Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-10
FOUR LETTERS
FROM SUTTON'S
MOTHER READ
JUDGE ADVOCATE AT HEARING
DEMANDS PUBLICITY
LAWYERS CLASH OVER ADMIT
TANCE OF MIssIVEs
Inquiry Into Death of Lieutenant at
Annapolis Brings Out Fact That
Bitterness Is Felt by
Parent
tBy Associated Press. ]

ANNAEOlISi MO-, aug. e.-Ine
reading of the record last Saturday
when the board of inquiry investigat-
ing the death of Lieutenant James N
Sutton conducted the proceedings OF
that day in secret, and the cross -eX-
animation of Mrs. Sutton, the mother
of the dead officer occupied practical
ly all of the session today.
No sooner had Mrs Sutton taken
the stand than Maj. Leonard, judge
advocate, demanded the letters OF
Mrs. Sutton read in the closed session
be read in public along with the rec
ords
I'VE have been accused of holding
a star chamber session." declared the
judge advocate, "and besides there are
sundry other mothers who are en-
titled to know their sons arc accused
of crime"
A hot wrangle ensued. Lawyer
Davis, counsel for Mrs. Sutton, argued
against the necessity of making the
letters known as they had no actual
bearing on the evidence. The public
reading at this time would be merely
catering to a prurient curiosity, he
contended. The four letters were
written by Mrs. Sutton to II. M.
Swartz, a clerk in the marine corps
paymaster's office in Washington.
The court decided they should be
read.
Mrs. Suttons letters showed very
bitter feeling on her part against
number of the officers of the marine
CORPS and bristled with condemnation2
of Sutton's brother officers and the
findings of the first inquest relative
to Sutton's death.
Calls Companions "Low 5rutes"
On motion of the judge advocate, and
over the urgent protest of Henry f.
Davis. Mrs. Sutton's counsel, the let
ters read at the closed session. OF the
court Saturday, when Mrs. sutton was
on the stand, were ordered read wheh
the court of inquiry reconyened TO-DAY.
The reading showed Mrs. sutton
identified A number of letters as having
been written by her. The first of these
was to Harry NJ. Swartz, paymaster 5
office of the marine corps, washington,
ID G.. and asked if he was a friend OF
her son, to whom she could write with
confidence as to his sympathy.
A second letter to Mr.. SWartZ gave
version of what occurred on the night
of lieutenant Sutton's death. The
writer referred frequently to the
who were with Lieutenant sutton wheh
ne was shot as wild beasts In TINS
letter the name of Miss May e. stewart
of Pittsburg was mentioned. Mrs SUI
ton asked Swartz to find out from Us
the automobile with Sutton the tatat
night and what had actually happened
preceding the shooting. ,-.,-
third letter to Swartz gave further
details of what Mrs. Sutton had, she
said, discovered and referred TO tnose
who were with her son when he dled as
s1ov, hrutes," She referred to letter
from her son in which he described his
fellow officers as "low cads," and re-
ferred in words of bitterness to Lieu
tenants Adams, Osterman and others:
This letter described the receipt of
the news by her at home of her son
death, and said she felt at that uile
her son was with her ana ne uescilpJu ,ItoI'
IN her the manner of his death, Whlch'
she wrote, he declared, was due TO
shot fired by Lieutenant Adams.
Mrs. Sutton wept quietly while her
own words as TO her sons death were
being read. ,. 49,.
reading of the record of saturday
showed Mrs. Sutton to have been asked
many questions as to evidence IN hef
possession to 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 eVl-
dence. A..
Mr. Birney was cross examining Mrs.
Sutton.
All the letters ordered made public
were addressed to Swartz
Would Speak in Confidence
In the first one she wrote: 81 want
to speak to you in confidence, but don
feel that l can do so until l hear from
Won. and if you were not Jimmies s
friend I will admire you the more for
you to say so than not to be, and make
believe you were.
s'These brutes who killed him are
alive and seemingly doing We'll Wnlle
nv boy is dead five months today. Tell
me l can trust you and that you would
have liked Jimmie and 1 will write
you"
In the second letter, written April 9,
evidently in answer to Swartz, Mrs.
Sutton saws that "after Jimmie was
killed Captain Mark and Lieutenant
IJtley took his keys and searched his
trunk and other possessions. Can you
tell me if they had a right to touch
anything? To make it more horrible,
TJtley was with Adams and Osterman
when Jimmie was killed, 1 believe he
engineered that fight, that was all
planned"
Mrs. sutton then described the meet
ing Of the officers at Carvel hall the
night of the tragedy and laid emphasis
on the fact that while her son was
talking TO Miss stewart ana Dr' OOIe-
man of the academy Osterman and
Adams withdrew and had a talk
"Now, at I o'clock Sunday morning" r"
the letter continues, Jimmie was
beaten to death. That shot was fired
to hide the crime His forehead was
crushed, nose broken, lips cut open,
teeth knocked out and an incisiOn
made in the head half an inch long"
Men Hated Sutton
Referring to the ill-fated automobile
ride, Mrs Sutton declared that if
Jimmie" had been himself he never
would have asked them (Adams, Utley
and Osterman) to ride with him. Ad-
ans and Utley hated him. she declared.
Mention is also made of Lieuts. Potts,
Sumner and Shearer.
"October l." she wrote Jimmie bOr-
rowed S21l from the bank. October 3
he gave Shearer a check for $50, and
! wrote Shearer and asked him what
1t was for. He said he had just
cashed il for Jimmie. ] did not be-
lieve him and wrote and told him what
] thought Of such men who would let
a man in a helpless condition be taken
out and beaten to death"
on subsequent occasions when she
had written Shearer his replies We're
curt, she says. May Mrs. Sutton
promised to send Swartz a copy Of the
first inquest testimony and a copy Of
whatever she had later obtained. She
recited her diffculties in obtaining
opvtb{Dp 5a6Ofte about "Jimmie' 81