Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-10
Letters, Which Were Read at Sc
cret Session of Court Saturday
Are Made Public by Naval
Board of Inquiry.
READING OF LETTERS
RESULTS IN WRANGLE
OF OPPOSING COUNSEL
Mrs. Sutton Wrote Letter to
Friends in Which She Described
Two Officers Who Were With
Son as Low Cads and Brutes. J"

ANNAPOLIS. Md. Aug. Sat the re-
converting this morning of the court OF
INQUIRY into the death of Lieutenant
James n. Sutton. U. S. NJ. c., in the lat
ter part OF 1907, who was declared a
suicide by an earlier board of inquiry
the Judge advocate. Major Henry Leon
srd. moved that the letters read at the
closing OF the court on Saturday, when
Mrs. Sutton. the mother OF the dead lieu
tenant. was on the stand, be made pub
lie
This motion was criticised by Henry
Z. Davis, counsel for Mrs Sutton, and
supported by A. E. Birney, counsel for
Lieutenant Adams.
Mrs. Sutton had bitterly criticised her
examination and the reading Of these
letters in court on Saturday. but Mr.
Davis declared that the public reading
az the letters at this time would be
merely a catering to a prurient curios-
ity. Major Leonard declared the public
Is entitled to know the contents Of the
letters The court ruled that the mo-
ton OF the Judge advocate be acceded
10. and the record OF Saturdays session
was read
IDENTIFIED LETTERS.
The reading showed that Mrs. Sutton
identified a number OF letters as having
been written by her. The first Of these
was 70 Harry NJ. Schwartz. paymaster's
Office, United States Marine corps, Wash
InEton. d. C, and asked IL he was
friend Of her son, to whom she could
To
pathy.
A second letter TO Mr.. Schwartz gave
a version Of what occurred on the night
OF Lfeutsnant Sutton's death and also
datnzlad numszo0s-wounds on the face
and head which Mrs. Sutton wrote had
been indicted upon her son. She re-
ferred frequently 10 those who were
with Lieutenant Sutton when he was shot
ms wild beasts" In this letter the
name OF Miss Mae Z. Stuart. Of Pitts
burg, was mentioned Mrs. Sutton asked
Schwartz to find out from Osterhan and
the others who were in the automo-
bile with Sutton on the fatal night what
had actually happened preceding the
shooting.
CALLED LOW BRUTEs."
A third letter to Schwartz gave further
details OF what Mrs. Sutton had, she
said, discovered, and referred to those
who were with her son as
low brutes" She referred to
letter from her son in which he de-
scribed his fellow officers as low cads''
and referred in words OF bitter criticism
70 Lieutenants Adams, osterman and
others.
This letter described the receipt Of
the news by her at her home Of her sons
death and said that she felt at that
time that her son was with her, and he
described to her the manner OF his death
which. she wrote, he declared. was due
20 a shot fired by Lieutenant Adams.
Mrs. Sutton wept quietly while her own
words as TO her sons death were being
read.
After the reading OF the letters, the
reading Of the record OF Saturday show
ed Mrs. Sutton to have been asked many
questions as TO evidence in her posses
sion to support her contentious. She re-
ferred to letters received by her from
Miss Stewart, Professor Coleman and
others, and 20 the record OF the first in
vestigaticn as sufficient evidence
The reading Of the record concluded.
Mrs Sutton was cross-examined by Mr..
Birney and said she had received infor-
nation relative TO the wounds she be-
heved TO have been suffered by her son
from the testimony at the first investi-
cation. which she had believed was given
under oath.
Mr. Birney was still cross-examining
when the recess was taken.