The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-03-08
COURTMARTIAl WILL CONVENE
AT FORT MIssoULA TO-DAY
TO TRY DR.. PARkMAN.
TWO CHARGES ARE MADE
Lieutenant Of Medical Reserve Corps
Is Accused of Disobeying Orders
and Of Conduct Unbecoming an Of
ficer-Officers From Four Forts Ar
rive to Take Part in the Hearing

For the purpose of trying Lieu
tenant Parkman of the medical re-
serve corps on charges of disobeying
orders and conduct unbecoming an Of
ficer, a. military courtmartial will be-
gin at Fort Missoua this morning and
continue probably three days.
Thirteen officers from outside posts,
and two of the Sixth infantry at the
local post will constitute the trial
court. The visiting officers arrived in
were given quarters with the officers
regularly stationed at Fort Missoula,
while the others are stopping at ho-
tells in the city. The court will con-
vene at the post commandant's office
at 10 o'clock this morning under the
direction Of Colonel James Rockwell
of the ordnance department, who will
be president of the courtmartial. Maj
or John H. Beacon and Lieutenant J.
H. Page, formerly commandant and
post adjutant at Fort MiSSOula ar
rived yesterday from Forts Harrison
lain H. H. Randolph and Second Lieu
tenant f. w. Pitts of the Sixth infan-
try, will be the principal witnesses.
Lieutenant Parkman, who is not a
regularly enlisted officer of the army,
but one of the government contract
doctors belonging to the medical re-
serve corps, and has been attached to
the garrison at Fort Missoula, has been
eN,
past and returned to the post yester-
day. Major E. M. Johnson, post
commandant, ordered him placed un-
der arrest in post as soon as he ar
rived and he will be held under mill
tary surveillance until the result Of
his trial is known. The officer is
allowed the freedom of the post prop
er but not permitted to cross the
bounds Of the fort. onto the reserva-
tion.
Charges against the accused officer
grew out of affairs at the local post
which led to the transfer some time
ago of Major Beacon and Lieutenant
Page. Lieutenant Parkman, it is said, |
was instrumental in having charges
preferred against the former COM
mandant and post adjutant and an |
investigation was held, after which |
Major Beacon and Lieutenant Page
were ordered to other posts pending |
the final action of the department on |
the findings of the investigating Off |
GERS.
Following this investigation charges |
were prepared and filed against DR.. |
Parkman. AS soon as these went to |
the department commander, orders /
were issued for a courtmartial to de- |
termine the guilt or innocence Of the |
accused.
The first charge against Lieutenant |
Parkman is that he has disobeyed Or
ders issued by his superior officers,
which constitutes an offense against
military discipline. The second charge
is that the surgeon has been guilty Of
conduct unbecoming an officer while
on duty at the local post. The specific
acts which are recited in the COM
plant have not yet been made pub
lie and will not be until they are laid
before the court at the opening of the
hearing today.
The accused officer has been pro-
vided with counsel and will present
witnesses to refute the allegations
made against him. From what can be
learned at the fort there is consider
able evidence to be presented on both
sides and it will require two or three
days to present it all. While the
hearing will be public it was intimat-
ed last night that the court may eX-
ercise it's prerogative and receive some
Of the testimony in private. The find
ings, which will be secret, will be
submitted to the department COM
mander for approval and the results
of the inquiry will probably not be
known until action is taken by him.
The military court will be composed
of the following officers:
Colonel James Rockwell, ordnance
president of the court.
Lieutenant Colonel William A. Mann.
Sixth infantry.
Lieutenant Colonel S. A. Wolf,
Twenty eighth infantry
Major ]. H. Ford medical depart
ment.
Captain E. T. Woodbury., medical de-
partment.
Captain c. D. Freeman, Second in
fantry.
Captain E. A Shuttleworth, Second
4
Captain H. c. Bonnycastle, Sixth
infantry.
First Lieutenant Herman Glade,
Sixth infantry.
Captain S. ]. B. Schindel, Sixth in
fantry judge advocate.
First Lieutenant A. F.. Daanemiller,
Sixth infantry. L
First Lieutenant w. o. Bowman, t
Sixth infantry
Captain Laurence Halstead, Sixth h
infantry, counsel. S
First Lieutenant G. w. England c
Sixth infantry. /
The members of the court were Sc c
lected from the officers of Fort Smell S
ling, Minnesota Fort Lincoln, North i
Dakota, and Forts Harrison and ASST f
niboine, Montana, with two from Fort r
Afissoula. I