The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-11
CHARGES COL. HUNT. WAS 4WH|TEWASHED' BY A COURT MARITAL
Kentucky Representative Asks Blunt Questions and Makes Strong Charges at Berg
 doll Escape Inquiry
By Associated Press

Washington, May 10.-The charge that Col John E. Hunt, former commandans at the disciplinary barracks at Cover nor's Island, was "whitewashed' by a courtmartial resulting from his alleged failure to take proper precautions to pre- vent the escape of Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, Philadelphia draft dodger, was made late today at the end of a long session of the House investigating com mittee.
 Called before the committee to tell guard BergdoT while on gold hunting expedition to the Maryland mountains, Colonel Hunt had been on the stand for nearly five hours when he was taken ii hand by Representative Johnson, dem- ocrat, Kentucky, for grilling cross-ex- 1. animation.
 Some of the questions put to the wit ress were extremely blunt and of per- sonal nature Then, after asking for e yes or no answer, as to whether he had been given a fair trial and whether he had been aggressively, prosecuted, MT, Johnson proceeded to quote from the ccurtmartial record certain statements
  good standing of the accused.
 PLEA FOR CONVICTION
 '.Is that a vigorous prosecution speech? Mir. Johnson asked, and Hunt instantly replied that it was plea for his con- viction as he saw it. At this juncture John H. Sherburne of Boston, counsel TOT the committed, interposed that 1t was only fair to read from the judge advo- cate's address, course which the com mittee approved.
 Ut is my purpose to show, although may not have the full cooperation or counsel for this committee" MT. John son declared that the court-martial rec ord contains more than suspicion tnat this witness was whitewashed and that counsel participated only in a. half hearted prosecution. And I think I will show more as I get further into it.
 The loud changing of the House bell for a vote on the army bill and prlet informal discussion as to the advisabllty of inserting the entire court-martiai pro : caedinps in the records of the committee Hearings broke up the meeting at this
 Extracts from he judge advocates address quoted by MT. Johnson set forth that the prosecution die not think or intimate that Colonel Hunt wanted Bergdoll to escape or was Tn any conspiracy to that end, and thai if was realized Hunt was the sor- riest of all" that the prisoner got away.
 SYMPATHY EXPRESSED
 Sympathy was expressed by the prosecutor for the colonel, now retired, and it was mentioned that he had made "a magnificent record as an officer but that this was not the question at issue and that there had been techni- cal violation of military regulations in a way to bring discredit upon the army.
 The extracts read at the insistence of MT. Sherburne related to the sug- gestion of General Harris, the adjutant general that commanding officer be placed in charge of the expedition, a suggestion which was not carried out. The prosecutor asked for ver- dict of guilty on the specifications.
 Colonel Hunt, recently recovered from long illness, took no part in the discussion. In the course of his ex- animation he described plans for Berg doll to leave under military guard for flag town, Md, in search of the X buried gold, and declared that no of ficer was available at the time and that he had the utmost confidence in Sergeant O'Hare, who was directly re- sponsible for the safe return of the prisoner.
 Asked by Chairman Peters if the escape was due to his own fault or to the incompetency of the guard, Hunt denied vigorously that he was re- sponsible for the mans escape and added that he did not want to char acterize the conduct of the sergeant as dereliction from duty.