Evening star., 1925-11-26
MITCHELL CHARGES
FACE HEAVY FIRE
100 Witnesses Marsha!ed by
Prosecution in Effort to Re-
flute CoIoneFs Attack.

The Mitchell general court-martial
was in recess today. Tomorrow it will
begin the fifth week of it's existence
with the presentation of testimony by
prosecution witnesses in rebuttal to
the volume of evidence offered by Col.
William Mitchell as actual defense of
the charge Of conduct prejudicial to
good order and military discipline"
The defense rested it's case yesterday
afternoon and the prosecution imme-
dlately took up its task. but little
headway was made before the hour for
recess. Anxious to make as much
headway as possible, the court denied
week end recess as requested by both
sides yesterday afternoon and decided
to sit tomorrow, although it agreed
not to hold a session Saturday.
The Shenandoah naval court of in
quiry, which has been dividing public
attention during the, last two weeks,
adjourned yesterday subject to the call
of its president after hearing the last
witness under summons. 1t may,
however. decide to again summon Col.
Mitchell as a final witness, but this
will depend on whether the court judge
l
ton Of the coloneIs testimony before
the court martial, that he could give
information germane to the Shenan-
doah inquiry. On being summoned
before the Navy court two months ago
he refused to take the necessary oath
as a witness when denied the privilege
Of making a prior statement to the
court.
100 Witnesses Called.
Blind to any ruling the court might
make on how the defense testimony
will be accepted-either in eXtenua-
ton or mitigation or in actual defense
the prosecution Is determined to
break down the truth of the airmen's
contentious. To carry out this en-
deavor 1t has marshaled about 100
witnesses from the Army and Navy,
all of whom, however, will not be put
on the stand if cumulative evidence
becomes apparent. Mai. Allen j. Gul-
lion. assistant trial judge advocate
and chief cross Xaminer during the
past week does not intend to make
public the names of Army and Navy
officers called or to be called. He ad-
mits, however, that among them Will
be Maj. Gen. Mason ". Patrick, chief
of the Army Air Service; Admiral
tions: Mai Gen. Charles P. Summer
all. president of the court as originally
constituted; Rear Admiral William A.
Moffett, chief of the Bureau Of Aero
nautics; Maj. Gen. Dennis f. Nolan,
deputy chief of staff. and Brig. Gen.
H A. Drum, assistant chief of staff.
Yesterday afternoons session was
consumed by Col. H. A. White, mill
tary defense counsel, who read docu-
rnentary evidence offered in further
support of various charges Col.
Mitchell has made against the Gov
ernment's system of aviation control.
These included the correspondence
between the late Lieut.. Comdr.
Zachary Lansdowne and the Navy
Department on proposed flights of
the Shenandoah. all of which was
read into the record of the Shenan-
doah court when it sat at Lake
hurst Immediately after the dirigi-
ble's loss. Only one or two other
documents remain to be disposed of
by the defense and under an agree
me% reached with Col. Sherman
More1and, trial judge advocate, these
ceedings.
Court Opposes Adjournment.
When Representative Frank r.
Reid. chief civilian defense counsel.
announced the end of his case had
arrived. he requested an adjourn
ment until Monday, but the court,
after private deliberatton, requested
the prosecution to begin its rebuttal
Immediately. Lieut.. Col Joseph I.
McMullen, assistant trial judge advo
cate, read several exhibits dealing
with the history of the Lassiter
board. the McNair board and the avi-
alton and ordnance tests for 1921.
better known as the battleship bomb
nc experiments. The recess hour ar
lived before witnesses could be heard