Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-10
HIS MOTHER AND SISTER
DEFEND THEIR MOTIVES
Mrs. Parker. on Stand, Tells of Her
Investigation of Tragedy.
HIS STAINED GARMENTS SHOWN
Laundryman Testifies to Bloody
Shirt in Wash of Lieut.. Sutton.
Mother Identifies Card
and Letters.

| Special From a Stan Correspondent.
! ANNAPOLIS. Md. August l0.-Wth
! the blood-stained garments OF her brother
| lying on the table before her. Mrs. Rose
Sutton Parker told the court of inquiry
today how she came from Portland to An
napolis. arranged for and attended the
| funeral OF Lieut. Sutton at Arlington.
took charge of his effects and began her
inquiry into the cause of his death.
When Attorney Henry F.. Davis asked
| Mrs. Parker to describe the condition
of her brothers clothing as they were
turned over to her, he reached into suit
case and drew out pair of dress trou-
sers-dark blue, with red and gold stripe
down the leg-and laid them before the
witness.
| At the sight of them Mrs. Parker turn
ed away and closed her lips in straight
line After a brief struggle she conquer
| ed her emotion. Then, turning her gaze
squarely upon the contents of the suit
case, she went on with her testimony in
an even. though suppressed tone of voice.
Mother Again in Tears.
| Across the table from her Mrs. Sutton
| wept silently. \ short while before
while on the stand, Mrs. Sutton had
broken down completely at the sight OF
| a letter written to her by her son.
When asked by Mr.. Davis If she rccos-
nized the handwriting of the letter, Mrs.
Sutton murmured. almost inaudhly:
Its Jimmie's.
She dropped her face in her hands. her
whole frame shaking with sobs. The
reading of the letter gave her time 10
collect herself. SO that when Mr.. Davis
began asking her questions she answered
them with perfect self-control-
| 1t was brought out clearly by Mrs
Parker's testimony that the desire on the
part of the Sutton family to fasten the
/ blame for young SuttonS death upon
any one is completely oyershadowed by
! their desire to clear from his name the
/, stigma of suicide.
| Their deep feeling on this point was
| plainly reflected on the faces of the
mother and daughter as Mrs. Parker
| told the court, in answer to questions
| from Mr. Davis that. as Roman Catho-
| lies, the tenets of their faith made them
| believe that the soul of suicide is a
| lost SOUL one for which ultimate redemp-
1 ton is impossible
Told Adams of Motive.
Il told Mr.. Adams this when we had
our interview at Carvel Hall Hotel
the Wednesday or Thursday after Jimmie
was buried said Mrs. Parker today. Il
| told him that all We wanted was to es-
tablish the fact that Jimmie did not kill
himself and If he would help me do that
| We would make no effort to prove that
| he was murdered.
With painful effort Mrs. Parker de-
scribed her brothers funeral
| "On my way from Portland tele-
! graphed to Washington TO find out il
Jimmie could be buried in the National
! Cemetery at Arlington, she said. we
| had been informed that he had committed
suicide. l knew then that he could no.
| be taken to Portland and buried in con-
! form the funeral services even.
LAS it was, the funeral services We're
read at Annapolis by chaplain. The
| remains were taken to Arlington aud
| there buried No chaplain was at the
grave. They sounded Taps over Jimmic's
| grave. That was ALL
| The funeral occurred Monday. October
| Il 1907 The day before Mrs. Parker
| arrived at Annapolis. She was met hy
| Capt. Mark, who had arranged for her
| quarters at the hotel. That day she
called on Col. Doyen, the commandant. at
the barracks.
Sisters Talk With Doyen.
He told her of her brothers death and
described the condition of his face. II was
bruised. Mrs. Parker said Col Doyen
told her, and discolored. There was
bandage around his forehead.
The colonel advised her not to look at
the body. saying 1t were better for her
to remember her brother as he had ap-
peared in life. Mrs. Parker told Col.
Doyen she would not mind seeing her
brothers face set stern in death.
Col Doyen told her the look his face
bore was worse than a look of sternness-
Then l decided not to look at him.
said Mrs. Parker Il never saw him
after he was dead
Taking up her story. Mrs. Parker said
that after she returned from the funeral
of her brother at Arlington Monday she
she went to the barracks and was taken
TO the storeroom by Col. Doyen.
There Capt Mark and Lieut. Utley
went over Sutton's effects with her and
later sent them TO the hotel. The soiled
linen of her brother that she received
was not blood-stained, but the mess uni
form. worn the night he died and placed
in evidence today. showed signs of dis
array.
The trousers were muddy, particularly
so at the knees. The knot on the left
shoulder of the jacket had been torn off.
The shoes. which were also placed in
evidence today. were muddy.
All were taken back to Portland, Mrs.
Parker said
Interviews With Officers.
When she came TO tell the story of her
interview with several OF Suttons com
panions Mrs. Parker was allowed TO go
straight ahead, with Dut few questions
from her attorney.
She first saw Lieut. Adams at barracks
when she went to get her brothers ef-
fects Col. Doyen introduced them.
Adams, she said. appeared embarrassed
and i'll at ease. The day before he had
been at the funeral and had stared hard
at Mrs. Parker
She told Col Doyen she would like to
talk with the young officers. He said
that, while he could not order them TO
talk with her. he would inform tnem Of
her desires in that direction. Adams.