Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-05-23
The TCStinO-
ny in Detail.
CONTINUED From First Page.)

was dismissed for the night. Lieut.
enant Lawrason, the company COM
mander, under orders from Major
Penrose. proceeded to verify his RI
fies. He carefully counted the rifles
in the gun racks and found there the
exact number that belonged in the
racks. He then went to the store
room, taking with him the quarter
naster-sergeant, who unlocked the
| room, that he might enter. After
entering the room he told the quarter
master sergt. that he wanted to verify
the guns in his custody-those in the
arm chest. The Quartermaster-ser-
geant thereupon removed the bag
gage that mad been piled on top OF
the arm chests. unscrewed the lids.
opened up the guns. and Lieutenant
Lawrason counted them. finding that
every gun was there-not one miss
ing.
In this way he establishes that
Blaney's gun was at the time OF the
firing in the arm chest, with the Ito
screwed down and baggage on ton
or the chest, and the door OF the
storeroom fastened under lock and
key. In other words. it is conclu-
sively shown that as TO this one gun
ANllOSElOIN
for IL TO have been fired in Browns
Vile or that it ever had been fred
except only on the target range at
Fort Niobrara before the battalion
left there.
Lieutenant LawrasoA's Testimony
on this point is as follows:
@. That night. when the guns
were put back in the racks, did you
count them?-A. Yes, sir; l counted
them as they were placed in the
racks.
q Were the rifles locked up?-
A. They were, sir.
%. BY whom?-lA. By the non
commissioned officer in charge OF
quarters.
%. Who was that?-A. serr.
George w. Jackson.
@. Is he a reliable man or potP
A. / believe him TO be a reliable
man. sir.
20. And 4 truthful MANA. I
think so. sir.
@. He had been a sergeant !.
that company for a long time. bn,,
he not?-A. He had, for seyaraI
years, believe. sir. He was In the
company when Joined it.
q And man OF good record In
sir. vas
% Now. you saw the gun racks
locked by him: then what did vo,.
90 next after you had put the riaea
away and locked them up in ma
manner?-A. / then went down ann
inspected the rifles in the storebouse
q Who was in charge of ,n,.
storehouse, OF stOreroom, whichever
you call TIA. Quartermaster-S Ser
geant Walker McCurdy.
q Was he, also, an old 40,
seant?-A. Yes, sir; he was an on,
sergeant OF Company B.
@. Was he or not a reliable any,
truthful MANA. l always believed
aim TO be such. sir. 80 81
q He had been in the service
many years. had he not?-A. Yes
sir; he had.
Q. And had everybodys conf
dence as a good soldier and a faitbfnl
noncommissioned oficer?-A. Yes
@. He was the quartermastar-
sergeant AS quartermaster-sere
what was his duty with respect 70
lhe surplus rifles and surplus am
nnunltlon! l mean surplus in the
sense that IL was not in the hands OF
she men?-A. He was accountabIe
ioI II, and II was his business to keen
1t locked up. - AeeP
@. You went 10 the storeroon,
after you locked up the rifles: who
win you 10 the storeroom =
~ me ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
a., sergeant hcCurdy?-A. Yes
%. What did you do. and what
aid you tell him, and in what condI~
u Giu you ind the room; was n
o0hsu or unlocked when Won went
- 1t was locked and he omen
90 IL he took out a bunch of KEYS
a. 4 recolIect IT. and fumbled arouno
auu got he right key and unlocked
ne 1oor' The storeroom was very
small anu we could not put all or
ua Vuartermaster property in there.
mere was some confusion I'm the
an winch the stun was piled
property. 0 pAny
9. I will come TO that IN = min
ute. What did You fell Sersoart Al n
Curdy you wanted in the sfo~aroo cue
when you went there: did Won taIi
MIN or not what you wanted 70 A.
until you got into the storeroono
A No. sir; when 1 got into tha sto~.-
room l told him that 1 wanted to zee
the rifles that he had in the stor,.
room. S0oHo
q. That is. rifles that he had IN
ms possession?-A. Yes. sir.
z Did you know how many RI
mes he had in his possession ar r.
ume?-A. l did, by referring to tho
company property book which was
kept there. was
q We will speak about thar
presently. Now. go on and state
what you did and what he did when
you told him.-A. He told me that
the rines were locked up in the arm
CHESTS. 1 told him to open them,
and he opened one full arm chest
that contained 10 rifles, and also o.
pened another that, I believe, con-
tanned two or three rifles and several