Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-11-20
RANGEOFFICERS
, ARE CLEARED BY
BOARD VERDICT
Sergt. Napier of 25th Met
Death Through Accident, De-
cision of investigators
ENTIRE SERVICE is, -.
INTERESTED IN CASE
Thorough investigation Is
Made Before Decision
Reached in Peculiar
>. Fatality
fspec,ai star.BulIstin cnrrespondenc

Especial star Bulletin cnrrsspendencel
sCHoFIELD BARRACKS, Nov. ~.
The report of the board OF officers ap-
pointed 10 investigate the circun'.
stances attending the death Of Sgt.
Henry +. Napier, 25th infantry, which
has been eagerly awaited by the en-
tire garrison, was made public today.
sergeant Napier was the senior non
commissioned officer Of the machine
esIn platoon, 2sth infantry, who was
Killed last week BY the fire OF one
az the troops OF the 4th cavalry en-.
gaeed IN shooting its proficiency tests
"a the Glass AZ range. while ne was
ApdeaSoring 10 enter the target pit.
: The cavalry has manifested great
Interest In the finding Of the board
fecanse OF the. possibility That the
finding might reflect on the amount
Of care that was taken to insure the
safety or parties near the range dur
ing the firing and the deceaseds own
regiment has been concerned to know.
s II the board would decide that Ser
geant Napier died in the line OF duty,
because on this finding depended the
payment to his beneficiary OF the six
months pay which the war department
paws On the death Of an officer or en-
listed man IL said death is not the re-
suit of the soldiers own misconduct.
The report Of the board as published
entirely acquits the range officers Of
the cavalry and the troops engaged in
the firing BY declaring that the acci-
dent was purely accidental. The re-
uort of the board down to the minpt,
est details Is the subject OF much dis.
eussion today ana the Interest exceest
that Of any other accident which ha'
occurred here n some time,
hIeNk h4len pn Stand I, l, = -. -.
cornmander consisted of Major ERNEST
B. cose, 25th Infantry, Captain Harry
e. Knight, list infantry. and First Lieu
tenant Clarence X. Lyman, 4th
cavalry. The board met on the 14th.
instant, tnterrogated all witnesses who
had any knowledge Of the sergeant's
whereaDouts, his reasons for going
near the range, and the cause OF his
death. etc. They made a careful ex.
animation OF the terrain and supple
mented their report by q carefully
made sketch Of the ground.
The principal witness was the de.
ceased's detachment commander, Sec
oid Lieutenant M. A. Palen, 25th In
fantry, who testified in part that on
Thursday, November 9Th. he told Ser
geant Napier to see the cavalry range
officer, Lieutenant Stedie, and to bor-
row two "Bs targets and two marking
disks to use In the experimental firing
he was conducting with the new type
Of machine guns on the artillery range.
He continued his testimony as fol-
lows:
Sergeant Napier was unable to get
the targets until Monday morning, No
vember 10. He left the barracks OF
the detachment at about z o'clock and
went to the a range to get the tar
gets. 4
AT about 8 o'clock he arrived at
the artillery range with the two tar
gets but without the disks. had the
targets put on the carriages at the 500
yard but and i asked the sergeant
where the disks were and he said that
he had been told that there we're disks
. in the range house on the artillery
range. . 80 r.,
He then looked through the target
house and reported that there were no
disks there He said: I will step
fNnrfsnnnd m mana fourN