Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-29
NAVY COURT GETS
WILLIAMSON CASE
Final Arguments Made on
Charges Officer Flew Too
Low Over City.

hanson, naval aviator, attached TO the
Hampton Roads air base. who has
been on trial at the Washington Navy
Yard since Friday on charges OF hav-
ing violated low-flying regulations over
Washington July "a. was given to the
Navy court-martial early this after
noon for deliberation.
The court received the case at 1915
o'clock and the room was cleared for
a few moments. All parties concerned
then were sent for and Comdr. Leo
WEIGH, president, announced an ad.
journment until 8 O'Clock tomorrow
morning. In the meantime the court
will deliberate on the case and II
they have come to n conclusion on the
hour of converting tomorrow, the ac-
cused will be brought before the body
and told Of the findings with respect
to the specifications. If the court says
that all six specifications were not
proved by the prosecution, this con-
stitutes verdict Of acquittal. Should
the court, however, find that one or
more of the specifications has been
proved, it will announce the one not
proved and this will constitute a YER
dict Of guilty. Any one of the six
specifica tons may support the gen
eral charge. which is conduct to the
The courts sentence. in event Of
guilt having been established will not
be announced but the entire findings
will be forwarded to the Navy De-
partment for approval.
Just before the final argument the
defense reopened it's case long enough
to inject more doubt as to the identity
Of the plane which, according to wit
nesses. performed acrobatics in the
vicinity Of Sixteenth street and Co
lumhia road. Theodore Cogswell,
deputy register Of wills, testified that
he saw a gray.colored airplane bearing
large numerals ga" flying in the
vicinity of his residence, at 1901 Cattle.
dral avenue, between l and 2 o'clock
on the day in question, and that it
few very low over the apartment
houses.
1t disappeared and few minutes
later a plane reappeared but quite
high. He said it dived and zoomed
and altogether made three loops. He
was under the impression at all times
that the plane which stunted was the
same one he saw first. Furthermore
he thought the plane was a two
scatter.
Identity Declared Established.
Capt. H. n. Potter, trial Judge ad-
vocate, in his opening argument to
the court declared the identity of
Lieut.. Williamson had been establish
ed as the naval aviator who flew over
Washington. He declared the identi.
ncation was reached through a series
OF circumstances. which had been
produced as evidence in the case.
The identification marks on the plane,
al I'll
by one witness who saw the letter
IF" and another witness established
the numerals IS" and a." while a
third saw "14" or 40"
1T is perfectly plain" said Capt
Potter. that all these put together
make the number 5-F-14."
He summed up the testimony as to
the lowest altitude that the plane
flew. pointing to evidence that it was
near the tops of buildings. There also
was evidence to show that Lieut.. viii
hanson carried an altimeter in his
plane which enabled him to tell his
height above the ground.
Identification Questioned.
Capt. Field Harris, service counsel
for the accused aviator, opened for
the defense. declaring emphatically
that no witness for the prosecution
had identified Lieut.. Williamson's
plane: that the defense point about
the plane bearing the number ga"
had stood unrebutted and that there
was no Government evidence that the
pilot violated Commerce Department
regulations when they never had been
furnished him.
Thomas Williamson, civilian counsel
and father of the accused, closed for
the defense. He declared likewise that
no witness had identified the plane
as the one which the accused flew
and that no one had identified the
stunting airplane as a Navy plane.
the fact that not one witness had
been contradicted or impeached, Mr..
Williamson declared, meant that all
testimony must be taken as true.
he emphasized the defense tes-
timony of Saturday and today about
the plane bearing the numbers "74'
ana laid great stress on the story of
one Government witness that two
planes were in the air at the same
time between the hours the offense
Is alleged to have been committed.
-Four witnesses were called this
morning at the request of the court.
made Saturday. when both sides rested
thelr case. They were Maj. Charles
Lutz. commanding officer Of Brown
Eleld, Quantico, Va; Lieut.. Comdr.
Homer Wick, commander Of the Naval
AR Station, Anacostia: Capt. William
Crom, acting commanding officer of
Boiling Field. and Lieut.. Wallace Dill
ION. executive office Of Fighting Plane
squadron 5, Lieut.. Williamson's or.
of Hampton Roads. Va.
These officers appeared because the
court desired to know from them
about the activities of planes under
their command on July "a. Mai. Lutz
reported that no Marine plane from
Quantico flew that day either on au.
thor1Zed or unauthorized flight.
Comdr. Wick said only one plane.
plotted by Lieut.. l.. r. Webb, took
on from his station at 800 pm. for
Philadelphia, while Capt. Crom told
OF three Army planes leaving Boiling
Field for cross-country trips. One Of
these was a three.engined Fokker
transport monoplane, which left for
New York at 2:10 pm. and the other
two were Douglass observation planes,
which left for the West at 1915 am.
Lieut.. Dillon said the only flight by
planes in his squadron was made by
Lieut.. Williamson. Lieut.. Dillon de.
clared the commerce regulations had
not been promulgated to his squadron
and he did not believe were Of common