The Washington herald., 1910-08-04
FACECOURT-MART
Ozark DeserterS Will Be
Tried Here Next Week.
CONSPIRACY CHARGE DENIED
District Sailors Are Liable to Inn
prisOnment for jumping Ship"
and May Be Held ON Three Counts.
Bad Water, Food, and Hours
Caused Decentralization, "saIts" Say.

A court-martial. composed OF Gen. Har-
ries and officers Of the District Naval
Militia. will next week try the twenty
six young men who deserted the monitor
Ozark at Annapolis last Monday
The young men will be tried on one or
all of the following charges: Conspiring
to desert deserving. and liberty breaking.
Conviction on the first charge will mean
five years in the District jail at hard
labor and dishonorable discharge from
the service. Conviction on the second
would mean three years at hard labor.
With dishOnorable discharge. On the last
charge conviction would only bring ten
days Of confinement and fine of SO
Most OF the young men who deserted
are under eighteen years of age, and ii
is said they were not legally sworn into
the service. The regulations Of the Dis
trict Naval Militia require the written
consent Of the father or mother Of every
boy who enlists under eighteen years.
Conspiracy Is Denied.
None Of the young men admit con-
spiracy. They say that no one knew OF
in Washington.
The FIRST man to leave was Burney
Hubs. twenty-five years old. OF Eleventh
and g streets southeast. Hibbs says hJ
left the ship at $50 o'clock Sunday foi
shore liberty While ashore he took 2
notion 10 come home. and set out to walk
for this city. He walked as far as
Bowie. Nd. and then took the electric
car. arriving here Monday morning.
Hibbs told a Washington Herald re.
porter last night that he left the ship or
account Of the bad food and lack Of reg.
uler working hours. According TO his
statement the only article OF food 1T tc
eat was navy beans, which were served
in abundance. He says the ship onl,
took on fresh bread twice after leaving
Washington. and as a consequence the
bread served the men was not edible.
soon after we Left Washington" said
Hibbs. 1855 pounds Of beef were shipped
to Hampton Roads from here for the
ship. The meat was two days at .ht
roads before we got It. We were served
one ration Of It. and hope I will never
have such another ration. The remain.
der OF II was thrown overheard
Water Gives Ont.
LAS TO the water supply-weH. it was
something out Of the ordinary. sure
enough After we were out OF Washing.
ton two days the water supply gave out
and the defective condensers were put
into service. The water put in the tanks
was so briny that II would make one
sick.
AT Portsmouth fresh water was put
into the tanks, but the men in charge
forgot TO clean the brine out Of them
and the new water was almost as bad
as the first.
James Mcfarland. OF Union street
southwest. said the working hours were
very irregular. According TO his state
ment. the men would be called out Of bed
at or o'clock in the morning to start
work. and would have TO work until late
in the evening.
Even after taps" said Mcfarland
I'VE were liable to be called out at any
time OF the night TO 20 on watch. A man
was never sure when his duty was over
or when It would begin. With bad wa.
ter. bad food. and irregular hours. We
fellows were somewhat up against IT "
Raymond Walker. OF $50 Mclean ave
nue. southwest, corroborates the state
ments Of his comrades.
All three Of the young men were ex.
plicit in their statements that no men de-
serted the ship before she arrived at An,
napolis.