The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-12
SUTTON CASE
NEAR AN END
Almost All Testimony Is
Heard.
ARGUMENTS SOON TO BEGIN
Lieutenant Sumner Claims Sutton
Was Unpopular.
Sergeant ON stand Tells OF Onlcers' At
tempts 10 secure weapons, and
of Finding Bullet In Roeik-
er's Clethes.
REGIMENTS SOON TO BEGIN

Annapolis, Md, Aug. ia grue-
some feature was this afternoon in
PRODUCED into the proceedings of the
Court OF Inquiry into the death of
Lieutenant James N. Sutton, Jr., of
the United States Marine Corps, when
the legal representative of Mrs. SUIT
ton. the mother of the dead lieutenant.
brought to the witness stand DR.. Ed
ward NJ. Shaefer, OF, Washington, an
expert on gun shot wounds.
The people In the room. spectators
and interested parties alike crowded
around the table and gazed with the
keenest interest upon the doctor while
he placed on the table glistening
skulls to the exterior of which he
affixed in little Jumps OF wax. steel
rods intended to indicate to the men,
bers of hhe court the course OF the
bullet In the skull of Lieutenat SUIT
ton.
Lieutenant Adams had given a dra-
matte illustration OF the position of
Lieutenant Sutton when the fatal shot
was fired. The doctor was equally
dramatic as he stretched himself upon
the table and showed By pantomine
how,in his opinion. a. an expert, II
was quite impossible that Lieutenant
sutton could have fired into his own
head the shot that put an end to his
life.
One of the points which the witness
dwelt upon with considerable stress.
was the impossibility or Lieutenant
sutton being able, under the ciroum-
stances described In the testimony, to
exert sufficient pull on the trigger OF
the revolver to bring down the ham
mer of the weapon upon the cartridge
Ghastly skulls and q flow of techni-
cal terms that kept the official stem
ographers busy asking for repetition
were much In evidence during the az
ternoon and up to the time sine court
adjourned. DR.. Shaefer was still on
the stand under REORGANIZATION by
Mr.. Birney counsel for LIEUTENANT
Adams,
Sergeant Todd. went on the stand
at the afternoon session Consioera
ble interest had been aroused by the
publication Of an alleged interview
with him. While testimony did no,
confirm the interview. In whole, 1t diS
bring into the offical evidence SONS
points not In consonance with the eVi'
dance which had been given previously
nv young officers of the marine corps
vino were more less intimately con.
nected with the events which ciimaxeo
in Lieutenant Sutton's death
HI. r. Taylor, undertaken, and James
NJ Wt8dSI0tUe WdA0i PANboAp1
ant sutton's body for burial. both tes'
tif,ad that there was no evidence thai
either of Sutton's arms had been brok-
an. wiedefeld said there was no IN
dications that he had been beaten
though the witness had made no exam
nation for such.
prof Gilbert p. Coleman. Of the Ma
val Academy stated that he was In
company Of Lieutenant Sutton from
luncheon time until about midnignt OF
october IL, 1907 (the night of sutton
6eath). then leaving the lieutenant
with Miss May Stewart. Of Pittsburg
pa. in the assembly room of the hotel
Lieutenant Sutton, he said, was In
condition of perfect sobriety at tha'
time.
Lieutenant Allen A. Sumner. United
states marine corps, TESTIFIED TO seeing
at the hotel the same night Leuten-
ants Adams, Osterman and Utley and
that all of them were perfectly SOBER
~ that time. Lieutenant Sutton, he
said. entered the room and offered those
in the party a drink from bottle OF
whiskey, rhich all accepted. Lieuten-
ant SUNNI q said he afterwards went 70
camp. After his arrival there ne saw
lieutenant Sumner leaving the camp
again and without his coat.
sumner Heard shots.
Later he heard shots and going In
the DIRECTION from which they appeared
to come, saw Lieutenant sutton on the
ground. He also saw Lieutenant
Roalker. who appeared to have been
injured and taking him into camp
found his clothing torn by oule'
which was found In his clothing.
The witness identified as his own
card on which he had written: "Sut-
ton. / am a damn fool. Consider the
gun business cut out
This he had signed. He said that
this was written by him for the pur-
nose of humoring within OF Lieuten-
mi sutton on an occasion when the
latter was very much intoxicated. The
witness hoped that It would be means
Of Inducing him to so to his hotel
peaceably. .,ss .A..
Lieutenant Sutton was not OF good rep
utation among the other student on
Gers and that he did not believe Lieu
tenant sutton to be a truthful man. MT
Davis declined to ask the witness any
question.
After recess Sergeant A. p. Todd
Who was corporal of the guard ON the
night OF Lieutenant Sutton's death
took the stand. He said he heard an
unusual noise in the guard room and
there found Leutenants Adams and Os-
terman, who asked MIN loi weapons
saving there was trouble In the camp
Thav rot no weapons. Shortly after
he heard shots fred. Later Lieutenant
Rocker. in civilian attire, came to him
and said he had been shot. The wit
ress found In Rockers pocket drill
rerula ton book, he SAID. in the pages
Of which he found a bullet. There was
a mark as from a blow OF some sort
over Rockers heart. He also found
clothing and under
-,aer He knew nothing OF the find-
Ing next morning. of a revolver. on
me parade grounds. He denied port
80. ~ an interview attributed to him.
mt said he did see the figure of man
running anu heard commands to halt
and threats to Are and shots.