Evening star., 1926-04-13
WILLIAMS DRUNK,
TEST|F|ESBUTLER
Declares Colonel Was Lo-
quacious, Staggered, Was
:''FuII" and GiggIed.

| By the Associated Press.
| MARINE BASE, SAN DIEGO
Calf. April 13-Col. Alexander S,
Williams own version of the catas'
! trophic cocktail party that brought
down upon him the official wrath OF
Brig. Gen. Smedley D. Butler will be
| told at today's session of the colonefs
court martial on a charge of appear
| ing intoxicated in the public rooms of
! a Coronado hotel.
The prosecutions case against the
suspended commander of the 4th Reg
| iment of Marines eliminated late yes
terday in the spectacular testimony
Of Gen. Butler. arch-enemy of post
Volstead drinking, and former leader
of the forces of reform in Philadel-
phia.
From his emplacement in the wit
ness chair the general raked the de-
fendant colonel's conduct as an Off
Ger and a gentleman with a voice
that echoed through the courtroom In
a crescendo of cutting denunciation.
Says Colonel Giggled.
On the night of March last,
phia police-on the night that he was
a guest of honor in Col. Williams
Coronado home-this colonel of ma
rines was guilty of the following
He was loquacious, he staggered,
he stared vacantly through bloodshot
eyes, he was intoxicated, he was
drunk. he was full" and. last and
most horrible to relate of a colonel
of marines, he giggled.
The conclusion of Gen. Buffers tes-
timony shattered the composure OF
what started out to be a rather quiet
court-martial. Three witnesses pre-
Viously had been examined by the
prosecution, all OF them guests OF Col.
Williams on the eventful night. and
all of them evidently reluctant to tell
the world he had been drinking.
Three Are Hesitant.
Capt. Clifton B. Gates, member of
Col. Williams staff and World War
hero; Maj. Ross Rowell, commander
of the Marine Corps aviation unit,
and widely known flyer: Capt. Charles
Rice of Gen. Buffers staff-these
three admitted hesitantly that Col.
Williams might have been intoxicated;
possibly was intoxicated, but that If
he actually was slightly under In
fiuence of liquor" he certainly was
mot at all boisterous."
Then strobe to the stand Gen. But
ler. and the words he flung we're blunt
and forceful.
At the dinner to which Col. Williams
had invited him as honor guest, he
testified, what impressed him and en-
barrasSed him most was his host S
repeated invitation to have a cocktail.
He ate with Maj. Ross Rowell at a
table set apart from the other guests
to emphasize his desire to get through
the meal without intoxicants; yet, he
asserted, his host insisted on renewing
his invitation to have one"
Williams Came to Hotel.
He was convinced, he continued.
that the colonel was becoming full, !"
so he went out and sat on the porch.
Soon the dinner guests followed him
out with the news that dancing at
the hotel was next on the program.
And them said the general, II
saw Col. Williams stagger out of the
house and across the lawn. didn't
expect him to turn UP at the hotel.
for I thought some one would put
him to bed"
But at the hotel Gen. Butler soon
espied his dinner host. poised in a
doorway, as il about to fall; his face
flushed; his eyes bloodshot.
II looked away" he went on, with
q feeling that he was intoxicated, and
when he left the hotel got the i'm
preston he was being carried out"
Defense counsel suggested the
colonel might have been walking out
'If So" shot back the witness, 'he
was walking on the sides Of his feet. :"