The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-07-20
Ills Testimony COrrObOrates That of Lieut..
Adams Who Declares That Dead Officer
Killed Himself During Quarrel

Annapolis. Md, 2O.-The second
dayss session Of the naval court.
which Is sitting to investigate the
cause of the death of Lieutenant
James n. Sutton. U. S. NJ. c., of Port
land. Ore, who either shot himself or
was shot during 4 quarrel with broth
er officers on the night of October IL,
1907. opened today with Lieutenant
Robert Z Adams. U. s. NJ C, still
on the witness stand. 1t is expected
that the other Young officers Of ma.
rlnes who were with Sutton on the
night he met his death, including Lieu
tenants Beyln and Osterman. VIII
follow Lieutenant Adams on the Wit.
ness stand today. OsteTman had a
fight with Sutton an hour before Nd
ans met him, and he began blazing
away at Adams with two revoyers,
according TO Adams testimony.
Mrs. Suttons lawyer began TO qucs-
tior Adams today about an interview
he had with Sutton's sister, Mrs Hugh
-. Parker shortly after young Sut-
tons death. Mrs. Parker, who is at
tending the hearing with her mother,
had wanted TO question all tho young
officers. who were supposed 10 know
something about her brothers. death.
She had asked Adams to grant her 4
talk alone and tell the truth about the
matter, according 10 the testimony.
Mr., Davis. counsel for Sutton's moth
er, went over the scene of the shoot
ing again with Lieut. Adams, and
dwelt on the details of distance and
time. in an effort to place the exact
spot where. and the time at which
Sutton was shot
The witness could only remember
approximately these details He said
he was sure Sutton wore an ovorcoat
and did not remember of Sutton talk
ing it off any time previous to the
first alteration between him and SUIT
ton when they both stripped TO the
waist preparatory to fighting
The lawyer read excerpts from Lieu
tenant Adams testimony at the first
inquiry and pointed cut some of the
discrepancies
The witness insisted, however the
testimony seemed to vary. that his
answers at the present inquiry were
the correct ones.
Il want YOU TO state again if you
saw Lieut. Sutton kill himself" Mr..
Davis asked
"As / have said saw Sutton draw
a revolver from under him i'll his right
hand like this, illustrating the mo-
tom turn his head to the right and
fire ! saw the flash jump about six
inches" the lieutenant replied
Mr.. Davis pressed the question as
to whether Sutton fred the fatal shot
with the large service revolver or the
small one.
1T wasn't very light said the lieu
tenant, but II was my idea that he
shot himself with small revolver"
Mr. Davis called the witness at
tentlcn to his testimony Of yesterday,
In which he said quite positively that
it was the small weapon.
81 have told you half dozen times
this morning that | did not positively
identity the gun" said the witness.
TT didn't seem as If it was as large
as the service gun"
The witness said he was assigned
to the gunboat Allen, which cruised
up and down the coast Of China short
ly after the Sutton affair
WAS Lieutenant Osterman with
you?" asked Mr. Davis
He was not" replied Adams.
The witness said he had not seen
Osterman for some time until he met
him at)the present Inquiry.
Mr.. Davis referred TO reported In
teryiew with Adams In New York
paper of July Z. in which Adams was
quoted as saying that the Suttons wero
irving to trump up murder charge
aeainst two who were innocent" and
asked the witness If he said anything
like that
Major Leonard, the judge advocate
objected to this line Of questioning,
on the ground that 1t was not pertinent
To the issue.
"This witness knows what he is
charged with" said Major Leonard,