San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-14
Williams uses
MOLARS FOR
DEFENSE
Butler May Have Had Poor
Vision at Fatal Party,
Dentists Say.

MARINE BASE, SAN DIEGO,
Cal, April 14-PJ-The dental
troubles of Brigadier General Smed-
icy ID. Butler have become the first
line of defense in the court-martiai
trial here of Colonel Alexander 5.
Williams, Of the Marines, on the gen
erals charges that Williams was drunk
in a public place.
Weeks ago, just after he ordered
the arrest Of Colonel Williams as n
result of the conviviality growing out
Of a dinner party given by the colonel
in his. General Buffers honor, the
general retired TO the navy hospital
at Balboa Park to have several teeth
extracted.
TOOTH EXTRACTED
On the day the court-martial opened
in the enlisted mems ball room here
Monday, General Butler paused in his
description of the defendants alleged
drunkenness TO relate how the catas.
trophic Coronado cocktail episode was
preceded by the extraction Of one of
his, General Buffers teeth.
At yesterdays session of the col
onel's tTial the defense called two
dental surgeons TO the witness stand
10 tell how bad teeth can corrupt q
mans whole outlook on life; how
dental LESSONS" can impair the func-
tons Of many organs; how, they often
cause a man to see visions" or jump
confusedly to erroneous conclusions.
SURGEONS TESTIFY
Both dental surgeons, Lieutenant
/. G. Conditt and Lieutensnt-Com-
mander Frank S. ITCHY, recalled Cen
ersl Butler had been having trouble
with his teeth before he ate dinner
at Colonel Williams home and no
ticed or thought he noticed, that the
distinguished colonel Of Marines was
full drunk. and inebriated TO the
point of giggling.
The judge advocate Of the court,
Captain Leo Hermle, led the dental
experts into admitting that most Of
their testimony was hypothetical: that
when il came TO the actual condition
of General Butler on the night in ques-
tion, he was, for aught they knew,
absolutely normal. -.
But the hypothetical case OF a
usually precise man, possibly briga-
der general. being befuddled by a
toothache into seeing intoxieation
where there was no intoxication, had
been spread at some length on the rec
ord. and still another surgeon is
scheduled 10 testify today.
Six other defense witnesses remain
ed TO be heard today, making it likely
that final arguments would be heard
tomorrow.
Should the toothache defense fail
utterly, another avenue Of exoneration
is TO be explored by the coloners
counsel in accordance with intimations
developed with the closing hours of
yesterdays testimony.
These limitations involved the queE-
ton of whether General Butler at
tempted 70 browbeat his subordinate
officers into submitting statements
supporting his charge.
The question came up during the
. testimony Of Capt. George T. Stokes.
He said he and other officers present
at the Hotel De- sGs1eEsdo had been
ordered 70 submit statements of what
they observed of Colonel Williams
cordition.- When the statements wert
submitted TO General Butler. be tes-
titled, they were handed back with
the remark:
You boys know what Is wanted,
Now 20 back and write new state
ments.'
Under cross-eKaminatiOn Captain
Stokes admitted that nothing General
Butler said or did had coerced him into
falsifying the facts in his statement.