Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-11-20
CAPTAIN MOORE
MAKES STATEMENT
On Recent Trouble With the STATE
Troops at Gassaway
SAYS HIS INCORPORATION
DUE TO SPRAINED ANKLE

Declare Charges Will Have to Be Pre-
ferred, and viii Have to Be Court
MartiaIed Before Dismissed--ls Not
Afraid of Position He Took In the
Affair.
Wheeling, w. Va, Nov. 12.-Captain
G. A. Moore, who was in charge of the
militia at Gassaway during the recent
trouble followed the assault on Mrs.
Albert Rockhold, was in the city and
spoke on the conditions that existed
there at the time OF the statement
printed in several papers to the eff
feet that a mutiny had been planned
by his soldiers and Of his alleged
h nous crime.
81 myself assisted in the arrest of
those two negroes the night before
the attempt at lynching and had them
taken to my own office for protection,
afterwards assisting in taking them to
jail. Ais far as my being incapacitatSd
was, but not in the manner charged
against me. | had been in the hos
pital for five days and am now scarce
ly able to get about on account of
badly sprained ankle, which was the
cause of my Interpretation on the day
IF hA 4VA trIy Axsf1
a court martial and held guilty of yio-
lating my duty in not ordering my
men to shoot down their neighbors
and fellow citizens for the protection
of two negroes charged with such
crime, then / will count it an honor
rather than disgrace TO be dismissed
under those circumstances.
Il will not deny that some of my
men, numbering 81 enlisted soldiers,
had been drinking on that day, but
were not in such condition as to
not be able to do their duty if it was
required. VIII n the governor arriv-
dismissal.
THE statement of my dismissal by
Us
Captain Moore, "as to take this course,
charges will have to be preferred
against me and go through the regu-
lar trial before a court-martial and as
yet nothing of this kind has been
done. | am commissioned under the
regular military rules and am sub
iect to dismissal only after the action
taken by court-martial to that effect.
Il have never made any statement
regarding the trouble until now but
will say that as far q mutiny break
ing out was concerned, there was
nothing of the kind When l was
ordered to take my men and protect
those two negroes. every man | sum-
moned answered the call After we
had assembled | gave orders to the
men to do their duty but not to shoot
down any of the crowd that had gath
cred as | did not think it right to
order a man to shoot down his neigh
Dor in cold blood and sacrifice the
lives of valuable and respected citi-
zens for the protection of two negroes
who were accused, and the evidence
all pointing to them as being the
right parties, of perpetrating such a
ed on the scene, conditions were very
much unsettled, but he did not go in
to conference with myself regarding
the actions of the MN and the or
ders I had given them, but took the
matter up with the other parties less
concerned. My reputation has been
assailed in a very fragrant manner.
but letters received by myself from
high state authorities show the re-
spect in which l am held by them
and among my friends. these attacks
have no effect and as 10 my enemies
| do net care what their opinion is.
81 hold several public positions Of
trust in my community and am high
in the order of Masons, which con-
yention | am attending here, and the
attacks of my political enemies have
had no effect. | stand ready 10 go
before a court martial and am COR
| fdent of vindication as subsequent
results from the action taken by my
self have shown that | was justified
Captain Moore is suffering from a
badly sprained ankle and it is neces-
sary for him to use a cane in moving
about.