Bisbee daily review., 1917-01-04
BRITISH OFFICERS
 AND SOCIETY BELLE
 CAUSE BIG SCANDAL
Clever Woman Juggles Big Army Jobs at Her Ow, Sweet Will and Woes Lit tie Lieutenant.
(By Review Leased Wire)


 LONDON. Jan. 3-An army scandal, involving the exercise of influence over high officers by a prominent society woman is described in the report of a court of inquiry today and Mrs. Corn Wallis West, wife of Colonel William Cornwallis West and mother of the Princess ol 1less and of the Duchess of Westminsl 1T. is officially severely censured.
 The late Sir Arthur Basil Markham, liberal member of the Parliament for the Mansfield division of Nottingham shire, who died last August, demanded an inquiry in the House of Commons into this matter and was seconded. by Irish members. who declared that a young Irish officers honor was involv- ed It has since developed that the officer was Lieutenant Patrick Barrett, Of the Welsh Fusiliers.
 According to a statement in the House of Commons before recess, he was completely exonerated, his com manding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Delme- Radcliffe, was removed from his command, and General Sir John Cowans was censured but was re- turned because of his good work. Gen eraI Owen Thomas, who also was con cerned, was vindicated.
 Barrett was a sergeant in the Welsh Fusiliers. Colonel Delme-Radcliffe and other officers recommended him for a commission late in 1915 and his claims were supported by Colonel and Mrs. Cornwallis-West and several promin- ent civilians.
 Probably before this time and cer- tainly later" says the report, Mrs. CSrnwaIlis-West began to take more than ordinary interest in Mir Barrett, to which he consistently failed to re- spond. Evidently he wrote her ih February last letter of remonstrance which she placed in the hands of his commanding officer"
 Barrett was severely censured by his commander without the opportun- ity Of stating his case. Soon after he was transferred to another battalion on the demands of Mrs. Cornwallis- West. General Cowans, who aided the Cornwallis-Wests in securing Barrett transfer, is censured for interfering with discipline. General W. H. Mack innon, who also was connected with the correspondence, is criticized for interfering with the. affairs of the command, but is not disciplined be- cancp ha has e5D,o
 'The court of inquiry reports re- sardins Mrs. Cornwallis-West:
 We have no doubt that her injudi- cious boosting of the power she yield ed at the war ofice-which was con tirmed to an appreciable extent by the wording of some of Sir John Cowans. letters-was called to bring him and the administration al the war ofice into disrepute. We feel obliged to record our opinion that this lady's conduct, as revealed in this case, has been highly discreditable both in her behavior towards Second Lieutenant Barrett before his letter of the four teenth of Frebruary, in her vindicative attempts to injure him afterwards and in the untruthfdl evidence she gave before us.
 Tt appeared in the evidence that this lady holds positions of some import ance in the county Of Denbigshire in various associations of a public char acter for assisting in war work. In our opinion it to be regretted that she should hold .ch positions"
 The court % investigated reports that General Owen Thomas. who took a prominent part in recruiting in Wales was transferred from the com nand of Welsh brigade to q lesser command through Mrs. CornwalIis- Vests influence. This proved Co be unfounded but due to an unfortunate sequence of events and the ambiguous wording of certain official letters"
 The report says that Colonel Wynne Edwards reflected on General Thomas who is brigade commander. in a let ter to Mrs. Cornwsllis-West with the apparent object of exalting his own qualifications tor the post" Mrs. Corn wallis-West sent the letter to General Cowans with a postscript which he forwarded to Lieutenant General Sir William Pitcairn Campbell of the war office, advising him to keep an eye on Edwards and expressing high opinion of him.
 The report calls attention to the fact that it IS contrary 10 the regula. tons for q war office official to enter into private correspondence on official matters.