San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-16
BROW BEATING
aINTIMlTED IN
NAVY TRIAL
Cocktail Angle Fades in
e Colonel Williams
Courtmartial.

~ - iFAaAANA HNAA'AuA WIN WV y tNan -
\ pericnce as chief of police. today re-
l.aaincd the central figure in an in
) s.esti=ation involving the alleged brow
.eiieating" Of witnesses in a liquor case
! lsn,ter known as the cocktail court
ShariiGl OF Colonel Alexander s. Vii
liams He is Brigadier General
suSiacslley j. Butler, former director
sca public safety in Philadelphia and
III witness for the prosecution in
oNLat until yesterday was merely the
Eyfial Of Colonel Williams on a charge
-af appearing intoxicated in the pub
Ike rooms Of Coronado hotel on
the night Of March 6 last.
r-r INTEREST SHIFTS.
After General Butler was called 70
> The stand yesterday for questioning
as to intimations Of throw beating
p-rTiously aired during the proceed
fs1rys by officers of his command. thr
W coronado cocktail which originally
., had been the sparkling hub and CEN
,tcr of the case suddenly found itself
. showed into the wings while the spot
: flight of testimony was turned on what
the general said 10 his officers Just
! before some of them revised their
1 written statements on what they saw
al the hotel party.
General Butler fatty denied hav-
ing attempted to coerce his subordin-
atcs in supporting his charge that
The colonel was full" on the night Of
l, March & but freely admitted that he
had called several officers on the
carpet and told them they must come
| clean or you'll all get into trouble.
WARNS OFFICERS.
/, Il told them he testified. "they
iwere LOT Of boys running around in
circles. Go out now and tell the
iIruth.' / said to them, or you'll all
get into trouble
Two Of the boys running around in
1 circles were not so sure there had
been no coercion. One OF them, Cap
,fain Clifton +. Gates. told the court
he had submitted one written state.
ment containing the assertion that
there was nothing unusual about
Colonel Williams behavior at Cor
onado except that he was unsteady
ON his feet"
, After being reprimanded by Ger
eral Butler, he testified, be changed
n the statement 10 read unsteady on
h his feet. which was caused by being
drunk. sick or 'doped. "
X CHANGES STATEMENT
The other. Lieutenant Beverly s.
Roberts. said he and several other Of
Ulcers were called in by General But
/ Ter and told that their statements on
the Coronado affair were highly IN
satisfactory.
80 in my second statement, instead
1f saying the coloners walk was IN !
h steady / wrote the colonel had the
appearance of being intoxicated or
otherwise bewildered,' Roberts testi- |
/ fled.
!. Asked By Rear Admiral Thomas !
Z Washington. president of the court, If |
/. he meant 10 say that be had been |
h eoerced into changing his statement |
/, the lieutenant replied:
|. Il don't think l am qualified to |
!, answer that"
/. MAY RECALL BUTLER
Z Under the pressure of further ques. !
+, tioning by the court, however. he adj |
/, United there was no untruth in the |
/. revised statement and that II did not |
: violate his conscience.
I. The possibility that General Butler |
might resume the stand for further |
Z questioning on the matter Of coercion |
I. was indicated when the court excused
: him yesterday with the remark that |
''for the present that was all the
/, court desired 10 hear.
1t was announced before adjourn
ment last night that the military
Tribunal intended 10 get all the facts
Pm this matter by calling additional |