The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-22
BELIEVES SUTTON
BEATEN TO DEATH
Mother of Lieutenant Insists He
Was Shot After Expiring
in Night Fight
Witnesses Still Declare That
the Marine Officer Com
mitted Suicide

ANNAPOLIS, Md. July 21.-When the
naval board of inquiry investigating
the death of Lieutenant James n. SUIT
ton of Portland, Ore, finished its third
session today. only four witnesses out
of the fifteen subpenaed by the gov
eminent had been examined. H. w.
Van Dyke of Washington of counsel
for Sutton's mother said after court
that outside of Mrs. Rose Sutton Park
er. sister of Lieutenant Sutton. here
probably would be no witnesses beyond
those on the government list.
In few minor points Henry E.
Davis, chief counsel for the Suttons.
showed discrepancies in Lieutenant
mer inquiry.
Willing was the first man to say
that he reached the scene of the trag-
edy in time TO see Adams beating
Sutton. Lieutenant bevan testified that
he saw no blows exchanged.
SISTER INCREDULoUs
AS Lieutenant Willing on cross ex-
animation described Sutton with Adams
holding him by the back of the neck
with one hand and punching him with
the other, Mrs. Parker, who sat d.
rectly opposite the witness, smiled in
credulously, and, turning to Van Dyke.
one of her counsel. said Imagine a
wild man, as they describe my brother
to have been, standing up with a re-
volver in each hand and taking a
punching like that. It is wholly in
credible
The judge advocate asked Willing if
he thought the beating Sutton got
would have killed him, or if the witness
had any way of knowing whether SUIT
ton was dead before the last shot was
fired. 1t is known that Mrs. Sutton
has impressed upon Major Leonard her
belief that her son was beaten to death
and afterward shot
The witness answered these ques-
tions in the negative. He said he took
a service revolver from Sutton's right
hand after the shooting, but could not
remember what became of it after
that.
Lieutenant Bevan created a stir when
he testified that sig weeks prior TO
the shooting Sutton had told him that
life in the marine corps had no attrac-
ton for him and that some day he
would shoot himself.
DENY INSURANCE STORY
There having been current report
that Lieutenant Sutton carried life in
81 eAA-SS ~ TIC VI eZVsuUU, WHICH
could not be collected if the decision
of the previous investigating board that
he committed suicide is not upset, Mrs.
Sutton and her daughter today specific
ally denied that the lieutenant was so
heavily insured, saying that if, in fact,
he had as much as $1,000 on his life,
the family knew nothing of it.
Willing said he rushed to the scene
from the camp when he heard the
shots He testified ne saw three men
sitting on Sutton. and as he came I'D to
Sutton's head he heard Adams, pre-
sumably, who was the only man back
of him. say: He's shot, Rocker" or
Rocker is killed" At that there was
a report and a fash by Sutton's head
and the witness turned his head Just
in time TO see the revolver in Sutton's
hand.
Are you sure Sutton shot himself?''
asked Leonard
There is not the slightest doubt that
he did" replied Willing. Willing aft
erward leaned over and took the re-
volver out of Sutton's hand, he said.
Willing thought he heard some one
say: He's killed himself (meaning
Sutton). but he could not remember
who said 1t. He told of going over to
Rocker and putting his hand inside
his coat over his heart and feeling
something soft. 1t afterward turned
out to be a large blood blister at the
point where bullet is supposed to
have struck on Rockers ribs without
penetrating the flesh.