The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-08-04
SHALL NAVY WH|TEWASH SUTTON CASE AGAIN
Garbled and Conflicting Tes-
timony at Second Inquiry
shows Truth About
Young Officers Death is
Being Held Back.
Special corrsspoadsnce to The Press

Special Corrsspoadence TO The Press
ANNAPOLIS, Nd, Aug. Ais
the United States navy willing that
the world shall know the whole
truth concerning the death of Lieu
tenant James N. Sutton, the young
Portland, Ore, marine who was
shot to death while three men.
were sitting on him in a brawl
here October IL, 1907?
The naval court will finish it's
inquiry soon and make a report to
Washington. Some weeks later the
world will know what has been
done. The document must have
sanction of the navy department
and be made public In the regular
official channels. The navy depart
ment wants it distinctly under
stood that the investigation just
finished is not in any sense
trial, but an inquiry for the in
formation of the department"
The present court of inquiry has
shown at least that the midnight
fight ending in Sutton's death was
surrounded by peculiar circum-
stances.
That the officials of the marine
corps made no effort to probe into
the case.
That the hurried inquest held
the next day over the dead Off
GERS body made no such effort.
That the navy department is do
ing its best to make 1t appear that
there was nothing suspicious
about the affair.
Also to "whitewash" the officials
of the school and the court of in
quiry that concluded Sutton had
killed himself
Beyond these facts, no conclu-
sion whatever can be reached from
the testimony except that the
truth is being withheld by some
one. No court or jury in civil life
in the world would be able to
reach any conclusion from the
garbled and conflicting testimony
given by the young officers who
were concerned in the brawl that
night. 1t only grows more and
more strange every day that the
first board of inquest could have
possibly reached verdict of sui
eide.
Is the so called esprit de
corps" of the marine corps stand
ing in the way of fair hearing
Two of the witnesses gave an.
swers that seem most significant
in this connection. Lieutenant Ed
ward s. Willing, one of the seven
officers present at Suttons death,
testified: Il know this is true
because an officer in the marine
corps told it to me-"
And Colonel Charles A. Doyen,
commander of the post, explained
why he had not made a search for
the revolvers in use that night,
saying: II did not think it was
necessary. The officers who were
there said Sutton killed himself
and / was satisfied they were tell
ing the truth
The naval court took Lieuten-
ants Willing and William F. Bevan
to task for not stopping the fight
Willing was officer of the day and
Bevan was officer of the guard at
the time. They both saw the
fight. Commander Hood, presi
dent of the court, asked both of.
ficers If they were not familiar
with their duty under the naval
regulations to stop fights. But
Leonard interposed to ask if it
were not true that the officers
were students at the time and did
not know these regulations.
But through the maze of con.
flicting statements, some things
stand out. 1t is evident that Sut.
ton rode to the grounds hat night
with Lieutenants Robert E. Adams
Edward A. Osterman and Harold