Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-12
LAST WITNESS HEARD
At SUTTON INQUIRY
CONTINUED from First Page.)

helped Utley and De Hart hold Sutton
down while they tried to disarm him.
Adams saw Rocker lying upon the
ground and called out:
MY God. He's killed Rocker"
Then came an impulsive jerk Of Sutton
arm. followed by fash from his revol-
yer, and his body became limp.
When Sutton heard Adams say he had
killed Rocker. what thought flashed
through his mind?
To defend himself from further rough
handling?
To kill Bevan or Adams?
To avoid the punishment he knew would
be his when his part In the nights oc-
currence became known to his superior
officers by ending it. all with a bullet in
his own brain?
On the evidence, as produced in court,
an affirmative answer to any OF the above
questions would fit the case But to OBJ
tain that answer one must Invade the
brain of Sutton and become aware of Its
actions during few f1eeting fractions of
time before 1t ceased forever to Work.
And that is beyond the province of
human achievements.
Verdict That Will Satisfy Suttons.
That Mrs. Sutton would be content with
q wiping-out of the suicide theory be-
came apparent while Mrs. Parker was on
the stand by the questions asked her by
Mr.. Davis. He dwelt at length upon the
religious phase of the case. the fact that
Suttons body must lie forever out of con-
secrated ground as long as the stigma OF
suicide rested upon his memory.
Let competent court decide that SUIT
ton was not suicide-and suicide Is here
defined as Intentional self destruction
and his family may remove his remains
from Arlington and place them in their
family lot in Portland. Mrs. Sutton may
take up the thread of her life secure In
the knowledge, according to her faith, that
her sons soul is not soul forever lost,
as she now believes the soul of every
suicide must be.
For the other side-the government side
1t is just AS important that the murder
young officers who were with Sutton when
he died defendant parties to this inquiry,
but the Whole Marine Corps and the Navy
Department as well are on trial.
The impression that the first fnvestiga-
ton was a star chamber affair and that
the circumstances of James n. Sutton's
death were hushed up has been distributed
broadcast throughout the country. The
department and even the officers of the
present court have been criticised
Anonymous letters have been received
by several parties to the inquiry. Some of
them are ridiculous. but they show what
has sunk into the minds of a portion Of
the American public.
Courts-Martial May Ensue.
What the results of the inquiry will be
is matter of pure conjecture. 1t is not
Impossible that courts martial viii follow.
and that several officers involved will
have to answer to charges of various
sorts.
That they will be held guiltless OF the
death of Sutton almost goes without
saying, in the light of the testimony Of
fered In court. But they may be caught
up for other offenses, such as staying out
after hours and misbehaving generally.
On the other hand. the affair hap
pened nearly two years ago and at u
time when the young officers had been
but little while In the service and
were still attending the school of ap-
plication. These conditions may tend to
lessen their offenses in the eyes of the
members of the court. taking into con-
sideration the fact that they had not
had enough experience to be alive to
their duties and responsibilities.