Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1918-04-19
'TAR AND FEATHERS
FOR !. s. OFFICER
major J. N. Blrkner, Camp Cody
Medical Officer, HumlIlated by
COnvlCts In Santa Fe.
FRIDAY A SENSATION
MAJOR, With Thirty Years Of Ser
vice Behind Him. Must Answer
to DlslOyaIty Charge.


Cody last Friday by the arrest q
Major John N. Birkner Of the med
zeal department on II charge of vic.
lation Of the espionage act, developed
INTO veHtable bombshcll Wednes
day with the news that the major
had been tared and feathered b.
convlcts at the state penitentiary ri
Santa Fe, where he was taken Sci
nrday for safe keeping In default ,,
$4,000 bond.
Four hundred conviets took parl
IN the humiliation of the major, VIII
has seen nearly thirty years in Uncle
Sans service.
Birkner, who was allowed the fire.,
dom of the prison yard, with the rc>i
of the prisoners, was enliced into !:
stable, where he was stripped Of h.,
clothing and coat of tar and featL
ers applied. The prison Official
knew nothing of the occurrence uni
he appeared in the yard again, led by
a rope around his neck by sever
OF the convicts and followed by ihn
rest, who were hooting and ierrin.
him. Warden Hughes summoned
several assistants and quickly libcr-
atcd Blrkner and removed The tar
and feathers from the body.
An Investigation is under way AT
The prison and the wHrder has an
nounced that the rireIeadcrs cf tie
PRISONS will be punished. The whole
affair was evidently pre-arranged, Us
no tar could be secured by the pri>-
oners without some notice. The
feathers evidently came from the
pillows in the prison dormitories.
Major Birkner, several Of the pris
oners stated, had made disIoyal re-
marks since his entry into the prison.
among his alleged sayings being
remark that the Germans "wil sink
American transports as fast rs they
are launched" "You can't beat the
Dutch" was another remark credited
10 him.
Major Birkner's arrest occurred
last Friday afternoon and was made
Gu instruction from the United States
marshal at Santa Fe. lie was kept
in the Deming Jail until Saturday
night, when he was included in
bunch of ten prisoners taken to the
capital. HC still wore his uniform
and insignia at that time and was
the only one of the prisoners not
handcnffed for the journey.
Violation of section 3 of the espi
onage act was the charge on which
Major Birkner'S arrest was based
no particulars being cited. Neither
federal nor army authorities wonld
give out any further information than
that, prior to his departure for Santa
Fe. There were numerous mmors
ailoat, none of which could be- traced
to their source, one Of which was 10
the effect that n donation by the
major to a German society known as
the Iron Cross was at the bottom Of
his trouble. Mostly, however, his ar
rest was credited to remarks he is
nderstood to have made at the camp
and elsewhere that had disloyal
ring.
There is a general disposition to
sympathize with the prisoner, who
has seen long years Of service in
Uncle Sans uniform. Tie was ai
one time adiutant general Of Ne
braska, He was born at Nnrem-
burg, Germany, but came to this
country at the age Of II. There Is
a rumor, also unconfirmed, that he
was student at the same military
school with the kaiser in his youth,
and that he has relatives in the Ger
man army on the western front.