Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-02
Serious Charge Against the
Georgia's Commander.
COURT-MARTIAL ORDERED
Trial of Capt. Qualtrough to Be at
Gibraltar.
MAXIMUM PENALTY DISMISSAL
Conduct Unbecoming an Officer Al.
legged at Formal Dinner.
Well Known Here.

| GIBRALTAR February "A court
martial has been ordered to try Capt
Edward +. Qualtrough of the battleshir
! Georgia on charges of intoXication anC
conduct unbecoming an officer at a din
ner given January 80 by United States
Minister Gummere in Tangier to Rea,
Admiral Wainwright, the officers of the
| Georgia and Nebraska and the foreign
minister's. Admiral Wainwright ordered
the suspension of Capt. Qualtrough an6
| Admiral Sperry ordered the courtsmartial
which will be held on board :he Louisiana
tomorrow. Rear Admirals Schroeder and
Potter an dali captains senior to DUAL.
trough will be the members of the court
Capt. Qualtrough says the effect of the
| liquor he took at the dinner was due to
| his nervous condition. caused by his long
| service on the bridge previous to his ar
rival in port on the day of the dinner.
Naval officials declare they have not re-
| ceived any information from Admra
| Sperry disclosing the identity of the cap
tain of one of his battleships who is to be
! court-martialed on the charge of being
under the influence of intOXicantS Under
| the rules of naval procudere the com
| manding officer is not compelled to report
| to the department at Washington the
various steps in a cOurtmartial case: only
| the verdict of the court is transmitted
and generally the mail is used for this
purpose.
An Exceptional Case.
| The present being an exceptional case
and a high officer being involved, Ad'
miral Sperry probably will communicate
the result of the trial by cable This will
be particularly essential if the officer is
| found guilty as it will then be necessary
| to select some other officer of equal rank
| to take command of the vessel either be-
| fore the departure from Gibraltar or on
the arrival of the fleet at Hampton roads
| BY process of elimination the depart
ment has concluded that neither Admiral
Sperry nor Admiral Schroeder the com
manding Off :cer of the third division
| have preferred the charges; not the for
| ing officer, and not the latter because
he has been appointed at the head of the
! court.
Not single one of the captains of the
feet is a drinking man." said a promi-
| nent naval officer today. land l am sur
prised to hear that any of them have
been charged with intoxication.'
Maximum Penalty Dismissal.
| The maximum penalty on conviction fol
drunkenness on duty is dismissal; while
| for an ordinary case of ntoxication while
Off duty the maximum punishment is
| loss of ten numbers.
Secretary Newberry said that the action
| of Rear Admiral Sperry had not been re-
ported to him, but that the commanding
officer could take such a step on his owl
initiative and his own authority.
Capt. Qualtrough is one of the Junior
officers Of his grade, and has a good rec
ord for efficiency and good behavior. He
is from New York. and began his nava
career in September, 1861. While on duty
at the Washington navy yard early last
spring he was placed in command of the
Georgia. and has successfully navigated
that vessel almost entirely around the
world. His friends here ask a suspen-
sion Of judgment in his case and express
confidence of his acquittal by the court.