The Detroit times., 1908-10-26
SPLENDID DISPLAY
OF GOLD LACE At
COURIMARI|AL
Elk GENERALS AND AZ MANY
COLONIES INVESTIGATE
CHARGES OF PETTY GRAFT
AGAINST TT. WAYNE OFFICERS.

A display OF gold lace. brilliant UNI
forms and service medals and decora-
tions such as has never before graced
the confines OF Fort Wayne. IL to be
seen there In connection with the
court martial which began Monday
morning. One major-general. five brig
adier generals and six colonels COM
pose the court. Maj. Gen. Frederick
d. Grant, president OF the court. Is the
eldest son Of President u. S. Grant.
As the courtinartial IL a full dress
affair. each officer wears the fuil
panoply OF his rank and all the decora-
lions 10 which he Is entitled. The
range from distinguished service med
ais Of the civil, war To those OF the
Spanish and Philippine wars. with In.
dian campaign decorations In De-
tween
This brave show OF wars pomp con.
trasts, however, with the plain court
room. whose only decoration Is a huge
flag, the implanted table at which they
sit and their hard, cheap chairs. the
case itself involves charges of the pet
test graft.
Col. Daniel Cornman. commanding
the Seventh Infantry, and Capt. u.
French, regimental Quartermaster. are
the officers against whom charges are
laid but the real charge against them
is that OF allowing other officers TO
maintain horses which did not belong
to them at government expense. Capt.
French Is being tried first.
The graft scandal has been limited
at often but It was told In full TO the
court. The whole deal hinges around
the horse-trading activities OF Dr..
John L. Burkart. contract surgeon at
Fort WAYNE. and his brother A. >.
Rurkart. a money-lender. The latter
Il Is stated bought a number OF horses
and the doctor kept them at the Fort
getting their stabling and forage
free by turning them over, for the
time 10 various officers.
Graft Alleged Is Petty.
The Burkarts got only free lodging
and board for their horses: the OFF,
GERS got only free ride now and then.
The total amount OF the hay. oats and
bedding supplied the horses barely ex-
. ceeded 500 In cost, much less than
each days session of the court Will
cost. The purpose OF this courtmar-
tlal. however, Is understood to be
more for the purpose Of stamping OUT
such petty graft than to punish the
commanding officers with any sever
lily.
Neither OF the accused officers Is
under arrest and both are attending
TO their regular duties al the post.
The members Of the court are
ranged at long table. Maj. Gen.
Grant, easily distinguished by his re-
semblance to his great father, sitting
in the middle and the other officers
ranging out to the end Of the table
on each side in order Of rank. At one
table sits Capt. French with his at
torney Lieut.. Massee, Seventh in
fantry, while at another sits Judge
Advocate Capt. Rowland.
Only two witnesses were called at
the morning session Lieut.. J. Fran
lis Franklin testified to the demands
made upon him for forage for the
horses In question, while he was huing
Capt. French's place as quartermas'
ter. Then DR.. Burkhrt was called. he
told how his brother had purchased
a lot of horses, some by himself ana
some In partnership with A. w. freer
DIR. Burkart had brought one or the
Fort Wayne corral. first transferring
IL to Lieut.. Peck for ii and other val
liable considerations.
When asked as TO the considerations
he explained frankly that they con-
sisted merely of an agreement to feed
the horse and allow the doctor TO use
n whenever he needed II whenever he
needed an animal. DR.. Burkart was
ia have the management OF the horse.
He rode 1t when he paid professional
calls and used II to drive downtown
ON business.
CAPT. Toffey Gets Horse.
4. A similar transfer of q horse was
\ made to Capt. Toffey, regimental ad-
infant. While this horse was nomin-
alIv Toffey's, DIR. Burkart traded 1t for
another horse, notifying the captain
later. These deals and others termin-
ated last March. and Burkart, who
had built q private barn on the res
ervation, sold his horses.
The horses were taken care OF by
army prisoners on parole whom DR..
Burkart paid with tobacco and with
sums of money given them on their
discharge. He also had man named
VIM. Lester working for him one win
ter.
The horse deals began In June. 1907.
and the next month he sold three
horses to Capt Caldwell. Apparently.
one or more Of these horses went for
zeal cash. A sample Of the methods
was given In an artless little CONVEX
sation recited by DIR. Burkart. He
met q Mrs. Moore. wife of lieutenant
on the oficers' row walk and said:
DO you want a horse?"
81 would be glad to have one" was
the reply.
"All night, I'll give you one"
And the horse was added to the
squad at the fort.
Capt. French, the officer on trial,
was apparently the last to get q free
horse. Dr. Burkart was talking with
him one day when black horse nam
ed Buster" belonging to Capt. French
was ridden BY. DR.. Burkart said that
he could ind . mate for Buster and
then Can't. French said that he was
doubtful whether he would buy anoth-
er horse - he was expecting that the
regiment would 60 to the Philippines.
He took IN option on a black mare,
owned BY the Burksrts. however. agree
ing 20 pay $50 for her II he decided
70 buy her. He kept her In the corral
with the other horses. DIR. Burkart
having charge Of breaking her to har-
ness In the meantime
when tho post was visited by an In
specting on3cer from Fort Sheridan,
~ black mare went with the other
eo0s1nassa. - Rags E1sht.)