The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-14
SUTTON INQUIRY
ATTRACTS CROWD
Summing Up of Facts Learned
on Investigation Cause
of Big Attendance.

Annapolis. Aug 13.-The largest audi
ence that has attended a session thus
far was presente today at the begin
ming Of the last day of the open sessions
OF the court of inquiry investigating TIE
death, on October 13, 1897, Of Lieutenant
| James n. Sutton, If.
The attraction was the summing up Dy
| Henry NJ Davis, counsel for Mrs. Suit
| ton, and A. F. B!rney, counsel for Lieu
| tenant Adams, md possibly something
| from Major Henry Leonard, judge adVo-
cate.
Mr.. Davis argument did, in fact. lead
! the judge advocate to speak, though
/ briefly, and what he said was not III
/ the nature Of argument touching the case
Mrs. sutton was not present at Jle art
/ ernoon session. 1t was explained privately
/ that she had been so affected by the
touching reference Of Mr.. Davis 10 her
! lost son that she did not feel able to ap-
pear in the afternoon. Mrs Rose sutton
| Parker, her daughter, was present
throughout the proceedings, however
Private Court Today.
| The court will sit tomorrow in private
/ for the purpose of discussing the findings
/ which will. when reached. be forwarded
| to the navy department at Washington.
whence the announcement Of the result
I of the inquiry viii be made.
/ Mrs. Sutton said tonight that If the find
/ ings of the court declare, rs did those or
/ the former board, that her son committed
suicide, she viii carry the case still
| further.
Mrs. Sutton, Lawyer Birney declared
/ had earned the designation of an accuser.
| He reviewed published statements as ID
what caused SuttOn's death and said these
| had been based on the contents of letters
/ written by Mrs. Sutton. He denied the
possibility OF Lieutenant Sutton having
/ been beaten to death and then shot 10
/ conceal the crime, which, he said, Mr.
| Davis had charged by imputation at
| least.
Mr.. Birney attacked Mrs Sutton and
! declared she has pursued his client and
| his associates with malevOlent hatred, noC
with evidence of maternal sorrow inspir-
| ing her.
Mr.. Birney placed Lieutenant Sutton IN
the attitude of a whipped coward. He
pictured the automobile ride and the two
fist fights that followed it as they have
! been described in the testimony Of the
/ lieutenant witnesses, and declared Sutton
had gone to camp and armed himself with
the deliberate purpose of doing murder.
Praises Lieut.. Adams.
Birney strongly praised Lieutenant Ad-
testified, Lieutenant Sutton fired upon
him. He fully justified the treatment 20
which, according to his client and ms
brother officers, Lieutenant Sutton was
subjected.
Mr.. Birney contrasted the grief Of tho
mothers of the other young heutenants
with that of Mrs. Sutton. He then at
tackled Sutton as a breaker Of regula-
tiOns and a man Of objectionable habits
The evidence of the crime, in this case
he said rested entirely upon Mrs. SUIT
tons ''preteTnatural vision and upon the
flimsy evidence of DR.. Schaeffer, the eN
pert on gunshOt wounds, which. he said
had been so strongly ContradiCted as &c
give it weight only IN the mind Of ar
imbecile.
That Lieutenant Sutton shot himself ac-
cidentally while drawing the pistol from
under him, he said, was quite impossible
Either he deliberately committed suicide
or shot himself while attempting to shoot
someone who was above him, perhaps
on him.
Major Leonard the judge advocate, said
he rose to protest against two points In
Mr.. Davis argument. He himself came
here, ne said, with every good wish for
and willingness to help Mrs. Sutton and
Mrs. Parker to bring every evidence pos
sible before the court. They had not, as
they should have done, given him all tbs
facts in their possession.