The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-01
TRIBUNAL HAS
LIMITED POWERS
Apparently Only Light Fine Can
Be Imposed on PrivatesRe
quest Of Major Price for
General Court Refused.
Technical Question
Arises.

u flF - 4 = ff y
Price, Captain William A. Stack and
Lieutenant william n. underwater.
with summary courts for the four prl-s
Yates who were guilty OF discharging
their rifles from car on Broad street.
VIII be the military conclusion OF the
whole matter. The summary court has
small Jurisdiction. and apparently can
impose a fine OF about s5.
Privates Frank scruggs. George
Campbell. Elmer Lenhart and Harry
Meredith. Of Company F, First Regl-s
mcnt. who confessed to the shooting.
were fined SO each in Police Court by,
Justice Crutchfeld. Captain Stack, of
Company B, was arrested on charge
of interfering with the police. but the.
warrant was subsequently dismissed.
Scared People ON street.
The onense occurred on the evening
of Labor Day. on September 5. when
the soldiers were returning from q
sham battle at the state Fair grounds.
in by all the local milf
.tary. A number OF shots fired from
asl p , : " sHa
one Of the street cars alarmed many
OF the citizens on Broad Street, II
being stated the firing continued for
perhaps ten blocks. The soldiers on
the car belonged TO Company +. all
the commissioned officers Of the COM
pany being necessarily absent at tha
time.
Upon arrival at the armory. police
officers undertook TO place Private
Harry Meredith under arrest. An
altercation OCCURRED between the pn-.
sliceman and Captain stack, the latter
'contsnding II I. II s1 was tiisgai.f 10.
arrest soldier nmilitary duty,
Lieutenant JSlnderYater's part in the
affair was an effort to have the oiiicers
release the private until after he had
returned to- his home from military
duty. and he has stated that he never
al any time refused to give the man,
up. II 5 5s
Three f Confessed.
Intense interest was aroused in the
community over the insiscriminats
shooting in the streets, although ~
was with blank cartridges. and there
was much Indignation. On the sue
ceeding night three prtvates of F. Com
,pany, on demand OF CaptainJ j. II. stone.
stepped forward and admitted their
guilt. These three. with Private Mer-S
edith, were hailed to the Police Court
and there fined SO each. Justice
lCrutchtield at the time laying, down.
the law as he found it in the military
statutes of the State. to the effect,
hatEwhether in uniform or out OF IT.
officers of the law could arrest a sol
,dier for felony or breach Of the peace.
AEwarrant was at that time sworn
out for Captain Stack on the charge Of
interfering with officers tR the per.-SS
torrance OF their duty, but II was dis
missed. Is 33.i lS
OF the case. Major L. T. Price command 2
.er OF the First Battalion Of the First.
Regiment, made a request through3reg-
lular military channels for a general
,court-martial for the trial of the men
engaged in the shooting, s SIS
Colonel Inyestigates.
This was followed by a personal ln-
5vestigation of the flair by Colonel w.
u. Perry, Of Staunton, the5 egimental
who came to Richmond for
the purpose. He examined the parties
later making his report to General c.
c. Vaughan, the brigade commander. ssi
sit was thereupons decided IA hat the
case should be disposed OF by al SUM
mary court, which is constituted IN.
military commands s for the trial ofs
trivial q ffenses,. such as absence from
drill without leave. Evidentlys B tho
officers were held more cul able than
the men, for; it was d ed that hey
should be reprimanded. This reprl-2
mand was sent to Captain Stack and
lieutenant Kindervater, tog ether with
some fcaustic advice as TO the ID desirab bil.S
tncr
details OF the laws of he State and
the reg gulations Of the Virginia Volun-
teers. ssS "a VI; !. II
If The letter to Maj or r Ice Swa $ much
less n severe. In this Sattention was
merely call ed to his indiscretionAinsg giV-s
ing out statements at tF2the time 9&of the
occurrence to the neWspa pers--a fault
which seems to be heinous iii military
eyes, n u 81
/ Probably Small f, Inc. 81
There seems to be SO me d oubt as to-
the size OF the! penal tys Which can 4 be-
Imposed by hegsumnlar ary court III this
case. The regulations say that for
disobedience of orr rdersS a HI ne OF not
more than $50 may be imposed TO a
gether with eXpulsio from the service
However, this section apparently ref ers
only to II general courts martial, since
no summary col urts ca y desF6es dislnlssal
from the serytc Per erhaps n the men
Will be tried on the charge OF dis-S
charging heir$sweapo without ord ers
within two miles of a n "a par ID & on the
day thereof. which ries IA fine OF ST.
i i5s Only one officer conduct cts5 q summary
court. He is 10 be " he seeon nd In COM
ma nd Of a battali lion on giment. or
when the egiment or t,a tailor a IS not
y he shall II be; the second
III ngcommand 4 Of he compa nyi. HIS
case 1T would a seem that I.teutenant
ter se eond s9is command OF
Company y. Ia Sbe he q DER n lie
pa apers had desi gna tad Capt d, y.
Wallace, thtr'd In aolnmand of the
batalli ion. as the X o tl,eer, b ut L, s I
was sappa rent tly HI lhi sta lie,f n and until
the matter is strai gh tened ON b I'd tho3
authorities the trial S'Yi ~ not sDes hell,