Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-11-06
HIS GOOD MEMORY.
Held Back Officers Promotion for
 More Than Six Months.


 Washington, D. C., Nov GA re- markable instance of practically absolutely perfect memory has been discovered in the army. For many months promotions from the grade of second lieutenant to that of first lieutenant have been stopped by the case of Lieutenant George c. Rock we'll of Kansas. So notable has the case become in army circles that young Rockwell was dubbed the "key log lieutenant" as, like the key log in jam, he has prevented the movement upward of the entire list of second lieutenants.
 Lieutenant Rockwell was gradu- ated from the high school at Junc- tion City, Kan, and, after service in the ranks, took an examination for a commission and was appointed a second lieutenant in the army. Sev- eral months ago, after serving in the Tenth Infantry as a second lieuten- ant, he was ordered up for exam ination for promotion to a first lieu tenancy. He passed a brilliant ex- animation, in fact it was practically perfect, and therein came the trou- ble. An examination of his papers indicated that his answers to ques- tions were not only correct, but they were what is known as letter per feet" It was found that he had fol- lowed the text of the books of in struction so absolutely, not emitting the cross of a ''t" or the dot of an 'i," that the examiners were con- vinced he had had access to the books during the examination.
 Such situation, of course, could not be overlooked. Those who had conducted the examination were pos itive young Rockwell could not have used ponies" in the test, but the examiners of the papers could not how a human being could follow possibly the text books so accurately, without making slip 
 Lieutenant Rockwell was sum moned before another board of ex- aminers. That board put him through all sorts of tests, with view to determining definitely whether he was as good as his original papers indicated. The members of the board were dumbfounded by the ex- of memory the young man gave them. He could begin any where in a text book and quote ab- perfectly the sentences of the author. He possessed a letter perfect knowledge of the text of all books he had studied. His memory did not fail him at a single test, al- though he was tried in every con- way.
 It finally was determined by the examining officers that Lieutenant Rockwell simply was equipped with an astonishing memory. which en- sbled him to retain, with no appre- ,iable difficulty, everything he de- sired to remember. The board re- ported to the war department that Lieutenant Rockwell was in all re- spects eligible to promotion and hat there had not been the slightest rregularity in his original examina- ion.
 Only a day or two ago the depart Ient published the list of promotions which had been held up since early | r. the present year by the key log lieutenant" In promoting Rock we'll. the department ordered his | as a first lieutenant to l late from February 1T. 1907, the | lay he took the examination, and l LOW he is assigned to the Thirteenth l infantry. The promotion of Rock vell brings about the promotion os 1 bout thirty second lieutenants ! those advancement has been de ayed by this most remarkable case which ever has been known in the rmy.