Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-25
DELAY SUTTON ORDER
Exhuming of Body Is Indefi-
niteIy Postponed.
OFFICIALS GIVE NO REASON
Reticence at War Department Con-
cerning Change of Plans.
SURPRISE TO MRS. SUTTON
Believed Nothing Will Be Done
Until War and Navy Secretaries
Return to the City.

The exhuning of the remains of Lieut.
James n. Sutton. jr., which lie in the
National cemetery at Arlington has been
indefinitely postponed. 1t will not occur
today. nor tomorrow. An authoritative
statement to that effect came from the
Office of the quartermaster general of the
army today. No reason for the change
of plans was given. In fact officials of
the War Department say that Mrs. SUIT
toms request for permission to dis;nter
the remains of her son has never been
finally acted upon.
Mrs. Sutton herself said today that she
had known nothing of plan to take the
body of her son from the ground until
she read it in the newspapers this morn
ing. She received word from the de-
partment this morning, and at 10 o'clock
told Star reporter that arrangements
had been made for the disinterment. ex-
animation and reburial in consecrated
ground at Arlington, to occur between 4
and O'Clock this afternoon. Later the
statement came out from the War De-
partment. and when she was informed of
1t Mrs. Sutton said she was as puzzled
as any one else over the rapid change Of
plans.
Although the strictest reticence is MAIN
tanned at the War Department with re-
gard to the matter, it is understood that
the reason for the delay is that most of
the high officials of the department are
absent and the officers in charge do not
care to assume full responsibility in the
case.
Several Reasons Advanced.
There are several reasons for this. In
the first place the Sutton case has as
SI1me ed national iynport apco Tho fpfaroSt
in 1t is SO widespread that officials of the
Navy and War Departments are confident
that it will come up in Congress in one
form or another, either through petition
by Mrs Sutton or as result of the row
between the navy and the Marine Corps
growing out of Commander Hoods mi
n0rity report, which contained severe
criticisms of the Marine Corps. Another
delicate phase of the situation involves a
conflict of authority between the War De-
partment and the Navy Department.
To avoid such conflict no army surgeon
would perform an autopsy on the remains
of Lieut.. Sutton. Surgeon George Cook
of the navy performed an autopsy the day
after Sutton died. So far as the army is
concerned, that autopsy is official, and
will stand, unless express orders come
from the Secretary Of War through the
surgeon general of the army.
In this connection Col. La Garde of the
Army Medical Corps. a famous expert
on gunshot wounds, denied emphatically
today the report that he was to perform
the autopsy. Col. La Garde said he had
never been requested to do so. and could
not perform an autopsy without express
orders from the surgeon general.
The War Department became interested
in the case only because the Arlington
cemetery is under its control. and because
Lieut.. Sutton's remains could not be dis
turbed without an order from the
QuartermaSter general.
Await Return Of Secretaries.
The probabilities are that the whole
matter will rest until the return to Wash
ington OF both Secretary of the Navy
Meyer and Secretary OF War Dickinson.
They will confer, and it is not impossi-
BILE that the matter viii be referred to
President Taft himself.
In the meantime Mrs. Sutton and Mrs.
Parker, mother and sister of the dead
lieutenant of marines, have gained one
point In their fight. Cardinal Gibbons,
the head Of the Roman Catholic Church
In America. has given them his permis-
sion to bury Lieut.. Sutton in consecrated
ground. The cardinal is now in Port
land, and 1t is understood that James N.
Sutton, Lieut.. Sutton's father. laid the
findings of the Annapolis court of inquiry
before him there and that the cardinal.
after studying them, raised the ban and
ington to perform the necessary services.
To give Lieut.. Sutton the benefit OF the
Catholic burial services disinterment is
not necessary. The ground in which he
now lies may be consecrated and the serv-
ices performed by a parish priest without
the removal of the remains.
In any event, Mrs. Sutton said today,
her sons remains will be allowed TO
rest in ArlingtoA cemetery. At one time
she had thought of taking them home
to Oregon, but she has reconsidered that
plan.
To Verify Nature of Wound.
The main object in the disinterment of
the body is to determine the exact ma
ture of the wound in Lieut.. Sutton's head
and to verify, il possible, reports which
Mrs. Sutton firmly believes that Lieut..
Sutton's right arm was broken during the
struggle on the night of October Il. 1907,
that ended in his death.
The testimony of DR.. Cook and Pick
erell before the court of inquiry differed
regarding the wound. DR.. Pickerell, who
was the first medical officer to reach
Sutton after he died, testified that the