The Columbus weekly dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1902-1905, 1907-03-28
GENERAL KEESLER
WAS ACQUITTED
GOVERNMENTAL FINDS HIM NOT
GUILTY, But GOVERNOR
VARDAMAN REBUkES
HIM FOR ACTION.
Keesler's Defense Was That He Did
Not Know That Private Mont
gomery was a Member of
State National Guard.

the senate chamber yesterday evening
who agreed with Col. Calvin Wells
Jr., who, after all the testimony in
the Keesler court-martial case had
been submitted and both sides had
rested, in dramatic tones, remarked
THE bubbles burst. The great sen
sation which has gone out in advance
to the world, as the choicest and most
celebrated in the history of the State
civil or military, has fallen to the
ground. What have we left? Not
a shred of evidence to show that the
act of Gen. Keesler, for which he has
been arraigned here, was conduct pre-
Judicial to good order and military
discipline
The same idea must have permeat-
ed the minds of some of those pres
ent when Gen. Keesler, in straight
forward, unequivocating manner and
tone, related the incident which had
eliminated at that late day in this
military court-martial. The testi-
mony for both sides had before de-
veloped the fact that it was the last
day of the encampment, and that
camp was being broken, which had
thrown considerable work and per-
plexity on the shoulders of the COM
manding officers and his staff, and
that for the two days past there had
been number of annoying and wor-
rying incidents, sufficient to have con-
siderably exercised the mind of the
commander. That being in such a
frame of mind, when the provost
guard marched up to headquarters
with a squad of men under arrest,
and among them young Montgomery,
clad in non-descriptive costume, with
out uniform, and provokingly non
communicative when questioned as
10 his indentity by the commander,
the act which had resulted in that
court martial, while questionable
from technical standpoint, could
not be construed as ''subversive of
military discipline"
1t must be admitted that there was
divergence of opinion and testimony
among the witnesses as to the exact
remark that Gen. Keesler employed
when he addressed the young man,
Some of them testified to having
heard the remark: "You are a HI
of looking soldier," or words to
similar effect, while others stated
that they had not caught the ex-
oh Of hnt tn off
and the man at all.
But just what the court will rule,
or has ruled, is up to the present
writing a sealed matter, as the record
is to pass on the whole matter, and
if published at all it will come direct
from the mmander-in-chief. In and
around the corridors of the capitol
and about town generally it was the
subject of general comment, and 1t
was even whispered about that the
court had found for the defendant,
with a rider attached, though this
was not officially confirmed.
Relative to the communication to
Third regiment, which Gen. Keesler,
in the course of his testimony before
the court-martial, stated that he had
written, and which was admitted in
the evidence as part of the record, |
that document, which it was charged
on the stand had never been acknowl- |
edged, is as follows:
Brigade Headquarters,
Mississippi National Guard,
Greenwood. Miss, July 81, 1906. |
'Col. E. B. Baker, Natchez, Miss:
MY Dear Colonel - Your valued |
favor of the 30th inst. is before me, |
and carefully noted. I wish to thank /
you for bringing this matter to my |
attention. You know, colonel, no one |
has a higher regard for the private |
soldier than / have, or would do more |
for his comfort and pleasure. I re-
gret more than I can tell you the oc-
curreRces at my headquarters on the
we broke camp. would not
purposely humiliate any soldier. espe-
cially private, and while you have
heard only one side of this matter.
being in high position, / am more
than willing, yes, even anxious, to
apologize to the young man. and
would have done so in person and in
camp, but during the excitement OF