Evening star., 1909-07-16
Public Hearings Decided Upon
by Officers in Charge.
BRIEF SITTING EXPECTED
Believed That All Evidence Can Be
Collected in Four Days.
MARINE CORPS PERTURBED
Details of Drinking Bouts Expected
to Be Brought to Light and
Cause Trouble.

That there may be no criticism OF the
thoroughness of the second inquiry into
the causes of the death of Lieut.. James
n. Sutton Of the Marine Corps, who was
shot in the grounds of the marine bar
racks at Annapolis in October, 1907, 1t
has been decided by officers in charge of
the case that all the hearings shah be
open.
The first inquiry was held behind closed
doors. Even Mrs. Sutton, mother Of the
lieutenant. was not permitted to read all
the testimony.
1t was stated at the Office of the Judge
advocate general OF the navy today that
unless the unforeseen happens all the
testimony in the case should be taken in
three or four days. That it is the desire
of both sides to get through as quickly
as possible without leaving undone any,
thing that ought to be done is apparent.
All in Favor Of Haste.
The officers who form the court will be
relieved of their regular assignments dur
ing it's sessions. The sooner the pro-
ceedings are brought to a close and they
are permitted ia return to their ordinary
duties. the better they will like it.
Mrs. Suttons attorneys are busy men.
Anything they can do to facilitate the
progress OF the inquiry will undoubtedly
be done.
All the witnesses are either at Annap-
oils now, or will be there by Sunday
evening, ready to appear before the court
Monday morning. Maj. Henry Leonard,
who has been appointed judge advocate
of the court, will go to Annapolis this
afternoon to complete the fnal arrange
ments.
Beyond the fact that the court will
convene Monday morning, nothing has
been announced regarding the hours 1t
will sit or other details of procedure.
To say that members of the different
branches of the military service are in
terested in the coming inquiry would be
putting it mildly To most naval and
marine officers the circumstances Of the
affair are more or less familiar. 1t has
been discussed in service clubs and at
mess tables all over the world during
the twenty months since it occurred.
Marine Corps Perturbed
All the details of the tragedy. as told
by the witnesses. the marine officers
who were more or less involved in 1t,
and the conditions at Annapolis which
led up to it have been passed rg
from one officer to another from ..e
New England coast to the Philippine
Islands.
Almost to man the officers regret
that it should have been dug up again.
Their regret is caused by the belief
that 1t will bring to light facts which
will not reflect particular credit upon
some of the officers involved, regardless
Of the findings OF the court on the ques-
tion of how Lieut. Sutton met his death.
That there had been good deal of
drinking going on at the time when the
trouble occurred was shown at the first
inquiry. That the details of several
jamborees must Of necessity come out
at the inquiry which opens Monday is
accepted as q fact by men in the serv-
ice.
These facts. it Is pointed out. will
probably lead to string of courts-mar-
tial that will mean trouble for the Ma
rine Corps.