Evening star., 1925-11-25
Seeking Vindication of
Charges, Army and Navy to
Send 100 for Rebuttal.
REID SAYS DEFENSE
PROOF is COMPLETE
Indications Point to Adjournment
Over Thanksgiving Until
Monday.

Aroused at the barrage of sensa-
tional testimony thrown into the
Mitchell trial in support of Col.
Mitchell's charges of governmental
maladministration of the national de-
fense, the War Department has
marshaled an array of approximately
100 Army and Navy witnesses in
vindication of the War and Navy De-
partments.
Deciding that the efforts of the de-
fense to prove the truth of Col.
MitChell's accusations should not go
unchallenged, the prosecution an
nounced today that about so rebuttal
witnesses from each branch of the
service have been lined up.
These witnesses, running the gamut
of official rank, will be called TO the
stand by the prosecution regardless
of the moot point as to the purpose
of the voluminous testimony intro
duced by the defense. 1t has been
held by Representative Frank X. Reid
that Col. Mitchells witnesses have
proved the truth of his famous San
Antonio charges and have therefore
made d complete defense for the ac
cuSed against the charges of inSub
ordination and Contemptuous conduct
made out against him by his superiors
May Testify Next Week.
The long list of prosecution wit.
nesses probably will begin their tes-
timony before the court next week
Indications We're this afternoon that
the trial would adjourn over Thanks
giving until Monday.
Anticipating such adjournment, Col.
Mitchell asked the War Department
for permission to accompany Mrs.
Mitchell to Detroit this week end, so
that he could see his infant daughter,
whom he has not seen for two
months. The request was returned
marked "disYpproved' by order OF
Brig. Gen. 8. D. Rockenbach, com
manding this military district.
Before the smallest audience of
spectators that has assembled since
the trial began, Col. Herbert A. White,
military counsel for the accused, spent
most of the morning disposing of odds
and ends of stipulated evidence as
sembled from the records of the War
and Navy Departments in substantial
ton of various charges made by the
defendant in his famous San Antonio
statement
Navy Records Given.
The last of the records subpoenad
from the Secretary of War We're read
into the records when the court con-
vened this morning, and the defense
then began the presentation of records
Subpoenaed from the Secretary of the
Navy.
The only high light that had de-
veloped this morning was an admis-
sion obtained by Col. White from the
prosecution that calcium chloride
used as a non-freeZing solution in the
water ballast of the Shenandoah pos
sessed chlorine and strength destroy
ing properties on duralumin,' a metal
used in the construction of the frame
work of rigid dirigibles.
In his public statement of Septem-
ber Col. Mitchell had declared it
possible that the fatal crash of the
Shenandoah might have been partially
attributable to the disintegration Of
some of the ships structural members
from the action of the non-freeZing
compound dropped on them.
Denies Structure Hurt.
Maj. Allen J. Gullion, assigned by
the General Staff of the Army to a
leading part in the prosecution of Col.
Mitchell told the court he would not
deny that calcium chloride possessed
the destructive properties mentioned.
but declared the prosecution stood
ready to show that this solution did
not affect the strength of the Shenan-
doah's structure because of her pecu-
liar girder fabrication.
Among Army records read before
the court this morning were various
reports on bombing tests conducted in
CheSapeake Bay in Scptember 1921
an estimate that the anti-aircraft tests
of last Summer totaled in cost approx
imately $256,6O2, computation by
the War Department that during the
10 years prior to 1920, more than $3,
604 100000 was expended for ordnance
supplies, etc.
The anti ti-aircraft costs were cited by
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