Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-17

were prepared to offer was placed in
the record late yesterday afternoon
ana the way was paved for Maj. Gull
lions argument
'Charlatan Type"
Col. Mitchell was characterized by
Maj. Gullion as "a self constituted
critic aS1prophet" and "a good flyer,
Il lair rider. good shot, flamboyant,
self advertising. widely imaginative
destructive. never constructive ex-
cept in wild non fea sible schemes and
never overly careful as to the ethics
of his methods"
is he not, asked the assistant trial
Judge advocate. rather of the all too
familiar charlatan and demagogue
tYpe-lke AlcibiadeS, Catiline and
except for a decided difference in
poise and mental powers in Burr's
cor. like Aaron BURR"
the evidence. Maj. Gullion said.
shows Col. Mitchell was absolutely
wrong about the Shenandoah, the
PN-9, the Arctic flight and all the
specific charges he made. On cross
examination his lack of qualifications
to speak as a critic of naval matters
was glaringly revealed. The evidence
shows he was wrong in his allega-
tons of ignorance and falsehood on
ttiS par VI the AllllN ana Navy OH
GERS. 1t shows he was wrong about
his general allegations of incompe-
tency, criminal negligence and almost
reasonable administration. Rarely
has cause so confidently asserted
been found in the acid test of a trial
to be so absolutely groundless.
Sims Is Played.
The types of witnesses" produced
for the defense were scored in detail
by Maj. Gullion, who declared: There
is the opinionated, narrow minded,
hobby-riding, egomaniacal Admiral
Sims type. Admiral Sims. who was
eager to tell why he refused his coun-
try's d. S. NJ, who would place HIM
self superior to Suffren and Nelson
and Farragut and Dewey because they
were not War College graduates. So
long has he had his eyes fixed with
intense and selfish stare upon his own
career that it is impossible, fortu-
nately, for him ever to turn those
eyes inward for purposes of intro
spection.
There is the Maj. Hensley type,
the shifty type. letting the court
think that he had seen 100000
cubic foot type airship and only when
cornered, explaining that he meant
a model in a wind tunnel
This type is akin to the halftruth
type, the Lieut.. Sheridan type, telling
the court of Admiral Williams re-
mark at the Hawaiian critique about
his lack of confidence in aviators ana
not telling that Admiral Williams later
explained his remark as joke.
Then there is the pseudo expert
type. the Lieut.. Anderson type, de-
scrihing the strain caused by the
Shenandoah breaking away from her
mast; he was not in a position to
know anything about it; the same
Orville Anderson who told the court
that the Shenandoah on her trans
continental Imperial Valley flight met
only trivial wind currents. Later II
developed he was not on the flight
Reviving Memory Type.
There is the reviving memory type.
the Capt Robert f. Oldys type. OldES
Indicated IN his testimony that Maj.
Wheeler was so affected by Col. Cham
berlain's criticisms that he took Dan
gerous chances in order to save his
plane. and so lost his life. Oldys was
senior member of the board which re
ported on the accident. Not one word
as to Col Chamberlain is in the re-
port. Instead Oldys waits four years
until Chamberlain as we'll as Wheeler
Is dead and then tells the story.
Then there is the f1ippant type
the Lieut. Col. William Gray Schauf-
fer, Reserve Corps, type, who pro-
duced in court his telegram to the
Adiutant General declining cap
taincy, the telegram reading like this:
Thanks a lot-you couldn't tempt me
with a ma jor generally, but II we get
a separate Air Service controlled by
men who fly by themselves, I'd be
Two tn "a
Pilot. as the French say
The same Lieut.. Col. William Gray
Schauff1er, Reserve Corps. who plloted
and crashed a plane In which capt.
McAyoy was killed, March IS, 1923.
The same Lieut.. Col. William Gray
Schauffier, Reserve Corps, was held
by a board of three Army Air Service
officers to have displayed poor Judg-
ment when he encountered the FOG,
and after that initial error of 5udg-
ment again to have displayed ques-
tionable judgment in flying at a dan
serously low altitude-an altitude
shown as zero on his altimeter-this
in connection with the death of Capt
McAvoy We have finished with
Lieut.. Col William Gray Schauff1er,
Reserve Corps.
Can't Describe La Guariia.
Then there is the congressional
expert. Honorable +. II. La Guardia,
with Is or 20 hours in the air. He
Is beyond my powers Of description.
Thank Heaven. he is sui generis.
FINALLY, there Is the Maj. Gerald
Brant type-the gay, gallant, lovable
type. I have known and liked Gerry
Brant for Is years. I still like him.
I know he would lose his right arm
before he would tell a lie.
81 think. though, that an evil in
fuence has insidiouslv corrupted his
orinious, and, fear, his loyalty. That
corruptfoa IS made easier in Brant's
case and In the case Of a great many
Air Service men by the inconsequen-
tial way in which they treat facts
John Locke, the famous English phi
losopher of the seventeenth century,
describes this type of mind in his es
say on the Conduct of the Human
Understandings Locke says: Many
people see a little, presume a great
deal and then jump at a conclusion
That fits Brant.
when asked why he was sent to
Hawaii, he piled: I think it was
hecause they had no war plans' Now