Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-08
FEARFUL THAT COUNSEL
WILL CLOSE HER MOUTH
Daughter to Tell of Interviews With
Defendant Officers.
INQUIRY IS NEARING CLOSE
Witnesses to Be Called Whose
Names Are Yet Withheld.
Adjournment by Wednes-
day or Thursday.

Special From q STAFF Correspondent
: ANNAPOLIS. Md, August with the
introduction today Of Mrs. Sutton's letters
as testimony in the inquiry into the death
, of her son. now going on here. the begin
ming of the end of the second investiga-
: 'tion appeared.
This mornings session was short and
was held behind closeu doors. 1t was
taken up with two matters. the reading
OF the letters and the consideration Of. a
! motion by Maj Henry Leonard that GER
tain remarks made by Attorney Henry E.
Davis yesterday should be stricken from
the records
, Mrs. Sutton, whose appearance on the
stand yesterday was the signal for row
between the attorneys, will again occupy
! the witness chair at the opening of Mon
days session.
Today she was asked few questions by
the court, but only with regard to the
| authorship Of her letters.
When Mrs. Sutton takes the stand she
, will be subjected to a rigid examination
n.
, Birney, attorney for Lieut.. Robert E.
. Adams. Most of her letters, it Is under
stood. were written to public men and to
one Washingtonian not in public life.
They are said to contain charges Of
the most serious nature against the young
, officers who were with her SON the night
he died-charges that place them In the
light of criminals-charges against the
men who were at the head Of the marine
barracks here when her son died and
against the court which held the first in
yestigation into his death.
Letters to Become Public.
That these letters, which are now kept
from the public by the ruling Of the court,
will practically become public Monday,
when Mrs. Sutton is testifying, is almost
assured. In questioning her the attorneys
will. Of necessity, refer to passages in the
letters containing her charges and will
ask her upon what foundation she wrote
as she is said to have done.
Mrs. Sutton herself has no aversion to
taking the stand. In fact, she is bit
worried for fear her principal attorney.
Mr.. Davis. will not let her say as much
as she wants to.
Mrs. Parker will follow her mother on
the stand IL the present plan is adhered
to. 1t Is not at all unlikely that Mrs.
Sutton's examination will consume the
entire day Monday. 1t had been thought
that her presence in the witness chair
would be brief. Now that her letters
have become evidence they will be gone
over thoroughly in her examination. and
that will take time.
Mrs. parker's Story.
Just how much the examination of
Mrs. Parker will amount to is purely
problematical. Her version of the inter-
views She had with several defendant
leutenants at the Carvel Hall Hotel, at
Annapolis, about a week after her BROTH
! er's death differ radically from the ver-
sions given by those lieutenants on the
stand during the inquiry now going on.
She expects to tell her story on direct
examination. Everybody who has followed
the case at all Is confident that II will
prove interesting. But it is her cross
examination that is awaited with the
keenest interest.
In the last analysis the result of Mrs.
Parker's testimony will be 10 put il up to
The court to decide questions of veracity
between her and marine officers with
whom: she talked What Mrs Parker
says of these conversations and what the
ofYicers say OF them. are so Numerically
opposed that their reconciliation appears
absolutely impossible.
Following Mrs. Sutton and Mrs. Parker
will probably be two or three witnesses
that Mr.. Davis and the Van Dyke broth
ers consider Of Importance to their case.
Who these witnesses are only the Suttons
ana their attorneys know. They are
guarding the secret
One, however. is said to be an enlisted
man who Is supposed to know something
of the occurrences that Immediately pre-
ceded the death OF Sutton.
Adjournment by Thursday.
With them out of the way, one day
will be given over to the summing up OF
the case by the attorneys, which will
bring the proceedings to a close 1t Is
thought that by Wednesday or THURSDAY
the court will take final adjournment.
Today tilt in court between Mai. Leo
nard and Mr.. Davis came over the dis.
cussion OF the judge advocates motion ia
strike from the record IA statement made
by Mr.. Davis yesterday which was taken
by the judge advocate as an insinuatiou
that he had not acted In good faith in in
Producing Mrs. Sutton's letters. When
Maj Leonard made this motion yester.
day Mr.. Davis said he had said nothins
which he wished to withdraw
In announcing its decision to let Mr.
Davis statements stand the court stated
that. in its opinion. Maj. Leonard had
misconstrued Mr.. Davis remarks.
All the parties in the inquiry remained
in Annapolis tonight
Mr.. Davis is busy preparing a speech
in which he Will sum up the evidence
His general tactics have Indicated tina,
he will take the line that Sutton could
not possibly have shot himself from thl
position he was in when the last shot
was fired; that there Is not suflcient eyi
dence tosprove suicidal intent on his part
and. possibly. that IL he shot himself a,
all he did so in self-defense
The judge advocate and Mr. Birney vii
argue that no case against the defend
ants has been made out; that the suicide
theory has been absolutely established