Evening star., 1925-11-13
ARMY FAILS TO BAR CHARGES
OF MRS. LANSDOWNE AT TRIAL
Ell ort to Strike Out Her Testimony in Mitchell Court
Martial Overruled After Wrangle-Gas Expert
Heard i'm ColOnefs Defense.

Chemical Warfare Service. as IA text
book 70 rthat branch Of the Army
He answered in the affirmative
Col Moreland asked him what the
book said about the amount of gas
needed to gas Il certain area. When
he sought to read from the book Col
Moreland stopped him and directed
him to give ii from memory. as he
said he had read it thoroughly. He
then answered that every gas attack
is IA particular problem and would
have to be considered by itself.
Discusses Calculation.
Col. Moreland then asked him if he
undertook to say that Gen. Drum r
statements were purely theoretical
and ne said mo-" that the rule of
thumb" method was used in calcu-
lating. Pressed as to what he meant
by this. he said that. for instance, it
was a rule of thumb" that 1t took
700 artillery shells to cut through a
barbed-wlre area. This was not al
ways true, he said. because il may
take 1000 shells. and 1t all depends
upon the conditions and the artillery
officers in charge of the fire.
Asked If he remembered what the
book had TO say us to the number Of
DouluS VI EdS 10
cover an area of 100 square yards in
order to force an evacuation, the Wit
ness said he did not think the book
made any reference to square yards,
but that the matter was based on a
target of 100 meters square or
l0.000 square meters.
DO You know how many pounds
of mustard sas it would be necessary
to use on an area 100 yards square?"
asked Col. Moreland.
Something like lS5 pounds" re
Sponded the witness.
You are sure that 1t does not take
SIS pounds of mustard gas for every
100 yards square," pressed Col. More.
land.
That quantity" responded the
witness, would destroy all life within
the area"
so, then, what the book states is
erroneous"
That statement, responded the wit
ness to Col. Moreland. was made by
Maj. West. who IS a chemist and not
familiar with combat operations. II
the book made that statement II was
wrong"
You know that the book was ap
proved by Gen. Fries" asked Col
Moreland
Yes. but there are lot of things
that slip through" responded the wit
ness.
If Gen. Drum based his state
ments on the book would it be mac
curate?" asked Col. Moreland.
Reid Raises Objection.
AL this point Representative Reid
arose and threw a boomerang into the
prosecution's questioning when he
ca hot I,
tion because it had not been shown
that Gen. Drum at the time he made
the statements ever knew the book
was In existence or that he based his
statements on it. Not knowing that
the book was in existence It was not
proper evidence.
This paralleled the prosecution's at
tempt to keep Mrs. Lansdowne's testi-
mony out of the record because at
the time that Gen. Mitchell made his
statement the Shenandoah inquiry,
which Gen. Mitchell said would be a
Whitewash," had not been completed.
Col. Moreland said that Gen. Drum
had based his statement on the book.
after turning to an officer sitting by
his side, from whom he obtained the
information.
Representative Reid said that he
wanted the records to show that Mai.
Willoughby had vouched for this
statement. Col. Moreland objected to
this, and, for the record. stated that
he ives reliably informed" that Gen.
Drum had made the statements in
the book.
Then the witness said that if Gen.
Drum based his statement on the
figures and without any knowledge
of the subject he would be correct.
When Col. Moreland asked the wit.
ness if Gen. Drum made his state
ments Intentionally Mr.. Reid objected
and the trial Judge advocate began a
conference with Maj. Willy. Presi-
dent Howe waited patiently for a
moment and then adressed the trial
judge advocate. saying. II prefer you
would sit down, colonel. so you can
get quick conference with your ad-
wiser"
Quizzed On Mathematics.
The witness did not answer the
question, and then the prosecution in
quired: How many hundred yards
square in a square mile?"
The witness thought $50 and re-
fused to figure 1t out for Col. More
land.
Assuming there are 30976 yards