The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-10
Mother of Lieutenant Says lie
Appeared After Death and
Told Her All
Tells of Strange Prem0niti0n
of Fear on the Night OF
Annapolis Tragedy
Letters Ordered Read in Open
Court Recite Minute Details
of the Alleged Murder

A NNAPOLIS, Md, Aug. q
"A The reading Of the record last
q Saturday, when the board OF
inquiry investigating the death OF
Lieutenant James y. Sutton con
Quoted the proceedings OF thar day in
secret and the cross examination OF
Mrs Sutton, the mother OF the dead
officer, occupied practically all OF to-.
days session.
No sooner had Mrs Sutton taken
the stand than Major Leonard. Judge
advocate. demanded that the letters
OF Mrs. Sutton, read IN the closed ses-
sion. be read in public with the
records
we have been accused OF holding
star chamber session. declared the
judge advocate. and besides there
are sundry other mothers who are en-
titled to know their sons are accused
OF crime"
A warm wrangle ensued-
Lawyer Davis. counsel for Mrs.
Sutton. argued against the necessity
OF making the letters known, as they
Fhad no actual bearing on the evi-
sdence- The public reading at this
time would be merely catering 10 a
prurient curiosity. he -eontended- Tn.
four letters were written to H. n
I Swartz. a clerk in the marine corps
paymaster's Office in Washington by
Mrs sutton
The court decided that they should
be read
Mrs sutton's letters showed ve-y
bitter feeling on her part against
number OF the officers OF the marine
corps and bristIed with condemnation
of sutton's brother officers and the md
ing of the hTst Inquest relative TO
sutton's death
Under cross examination Mrs sutton
bore herself well Three more Wit
nesses were summoned one is a resi-
/ dent Of this city, Charles r Russel.
Another is Corporal Todd OF the marine
corps. corporal OF the guard on the
night OF sutton's death The third is
a washiongtonian whose name is not
divuIged-
The first letter 10 swartz asked II he
was friend Of her son. TO whom she
could write with confidence as TO his
sympathy
A second letter to Swartz gave
version OF what occurred on the night
OF Lieutenant Sutton's death and also
detailed the wounds on the face and
head which Mrs. sutton wrote had
been inflicted upon her son she re-
ferred frequently 10 those who were
with Lieutenant Sutton when he was
shot as wild beasts"
In this letter the name OF Miss May
z Stewart Of Pittsburg was mentioned
Called Associates Low Brutes"
Mrs. sutton asked Swartz 10 ind out
from Osterman and the others who
( were in the automobile with sutton
the fatal night and what had actually
happened preceding the shooting
A third letter 10 Swartz gave fur
ther details OF what Mrs. sutton had.
she said. discovered. and referred 10
those who were with her son when he
died as low brutes she referred TO
letter from her son in which he
described his fellow officers as low
eads.~ and referred in words Of bitter
criticism TO Lieutenants Adams. Oster-
man and others.
This letter described the receipt OF
the news BY her at her home OF her
sons death and said that she felt at
that time that her son was with her
and that he described TO her the nan
ner OF his death. which. she wrote. he
declared was due 10 shot fred BY
Lieutenant Adams.
Mrs sutton wept quietly while her
own words as TO her sons death were
being read
After the reading OF the letters the
reading OF the record OF Saturday
showed Mrs sutton to have been asked
many questions as TO evidence IN her
possession 10 support her contentious
She referred TO letters received by her
from Miss stewart. Professor Coleman
and others and TO the record Of the first
investigation as SUFFICIENT evidence
Wrote Many Letters
The reading OF the record concluded.
Mrs sutton was cross examined By
Birney and said she had received her
information relative 10 the wounds
which she believed 10 have been suf-
fered BY hersson from the testimony at
the hrst investigation Birney was stin
cross examining when recess was
taken
J All The letters Of Mrs. sutton EhisA