The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-09
Prosecution Asks Week for Won
Reuter- and Three Days
for Schad.
THE vERDICTS TOMORROW
Plea Made That Colonel Of Goth
Acted to Defend Army's
Honor.

>geUGt tdbk Dssp0tch 10 TaE Sun.
SrHAsBuRG. Jan. S.-Earlier than ex-
sec,ed the courtmartial trying Col. Won
Reuter- of the Ninety ninth Infantry and
Lieut. Schad on charges resulting from
the recent riots at Zabern. ended at 3
T. NJ to-day. Court was adjourned until
Saturday, when the verdicts will I've Avn
nounced. This IL the same day when
tho appeal Of Lieut. Baron Won Forstner.
who was sentenced for sabring q crippled
shoemaker. will be heard.
The adjournment. It 10 supposed. was
due to the necessity Of carefully consd-
erns the various dfiicult legal points
brought up during the trial. To-days
Witnesses contributed no new facts to the
ease. those on opposite sides merely con-
frming previous testimony.
Military Judge ISLANDER. for the prose-
cuton. proposed that Col Won Reuter-
should he acquitted Of the charge Of
assuming police functions and should be
sentenced to a weeks Imprisonment for
unlawfully imprisoning civilians. The
Judge contended that Won Reuter- acted
conscientiously. He declared that Lieut..
schad should be acquitted Of violating
domiciles while hunting for misdemean-
ants but should be imprisoned for three
DAYS for unwarranted assault.
"Reuter Unjustly Treatea.'
Grossart. for the defence. maintained
that Col. Won Reuter- had been most UNI
Justly treated. His Intervention. he said,
was wholly justifable and correct and il
was greatly to be regretted that polite :
Importance should have been attached to
the affair. The court, he said. should not
imprison an officer who had served the
Emperor faultlessly for thirty-fve years
merely because ne believed he was justi-
Ned in defending the prstige OF the army.
Col. Won Reuter- made a dramatic per-
sonal appeal for acQuittal. He declared
solemnly that 1t was his unsuitable
opinion that he had acted correctly. All
his officers. non-commissioned officers and
men. ne said. were with him TO a man.
He accepted the full responsibility OF his
actions which, he asserted. were prompted
BY a desire to prevent the occurrence of
honor OF the army.
Evidence produced at to-day's hearing
brought out the fact that there appears
o be some basis to Col. Won Reuters
assertion that the post office employees
mad detained a missive favorable to the
troops while they allowed condsmnatory
messages to reach their destinations.
This apparent disloyalty on the part of
.he postal officials or employees may ex-
plain how the alleged telegram from the
Crown Prince came to be published.
Resume Of the Trial.
During the trial just closed the greater
part Of the evidence has been asains,
the army officers and to-day's sudden
ending of the proceedings with the plea
for light sentences came as a surprise
Both Col. Won Reuter- and Lieut. Schat
freely admitted that they had used
high hand in dealing with the civilians
at Zabern. Col. Won Reuter- said openl,
that he had been ready to order hi
troops to open fire on the people Of tn,
little town for the purpose Of restoring
order. Lieut.. Schad is the officer VIII,
ordered his men to clear the publi
square. Both men boosted Of the atti
tude they had assumed. Col Won Reute
admitted that he had acted as II in su
preme authority in zabern and said tina
he had told the bursoma ster that civilian
authority was at an end in the garrison
town. He insisted that he was right II
threatening to declare martial law there
although that IL the prerosative Of tn
Emperor.
Lieut.. Schad 10 . slender young ma
Of 10. He justified his action during tn
Zabern trouble on the ground that a. h
suspected the civilians Of laughing at tn
soldiers he had to make them understan
the gravity Of the situation.