The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-09
IN GRIEF
 AND ANGER Letters Written by Mrs. .Sut- ton, Charging Murder, Read
 in Court Today DAVIS FIGHTS HARD
 AGAINST PUBLICITY Them Public Could Do Nothing but Crafty
 Morbid Curiosity
Mother of Dead Lieutenant Hangs Her Head While
 Records Are Read
Especial from United Press

Special from United Press)
 Annapolis, Aug. 9.-The fight be-
 tween Attorney Davis representing
 Mrs. James Sutton, and Judge Advo- cate Major General Leonard has reach
 ed the breaking point, following the determination of the court of inquiry
 today to read, in public the letters of
 Mrs. Sutton in which she made a di- rect charge of murder against one of the officers engaged in the fighting with her sons death.
 When the Sutton court convened to-
 day Major Leonard moved that. in consideration of the comments made by the press. the records of Saturdays secret session should be made public.
 Immediately there was a wrangle between attorneys. The letters. Davis said were personal letters, written to a supposed sympathizer. Such a thing as making them public, Davis said, could do nothing but gratify a morbid curiosity of a. morbid court room throng. Admitting that, in her sgkief and anger, Davis said, the mother had written such letters, they were no more relevant than a street corner con- versation might be before a Grand Jury.
 Major Leonard angrily replied that he admitted he was curious, that he wanted the public to know just ex- actly what Mrs. Sutton charged; that there were other mothers to consider Tn this case, and that the Navy De- partment itself stood virtually charged with being a party to the conspiracy. Attorney Birney, representing Adams. demanded publicity too, and the court retired. Three minutes later the an- nouncement was made that the letters were to be read in open court.
 oy>h fr read. Attorney Davis sat back re- signedly. Mrs. Sutton sat with her eyes fastened on the desk before her. Mrs. Parker hastily left the room.
 First the court stenographer read the transcript of the technical tilt be- tween Davis and Leonard and the re- fusa1 Of the court to expunge from the record the Davis charge that Leonard came the letters, written as their tenor denoted, by a frantic mother to man she thought was the friend of her dead son..
 The letters were addressed to Henry M. Schwartz, said to be a clerk in the office in the Navy De- partment in Washington. The first letter to Schwartz was dated at Port land: Ore, March 13. 1908. seven She said she had found a letter from Schwartz in "Jimmie's' effects and asked Schwartz if he was friend of her son. In the letter Mrs. Sutton asked Schwartz frankly if he was a friend of her dead son and if so she WAnted to make him her confidant
 Schwartz evidently replied affirma- lively for there were next read letters from the mother covering a period of several weeks. the dates running into May. The following are extracts from these letters:
 These men rode out in my sons automobile. Adams pulled off his coat when the auto stopped and went at my son. Osterman knocked him down five times Adams was on his head and two men on his back. Good Godi MT. Schwartz, to think that my son is dead and these wild men are still walking the streets Do you wonder that I want to die and be with my boy? Out of the six men there was not one who protected the helpless. I consider them worse than wild beasts, for only beasts destroy the helpless"
 "Just a few days before Jimmie died he wrote his father: Daddy, feel that they are going to get me. Never mind, mind if s have Sss fair 4s chance they will
 My poor boy. How little he knew the kind of men he would have to fight. Some of them have called him a coward. The man didn't live who would have called Jimmie a coward to his face"
 "Mr. Schwartz. think that Rocker could tell something. don't think he killed Jimmie but I know the night before Jimmie died Rocker made a sighting remark about the young lady with my son, and he had Rocker re-
 Interspersed with her charges against the officers were paragraphs that described her grief and her inten- ton to fight to clear her sons name and bring the men sh accused to an 'I think" one of the frantic mothers letters to Schwartz read. that the people are in the dark as to what kind of people run the Navy Department. They shield a pack of low brutes."
 Adams, Osterman and Uteley's faces are enough to convict them,' wrote the mother in another letter several young officers snickered and a | title ripple of laughter ran around the 'oom. ''I think Lieutenant Uteley en- yineered the fight and that it was all planned in advance" charged the mother in another paragraph. The he long letters after a while and | Major Leonard Who has rather a harsh | voice when aroused over anything, be- gan to read them. His voice pene- rated every corner of the room and | t seemed he laid special emphasis up- ,n that portion of the letter in which l Mrs. Sutton declared that when she | IS in the spirit told her that he had | lot died a suicide, but that Lieuten- mt Adams had killed him and that he | vas beaten to hide the crime As the etter reading was finished Mrs. Sut- on was turned over to Attorney Bir. | ley for cross examination. He fmme- | iiately began to demand proofs or the | statements The re~ord ;<- |