The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-06
FIGHTING PkRS0N FACED ENGLISH
 COURT MARITAL.

As rgazed at the smiling handsome ,sce of the Rev. Evcrard Digby. .ne-vn to the world as the "fghting pa.sos" the instinctive thought that daslrsd into my mind was what an .desl filnl hero he would make. There was the fine athletic figure, tae bSoad shoulders. the easy grace
 nii carriase, the flashing eye, tho s.-ong clean-shaven face, and the coal-blatlS hair brushed into waves SO artistic that for one brief momert1 one dared to think he was wearing property wig
 No wonder this man In the drab tsIT church in which. in civilian life, es Abors,-St. ARathas, F1nsburg- Is regarded as an idol. As l knew for fact, men like him because they regard him as thorough good sport" Soldiers like the padre because he understands their often luriJ lam guase. and will smoEe a flag take a drink, or tell a story with any of them.
 Such Is a picturesque impression of the man who stood in front of the dock at the Middlcsex GuIldhall. Westminster. facing that ordeal good soldier dreads more than any other-a court marital.
 Described as Q. temporary army | chaplain of the 4th class he was | marched into court by his escort, captain of the Guards. Presently he was allowed to be seated.
 In the seat usually occupied by the . judge at the trial of civil prisoners
 sst. stern, soldierly. and attentive, the ' president. Colonel Smith Neill, of the Scots Guares From the be- Sowned and bcwiRRed figure of the Sudge- e-Advocatc-Cienerai on his right ones eyes wandered to a line of of ,ficers. on whose breasts were bewild- ering arrays of ribbons. orders. and decorations. The same one the left of the President.
 Scene in Court. Keen. bronzed. stronE-faced men, many of whom had faced the horrors of Armaeeddon without flinchins. tho gravity of their demeanor gave evil dence that they fully realized that the issue for the man in front of them | was-sociat life or social death. My gaze turned from the athletic accused fin the dock to my immediate neishbors-three in number - and I rubbed my eyes in amazement. for next to me was Mir. Justice Darling, net to him, Mir. Heeratio BottomIey, NJ. P. and next to him Mir. stephen NAlNAl. Ile TuEEtd AIDOT JAtIllbtTt looking exactly what he was The great judge wore a lounge suit screwed q rnonocle in his eye. and followed the trial as Intently as he follows one of those celebrated trials over which 1t is his daily lot to pre- side.
 Great generals. high dignislries of the church, colonels. majors, captains. lieutenants. N. C. O's, Tommies and civilians forsook the sunlight. and crowded into this dim hall of justice, where, despite the power and rad lance of old Sol, the electric bulbs were glowing all the time. The time has not yet arrived when women arc admitted to court-ElartiaI Had this restriction not been in force, they would probably have been asked to retire. as they are in civil courts when cases of this kind crop up. Consequently. despite the glittering array of uniforms, there was, not splash of feminine color in the court. Great lawyers figured prominently in the case-Sir Archibald Bodkin for the military prosecutor (Captain Eastwood): Sir F. Marshall Hall. K C.. M. P. and Mir. Huntly Jenkins for the defence.
 It is common knowledge that after Capt. Disby had become the central figure in the episode. with which I will deal presently, he was taken to the Tower of London So much the whole country knew, and they also knew that he was subsequently re- leased.
 Surprising Accusation. But the liveliest curiosity has been evinced as to tho precise charge to | be preferred against him. and a hush fell over the assembly when it was announced what the allegation was: That being an officer in His Ma jesty's Army, and so subject to mill tary law, he had committed a civil offence that in London on March IA he improperly assaulted Company Quartermaster-Sergea J. C. Vest of the East Kent Regiment (The Bufs.)
 So the tongue of rumor and sur mise became stilled- And to the charge the Sporting Parson, in a loud. ole.r voice. pleaded not guilty. For a trial with so romantic a cen tral character, a man so good-look- ing that women flock 10 hear him preach. and surroundings so pIctur- esque. the story was a so-1id one. As delicately as Is possible under the circumstances let me try and re- construct briefly the details which | were given.
 On the night of March II the Rev. Everard Dtgby had been to a Ma sonic dinner at the Cafe Monico. The same night West, the prosecutor, was in D-.nsey-yard a narrow thorough fare leading from Wardor-Street to Macclesheld Street. just behind Shaftesbury- Avenue. With West was another soldier named Groves. In the yard an unpleasant incident l took place. West immediately made a | complaint that a man "who was mas querading fin the uniform of an army chaplain" had improperly assa auIted him.
 Tre two men, West and Groves, acted on advice and went to a ser geant of military foot police in Pic cadilly Circus, who referred them to Captain I>oyd.
 Meanwhile. the gentleman in the uniform of an army chaplain had been lost sight of. For half an hour his two accusers walked around. Then they returned to the yard. And there they found their man again. This man the rvoSecutOr alleged.