Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-06-09

SoAA N4NtA NdS A1NhSus al NAuSAdi CIT
cumstance, he said.
Unless the evidence that is TO follow
that offered yesterday by the officers
and instructors at the Academy before
the court of inquiry is stronger thar
that already adduced, the court will not
be justified in infiicting summary pun.
| ishment on the young men now under
Gre This is the belief prevailing now
Indeed the system is more respon-
| sible than those who have taken ad-
vantage of the opportunities il offers
and the leading questions propounded
by the members of the court would in
| dicate that they will recommend q rad
ical change in the method now used
About the only fact developed thus
| far is that there was a leak somewhere
| and that nearly all of the Middies pro-
| htted thereby,in spite of the honor sys-
TEN. The statement made by Rear
Admiral Fullam that the examination
papers prepared by the instructors OF
modern languages had been stolen
from the latter's desk was practically
disproven by Commander Traut, the
| head of the department, who. while ad-
hitting that attempts had been made
to open the drawer containing the keys
which unlocked the receptaclein in which
they were placed, they had not been
successful
A crimp was also put in the charge
that the papers received by young
Moss were those prepared for the ex-
aminations II was claimed that all
these papers bore a legend inscribed
on the lower margin, and that this
had been cut away.
Again. it developed, that dope was
furnished the students by instructors.
Capt. Lloyd II. Chandler, until recently
the head of the department of ord
nance and now commandant of mid
shipmen, admitted that this practice
had obtained.and thatfo a period prior
to the examination he acquainted the
instructors with the questions he had
prepared and directed the instruction
during the intervening period be along
these lines
Another point scored by the defense
was the statement by Captain Chandler
that the paper on which the "dope"was
printed did not differ in color or fiber
from that on which the questions at
the examination appeared. Stress has
been laid on the statement that the
Middies must have known the papers
were official because the color Of the
paper was different from that on which
the dope" appeared
The fact will be used by counsel for
the Middies TO clear the boys singled
out, as the specific charge against
them is that they had official copies,
while the others, against whom no ac-
ton was taken, used transcripts
Commander Traut explained that his
examinations we're prepared about May
8, the examination taking place Mayo.
This was earlier than usual. he said,
because he had other work to do in
preparing for the cruiseas commander
of one of the battleships He said that
certain circumstances indicated to him
that an attempt had been made to open
a locked drawer in his department in
order to secure examination papers,
but. on investigation he believed that
the attempt had been a failure
After the first and second class ex-
aminations, Commander Traut said
many pieces of paper were found out
side the door Of the building, and later
some whole sheets, crumpled up. were
found by Prof. V. Cusachs, of the de-
partment. The pieces were carefully
put together and it was found that they
containd the questions which had been
asked on the examination which the
Midshipmen had just completed.
The crumpled whole sheets were
found to contain both questions and
answers. A comparison Of the hand
writing with that of the members of
the class gave the authorities informa-
ton as to who had made use of the pa
pers. 1t was found, CommanderTraut
said, that Midshipman Walter Con-
ger, one of last weeks graduates. had
submitted an answer identical with the
matter on the pieces of paper down TO
a slight grammatical mistake. The hand
writing on some of the gouges. he said.
was also recognized
Commander Traut said further that
he believed that the internal evidence
of the papers themselves indicated that
at least half of the class had been the
recipients of unlawful help. In many
cases, he said, Midshipmen did much
better on examinations than their class
work indicated as to the capabilities.
In Washington yesterday, Senator
Blair Lee thus explained his position
in reply to the testimony Of Admiral
Fullam as to political influence in be-
half of the Middies:
Il called at the Navy Department al
the request of Robert Moss, constit-
uent of mine. for the purpose of ask
ing the Secretary to grant a hearing
to counsel, including Mr.. Moss, before
approving the findings in the first in
quiry. | saw the Secretary and had 9
short talk with him. | requested the
Secretary to grant a hearing before
approving the findings of the first in
qufry by Academy authorities.
The Secretary was going to An.
napolis the next day and promised tc
give the hearing and notify. counsel for
the accused Of the time. The result
OF this hearing was that either fhs