spite
Wood is One Of the Reasons Alleged.

West Point, n Y. June l0.-Lieu-
tenant Colonel Charles G. Ayres has
come to the support of his wife, Mrs.
Elizabeth F. Ayres of Virginia, in her
action for 100000 damages against
the commanding officers OF the MILL
tary academy. Lieutenant Colonel
Ayres declared that the charge that
the influence of women at West Point
Is detrimental to the cadets or acad-
emy is due to jealousy and that the
criticism of Mrs. Ayres Is tissue OF
falsehood by officers of the army anx.
ious to hurt Mrs. Ayres.
In the course of his statement Lieu
tenant Colonel Ayres alluded to the
action taken by the secretary Of war
as the result of the conflict between
Mrs. Ayres and the officers of the
academy, which action, he said, ex-
cluded Mrs. Ayres from the academy.
In making his statement Lieutenant
Colonel Ayres said he deeply regret
ted the present situation, as he Is
greatly attached to the academy
As to the treatment of his son,
Henry f. Ayres, cadet at the acad-
emy, by commanding officers he said
that Mrs. Ayres was first told more
than year ago by officers and cadets
that her son was being singled out
for persecution. The son, he said,
has never mentioned this subject to
his parents, but has accepted his pun
ishment. but other cadets were not
punished as he had been for the same
offenses. The boy. he said, has al
ready been recommended three times
to be given medal for saving lives
and one of his instructors had in
formed Lieutenant Colonel Ayres Of
his sons gallantry and calmness.
Calls Il a cowardly Attack.
Lieutenant Colonel Ayres declared
that his wife appealed to the authori-
ties for protection and tried In the
absence of her husband to defend her
self as any high spirited woman
might The result was, he said. a
cowardly attack upon her and her hus-
band, the result Of years of malice
who never Intentionally wronged a
human being and against a man who
never let an insult pass. The attack,
he said, was first made upon Mrs.
Ayres and was given to the newspa-
pers by those In authority at West
Point.
The upshot of Mrs. Ayres' appeal to
the authorities for protection, he add
ed, was the action of the secretary Of
war I'm excluding Mrs. Ayres from the
academy.
AS to the reason for taking the mat
ter before the civil instead Of a mill
tary court Lieutenant Colonel Ayres
declared that major general told
him fifteen years ago never TO appeal
to any kind of military tribunal, for
he might as we'll be tried by croco-
diles. Lieutenant Colonel Ayres said
that he has been warned repeatedly
to be careful, as an effort was to be
made to force him out of the army
and that General Leonard Wood was
ono of those who had warned him.
He declared that this animosity arose
from his friendship with General
Wood. whose firing line he command
ed at Santiago The lieutenant colo
mel said he was one of the few men
who congratulated Wood when he
was made a brigadier general. The
ot1oer asserted that he had been tried
on many charges and II he had been
guilty would have been forced out OF
the army long ago.