The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-11-23
Army and
Navy News
TROOP K MAKES A
MAP CORRECTING TOUR

Lieut.. George Morrison, Fifth Cav
airy, arrived in town Sunday night,
having made tour of the Koolau side
of the island with Troop X, Fifth Cav
airy, which has returned to Schofeld
Barracks. The troops have been en-
gagged for the past four days in max
ing corrected reconnaissance work on
windward Oahu, from Waialua to the
Pail. Instructive work for troops was
given at the Pail in regard to old
trails and routes.
Army TO Marine Corps.
SAN FRANCISCO, November -
Receiving her final decree of divorce
from the superior court in Oakland yes
terday, Mrs. Ethel Cohen Bent, former
ly the wife of Captain Lyman Bent, of
the United States Army, Immediately
went across the street to the county
clerk IS office and secured a marriage
license to wed Lieutenant Arthur Burn
eston Owens of the United States Ma
rine Corps, thus jilting the Army for
the Navy.
The couple were married at Fern
wood, the Cohen home in Alameda, yes
terday afternoon, by Chaplain Walter
Scott, the bride being attended by her
little daughter, Emelie Brent, while
Capt. Frederick L. Bradman, also of
the Marine Corps, acted as best man
for Lieutenant Owens.
Mrs. Owens married Captain Bent
twelve years ago, when he was station
ed at Fort Mason, in Nebraska. She
began divorce proceedings a year ago,
charging failure to provide. An inter
locutory decree was granted shortly af-
terward.
Lieutenant Owens first met Mrs. Bent
when the Atlantic fleet was in San
Francisco bay, he being attached to the
battleship Ohio. The naval officer soon
commenced to pay Mrs. Bent every pos
sible attention, and their names were
linked together in the social circles of
the Army and Navy. Although it was
rumored that Lieutenant Owens was to
be the happy man, both successfully
kept their secret, and the identity of
the bridegroom did not become known
until the marriage license was granted
yesterday.
Lieutenant Owens comes from wide
ly known Maryland family, and before
receiving commission in the Marine
Corps was an attorney at Annapolis.
Lieutenant and Mrs. Owens will spend
their honeymoon at Coronado Beach,
after which they will return to San
Francisco, and will live at 234O Bush
street. After the wedding ceremony
an informal reception was given to the
couple.
Embarrasses Army Officers.
About two hundred army officers
have been called on by the war de-
partment to refund to the treasury
sums of money varying in amount from
800 to $4,000. being the pay received
by them for exercising higher command
than their actual rank in the war with
Spain, and later in the Philippines.
This was apparently authorized by an
Interpretation of the law which provid-
ed that an officer should receive the
pay of the grade the duties of which in
actual operations he was engaged in
performing. This situation found cap
tains in command of battalions and
majors and lieutenant colonies in COM
mand of regiments. The unexpected
demand from the treasury department
has operated as a hardship upon the
officers who have received this notice
after SO many years. They find the,e
is no appeal from the decision, and as
they are not responsible for the misin-
depreciation of the law or the misappli-
cation of the statutes, they think it
would be proper to seek legislation
authorizing them to retain the money
which they were considered ten or
more years ago as having fairly earned
and to, which .hey were legally emit
tied. There might be some difficulty
in obtaining an appropriation if it re-
quired a new disbursement of money,
but the situation can be fully met by
inserting in the army appropriation act
a clause which will protect the army
officers So adversely affected.