San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-22
ANDREWsFOUND.
NOT Gull TY BY
COURT-MARTIAL
Acquitted Of All Charges in
Connection With Liquor
Handling.
FINED In U. S. COURT
Air Service Officer Wins
Signal Victory in Midi
tary Tribunal.

After eight days Of trial and sus-
pense, First Lieut.. Leland $. An
drews. Air Service. was acquitted of
all charges growing out of his alleged
possession and transportation Of in
toxicating liquors in a government
airplanc, when the cOurt-martial be-
fore which he was tried announced
at 5 80 o'clock Wednesday afternoon
a verdict of not guilty. Lieutenant
Andrews did not take the witness
stand. 4 score of witnesses testified
for or against him. He maintained
q passive attitude through the trial
and when the verdict was announced
exhibited no emotional feelings.
Arguments were completed at 30
and the court went into closed SEES
sion. After nearly two hours of de-
liberation, it announced that YER
dict had been reached. Counsel on
both sides. witnesses and several Of
the defendants friends from Kelly
Field who were in the courtroom
during the final hearing had congrc-
gated in the office of the Judge Adyo-
cate. Eighth Corps Area headquarters,
to w2it until court-lnartial scachel
a decision. When II was Announced
that a erdict had been reached, they
filed back to the court room.
Sane and Not Guilty.
Col. Beaumont Il. Buck. president
Of the court, read: The court by its
vote finds that the accused is in prop
er mental condition at this time to
undergo trial. The court by its vote
finds the accused at the time of the
commission of the alleged offense was
so far free from mental defect or
mental arrangement as to be able
concerning the particular acts charged,
both to distinguish right from wrong
and to adhere to the right The court
further finds the accused, First Lieut..
5. Andrews, not guilty of all of the
specifications and charges. and there
fore acquits him upon all spccifica-
tions and charges"
The cOurt-martial then closed and
the defendants friends. and members
of the court-martial. crowded around
to congratulate him. The final deci-
sion Of the court martial ended the
Andrews case and the air service of
ficer stands freed Of all charges made
against him, and freed from his own
plea Of insanity made at the beginning
of the trial
Pleaded Guilty in L. S. Court.
Lieutenant Andrews was arrested nv
federal authorities on October 81.
1922. after having landed his plane
in Callihan pasture sCme - miles
north of Laredo. The shin stopped
near ten sacks OF tequila. Later the
officer pleaded guilty in the United
States district court at Laredo to
liQuCr charges.
Before the court-martial he was
tried under the 9Jth and 9Gth articles
of war. four separate specifications be-
ing cited. The first was that he H.
legally possessed and transported in
toxicating liquor in government air
plane: the second that he entered into
an agreement with one Earl +. Evans
to bring LIQUOR from Laredo TO San
Antonio: the third that ne made a
false official statement to his superior
officer. and the Fourth that he used
government airplanc without au-
thority for the purpose of transporting
liquor.
Pleaded Former JeOpardy.
II was generally agreed. after the
trial. that the defense won its case
when Lieut. Park Holland. air ser
vice. and speCial counsel for the de-
Tense gained n ruling from the court
that the accused rad once been placed
in jeoDardy for the crime alleged in
the first specification. and conse-
GuentlT the evidence supporting that
allegation could not be considered by
the court-martial in that trial.
Capt. Humphrey BiddIe. trial Judge
advocate. stated when the court ruled
out the evidence supporting the first
charge. that that charge constituted
the foundation for all the other
charges. and that If the court would
not hear the evidence to prove or
disprove the alleged crime in tho first
specification. il was doubtful if any
evidence could be introduced to sup
port the remaining charges. He asked
the court to reconsider its action with
reference To that charge. which it did.
but made no change in its ruling.
Both defense and prosecution agreed
that no evidence had been introduced
to support the second Specification
which alleged that an agreement had
been made with Earl F. Evans. and
before the case was concluded YER
dict of not guilty was announced on
that count.
When arguments by counsel bpean,
only two charges remained. They