The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-20
COURT INQUIRY
into DEATH Of
LIEUT.. SUTTON
Lieut.. Robert E. Adams Only
Witness Heard Today
HIS TESTIMONY CONFLICTS
Story of Fight on Night Young Man
Lost His Life After Automobile
Ride

Annapolis, July 20.-The opening
session here yesterday of the court of
inquiry which is conducting a second
investigation into the death of Lieut..
James Nuttle Sutton of the United
States marine corps, was replete
with dramatic situations.
Lieut. Robert e. Adams, Sutton's
former classmate at the academy and
one of the principal actors in the mid
nignt. fight which cost young Sutton
his life nearly'two years ago, occupi-
ed the witness stand during the en-
tire session, and told a graphic story
of the incidents leading up to SUIT
tons death.
At one point in his testimony
Lieut. Adams and an orderly enact
ed the struggle with Sutton, in the
court room. The witness chair was
removed and they both lay down
prone upon the floor The witness
was still under cross-examination
when the inquiry adjourned until to-
morrow morning. Henry e. Davis,
counsel forz Mrs. Sutton succeeded in
bringing out number of discrepan-
cies in Adams testimony compared
with his version of the tragedy at the
former investigation. when the board
of inquiry found that Sutton died by
his own hand.
A ride to the marine camp in an au-
tomobile with Sutton and two other
officers of marines, Lieuts Utley and
Osterman, an alteration between SUIT
ton and the witness and a deferred
encounter, wnen the senior officer in
terfered as the automobile was stopped
short of the camp, with the intention
of avoiding being caught returning af-
ter hours; later accidental meeting
of the witness and Sutton on the Dor.
der of the woods near the barracks,
and the fight between the two men
with Sutton armed WITH a revolver in
either hand and firing five shots. the
last of which he directed at his own
head while lying on the ground,-these
were the points in Lieut.. Adams tes-
timony.
The witness said ne had risen from
the PROSTATE Sutton, whom he beliey-
ed to be exhausted and stood few
feet back of him when he saw Sutton
raise his right hand and fire bullet
into his own head. Just previously
some of the officers who had come upon
the scene had cried that Lieut. Edw.
p. Rocker had been shot and killed,
the witness said. Adams had made
no attempt to take the revolver from
hands when he broke away,
or was pulled away from him, he said,
in reply to Lawyer Davis oft repeated
question. Sutton nad previously
to kill him, and was gener-
ally avoided by the marines because
of his wild talk and actions, according
to the witness.
Rocker is an important witness
who has not yet been located. His
mother accepted service of subpoe-
ma for him in Washington, it was said
but his whereabouts is not known. He
left the service soon after the Sutton
Mrs. Sutton's counsel said
tonight that Miss Margaret Stewart of
Pittsburg, the young woman who was
with Sutton most of the evening be-
fore he met his death, might be called
as a witness. Her testimony would
be material in refuting the theory OF
suicide. he said. Miss Stewart is now
in Canada, but Mr.. Davis said her
father has recently gone to see ner
and talk over the advisability to her
and testifying.