New-York tribune., 1912-08-31
COURT MARTIAL IN 69TH
Capt. Stacom to Face Charges
of Parading a Substitute.
SPITE CASE, FRIENDS SAY
Alleged Offence Is a Year Old
Conviction Means Dismissal
from Service.

Charges have been preferred against
Captain William b. Stacom, Of Company
B Of the G9th Regiment, and that officer
has been ordered to appear before gen
cral court martial which is to meet at the
armory of the G9th Regiment OH Tues
day night The charges are serious ones
and involve the alleged paradng Of "A
substitute I'm the company at rife practice
at Blauvelt last year. Any officer found
guilty Of such an offence Is dismissed from
the service.
The officers detailed for the court are
the following: Lieutenant Colonel james
II. Wells, list Infantry Major Frank Fl.
Hines. I'd Field Artillery Captain Will
lam j.. Downs, 18th Infantry: Captain
George L. Baldwin, 7th Infantry; Captain
Charles ". Osborn, 9th Coast Artillery.
and Major Henry u. Winthrop. lst Bri-
gade stan. judge advocate.
That the charges are preferred at this
late date is said TO he due to an old fac
tional fight IN the regiment. and the chief
movers in the case are several cX-members
of the company. aided. II Is said, by GER
tain officer Of the regiment who Is not on
friendly terms with Colonel Conley and
most OF the other officers, and. IT Is assert
ed. desires to make trouble in the com
mand The case promises to be an i'm
portant one, at any rate and may involve
some other officers both In and out Of the
regiment
More than Z year ago SoTgeants j. NJ.
Tlerney and J. Spillane made aiiidavits, II
Is said that they knew certain man
paraded al Blauvelt and represented him
self as James a. Sheehan, who was alb
sent on the day the company paraded,
which was July %. 1911. They also
swore. Il is said, that the substitute was
supplied with uniform with the knowl-
edge Of Captain Stacom and Sergeant
Fogarty. Several other members Of the
company. il is said, gave testimony that
the substitute was present. and his name
IS said 10 be J. T. watts. Several of the
members assert that they heard Captain
Stacom ask Watts TO 80 to Blauvelt and
shoot for Sheehan.
The matter. ii is charged. was referred
70 division headquarters when General
Roe was in command and also to the
headquarters OF the lst Brigade. Both
headquarters, after Investigating the
trouble, did not deem the charges well
founded. and decided. II Is said, that the
matter he dropped.
An officer not friendly to Colonel Con-
ley, Il is alleged. was then sought by sey-
eral disgruntled members Of Company B
and the complaints were sent To the Gov
ernor. with the statement that efforts 10
get proper redress had been ignored by
all headquarters. Major General John T.
Organ then took up the matter and for
the best interests Of the service decided
that court martial was necessary 10 de-
termine the truth or falsity OF the accu-
sations against Captain Stacom. Friends
Of Captain Stacom I'm the regiment assert
that the captain will be able to clear him
self and that the trouble originated among
Il few dlsgruntled men who thought they
could run the company TO suit themselves.
Company Il Is almost unanimous I'm sup
port Of Cgptnin Stacom. and some men
assert that the charges are q "frame-up"