The Daily Missoulian., 1909-03-11
FINDINGS IN PARkMAN HEARING
WILL PROBABLY BE MADE
BY COURT TODAY.
EVIDENCE ALL PRESENT TED
Two Witnesses Are Examined, One
for the Defense and One in Rebuttal
tor the observation-disclosures Wili
Be Made by Each Side This Morn
ing-ResuIt Will Be Secret.

Whether Lieutenant Wallace E.
Parkman is technically guilty Of the
charges preferred against him or is
merely the victim Of persecution at
the hands of his superior officer. Cap
tain L. c. Duncan, will probably be
determined today by the military
courtmartial which is in session at
Fort Missoula. The introduction OF
evidence in the case was completed
yesterday afternoon and this morn
ing arguments by counsel and the
judge advocate will be heard. When
this is completed the court will go
into executive session to consider the
evidence and make it's findings. 1t Is
expected that this work will be COM
pleted by tonight. The result, with
any recommendations that the court
may see fit to make, will be sealed
and forwarded to the department
commander and the nature of the
courts findings will not be made
known until the verdict is published
by the department
But two witnesses were examined
before the courtmartial yesterday,
they being Captain Laurence Hal
stead, Sixth infantry, at Fort Mis-
soula, and J. E. La Violette, passen-
ger conductor on the Northern Pacific.
The former was a witness for the de-
fendant and the latter was introduced
by the prosecution in rebuttal. The
evidence presented by the defense was
in substantiation Of it's allegation that
the charges against the lieutenant are
inconsequential and prompted by
the malice of Captain Duncan, the
complaining witness.
For the purpose of expediting mat
ters the defen1e admitted, in relation
to the charge of smuggling a Filipino
servant over the Northern Pacific,
that the first conductor and others
knew the servant of the accused, and
that of Major Beacon, were on the
train, and that no fare was paid for
them because none was demanded.
After some discussion this admission
was accepted by the prosecution.
Captain Halstead, counsel for the
accused. took the. stand and testified
that a conductor on the troop train
made this remark to him while they
were together in the smoking room:
VI COuISo l. elii iioI hJih6 IiiNe
am above taking fare from a pas
senger and putting it in my jeans;
but, of course, when I do never give
any receipt"
After Captain Halstead had given
further evidence regarding the
charges at issue, Conductor La Vio-
lette was called and swore that he
did not: receive any report from the
first conductor that the two boys were
riding in an ambulance, and that he
did not know that the boys were rid
ing on the train. He declared that
his run was practically night run,
and that he had not observed any one
in the ambulance.
The prosecution had summoned an
other railroad witness, but as he
would not arrive before today and
his testimony would only be in sub
sanitation of that already before the
court, it was finally decided to dis
pense with him and the case was
rested.
This morning the points of the mat
ter will be argued by the judge advo-
cate, Captain Schindel, for the prose-
cution, and Captain Halstead, counsel
for the accused.