The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-10-30
SUMTER. 8. G., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1915.
GRAFT IN FLYING CORPS.
AVIATORS "SIT TIGHT AND DRAW
PAY"
Documents Introduced to Show Con.
nivance Between Officers in Aviation
Service.

San Francisco, Oct. 2G.-Letters
purporting to show that there was an
understanding between Capt. Arthur
CoWan, commanding the North Island
aviation school near San Diego, Cal,
and Col. Samuel Reber, head of the
aviation section at Washington, re-
garding the promotion of certain Off
GERS Of the aviation corps were in
troduced at today's hearing of the
courtmartial Of Lieut.. Col. Lewis E.
Goodier, judge advocate Of the west
| ern department of the United States
army.
Col. Goodier is accused of exceed
ing his authority by inspiring charges
against Capt. Cowan, who has been
drawing flying pay" for two years
to which, il has been charged, he
was not entitled. Lieut.. T. f. Dodd,
one of the San Diego army aviators,
who preferred charges against Capt.
Cowan, previously testified that the
school commander was incompetent.
| Capt. Cowan spent the entire day
on the stand as a witness for the
prosecution.
In a letter written July 21, 1914,
by Col. Reber to Capt. Cowan, the
commander was urged to have certain
aviators qualify as soon as possible
so they would be eligible to Flying
pay"
"All you have to do" the letter
read, as introduced today, ''is to sit
tight and draw your pay"
1t was brought out in the testimony
that Lieut.. William l.. Patterson had
been recommended as a Junior mill
tary aviator early in 1914 and re-
ceived his appointment soon after
ward, although up to that time, 1t
was said, he never had made a flight
alone. Also it was said he had been
Edrawing nearly s4OO a month since
! September of last year as extra pay.
L A letter written last January by
4 COL Reber to Capt. Cowan was intro
dnced in which Col. Reber said that
Lieut.. Patterson's name never Ap-
peared on the weekly flignt reports.
II am afraid" the letter said, "some
day some one is going to question as
to how 1t is he qualified as an aviator"
According to the correspondence
Col. Reber wrote to Capt. Cowan in
IDecember last saying, 1T is rather
embarrassing to me because Patter-
son has not spent an hour in the air
Nobody has noticed il yet. and no
questions have been asked"
On May IA Of this year, in a letter
to Capt. Cowan, Col. Reber wrote,
with reference to the charges against
Capt. Cowan, according to the testi-
mony: "All you have to do is to keep
quiet think I'll get one or two scalps
before l get through with this. Let
me handle this matter alone"
| 1t was brought out that before 60
inG to Europe in the summer Of 1914,
Col. Reber left word with Capt. O. s.
Williams, disbursing officer Of the sig
nal corps, that as soon as Capt. Cowan
made any recommendation regarding
promotions they be acted upon with
out delay.
Capt. Cowan testified Lieut. Patter-
son had spent but 54 minutes In the
air at the time he qualified as n junior
military aviator. Capt. Cowan said his
| first actual flight alone was in July,
| 1913. This was straightaway flight,
taking him, he said, only about so
feet in the air. About the middle of
August, he said, he made another
flight, this time in a hydroaeroplane
Since then, Capt. COwan said, he had
made five or six flights or more alone.
The hearing will be continued to-
morrow.