Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-03-10


WASHINGTON, March 10.-In
spite of the fact that the gravest
kind of charges have been made Off
cially against Leonard Woods mill
tary record and his personal record,
he did not appear personally to an
swer them.
Evidence was given before the
committee in 1908 designed to show
that Wood maintained very close rela-
tiens in Cuba with a man named Bel
lairs, alias Ballentine, alias Cheirton,
a penitentiary convict released after
FIVE years confinement, a former
forger, swindler and gambler, and at
last accounts and while in Cuba,
C.-arged with being a pervert of an
uncomfortable kind.
All this testimony is contained in
Senate executive document G, conf
Dental, Fifty-eighth Congress, sec
ond session, printed, in 1904, but not
made public until Jan. 1S, 1907. This
is a record of the senate committees
secret hearings on the Wood case.
General Wood Warned.
According to this document, evi
dence was addrced before this COM
mittee for the purpose of showing
that Wood, while both he and Bel
lairs were in Cuba, was warned as to
the character of this man and in
formed as to his history. The COM
mittee record does not show that
there was any break in the friend
ship between Wood and Bellairs so
long as the latter remained in Cuba.
I a4o i,,+i ID t.olofi0nchi1N
was exposed in long series of ar
ticles and editorials in a New York
newspaper, but neither Wood nor Bel
lGirs ever brought suit against the
paper.
The senate document shows that
other serious charges were made
against Wood, backed by citation of
specific instances, testimony of wit
nesses and documentary evidence.
Wood did not face the charges per-
sonally. He had gone to the Philip
pine Islands a short time before and
while it was we'll known that such
charges would soon have to be faced.
The administration defended him
vigorously. Secretary of War Root
was the principal witness in his be-
half His efforts were seconded by
Senator Foraker, then a member of
the Senate Military Committee, who
became, to all intents and purposes,
counsel for both Wood and the ad-
ministration. Foraker prepared a
report which, of course, was favora-
BILE to Wood.
Senators Scott and Hanna prepar-
ed papers in which they supported
charges made against Wood and op-
posed his confirmation of his promo
ton over the heads of hundreds of
other officers. Woods nomination
was not confirmed until March 18,
1904, after a delay of four months.
Some Pertinent Questions.
On July IL, 1919, the Army and
Navy Register, in view of the fact
that General Woods reputation as
commander of troops in battle rests
chiefly if not wholly upon the con-
troverted allegation of his services
in an Indian campaign and his pres
ence at Santiago, put to him list
of questions which the Register ask
ed HIM to answer. They were as fol-
lows:
"Prior to the affair at Las Quasi
mas. were you ever H. fight with
armed men? If so, what was the
occasion, where was it, when was 1t
and by what participants in it, now
living, can you prove your part in
it?
During the actual assault and cap
ture of San Juan Hill and Kettle
III, by infantry and cavalry troops, /
where were you, what were you do
ing, how came you to be there, and
by what eye-witnesses, now living,
can you substantlate your state
n.ents?
"Since the surrender of Santiago,
haveayou ever commanded troops in
a fig =? If so, what was the occas-
ion, ere was it, when was it, how
MANY men were in your command,
how many of them were filled and
how many wounded?"
General Wood has had seven
months to reply to these questions,
but SO far he has not made any re-
ply.