Evening star., 1941-06-29
By Richard L. Stokes.

Among such champions were the fol-
lowing, with their rank today:
Mai. Gen. Arnold.
Mai. Gen. Gerald C. Brant. command
ing the Gulf Coast Training Center,
Randolph Field, Tex.
Maj. Gen. John F. Curry, command
ing the I'd Air Force, Spokane
Brig. Gen. Spaatz.
Col Frank M. Kennedy, chief of
Building and Grounds Division, Air
Corps Office, War Department.
1t. Col. Harold L. George, executive
officer, Headquarters Squadron, I'd Bonn
bardment Wing, Langley Field, Va.
An enthusiastic witness for Gen Mitch
ell was Representative Fiorella La
Guardia, now Mayor of New York and
director of the Office of Civilian Defense.
Mr.. La Guardia himself had been a
major in the American Flying Force
during the World War. and taken part
in night and day bombing excursions
on the Italian front
Summerall Withdrew.
The senior Army dignitary called to
the stand by the prosecution was Mai
Gen. Charles P. Summerall. who a year
later became Chief of Staff, organized
the country's first mechanical unit, re-
tired in 1881 and is now president of
The Citadel, South Carolina's military
college at Charleston. His emergence
;,, T., 1f
comment at the time. because he had
been slated to preside over the court
martial. He withdrew as soon as the
proceedings started. on being challenged
by the defense for prejudice and bias"
Other bigWigs of the Army who testi-
fed against Gen. Mitchell included Maj
Gen. Frank w. Coe. Chief of Coast
Artillery, and Maj. Gen. William J. Snow.
Chief of Field Artillery. They retired,
respectively, in 1926 and 1927 AS
writer in service journals, Gen. Snow
still exerts influence on the policies of
his arm. A witness for the prosecution
who was destined to become Chief of
Naval Operations was Rear Admiral
William V. Pratt. He retired in 1898
with the rank of Admiral. and at pres
ent is a naval writer and radio COM
mentator.
BY order of Dwight F. Davis of st.
Louis, who succeeded John w. Weeks
as Secretary of War on october IA, 1925,
one law and II general officers were
designated as judges on october 20 to try
Gen. Mitchell on a charge, with eight
specifications, of conduct prejudicial to
military discipline and tending to bring
discredit on the military service.
Sladen Disqualified.
The defense used its single peremptory
challenge to disqualify Maj Gen. Fred
w. Sladen, superintendent of West Point
Like Gen. Summerall Maj. Gen. Albert
C. Bowley, commanding Fort Bragg,
N. c., Withdrew when challenged for
prejudice and bias The court, as
finally organized was composed as fol-
lows: Maj. Gen. Robert Lee Howe,
president; Maj. Gems. Macarthur, Will
liam S. Graves and Benjamin A. Poore;
Brig. Gems Edward L. King, Frank r.
Mccoy, Edwin B. Winans, George LIE R.
Irwin and Ewing E. Booth, and Col.
Blanton Winship law member, from the
Judge Advocate Generals Office.
Howe, Graves, Poore, King and Irwin
are dead All the surviving brigadier
generals were promoted to major gen.
erals before retirement. The same rank,
third highest in the Army, was later
bestowed on Col. Winship, who retired
in 1898. But Col Herbert A. White,
assigned by the Judge Advocate General
to defend Gen. Mitchell, was still
colonel when placed on the inactive list
some years afterward.
Since the verdict was decided by sec
ret ballot, all that can be known is that
at least seven of the judges held Gen.
Mitchell to be guilty. In court-martlal
not involving capital punishment or I'M
prisonment for more than 10 years.
two-t thirds vote is enough for conviction.
Four ballots, therefore, would have ac-
quilted the defendant AS chief coun-
sci, Gen. Mitchell chose a civilian, Rep
resentative Frank R. Reid, Republican,
of Illinois, who resigned from Congress
in 1884. A passage during cross-exam-
ination of the defendant almost led to
a mistrial Gen. King, in an audible
aside to Col. Winship, made the COM
ment: Damn rot!" The incident was
closed when Gen. King was induced to
apologize.
Hearings Lasted Two Months.
The hearings which opened in Wash
ington on october % and concluded
two months later with verdict of
guilty on all specifications, brought an
end, after "a years of service, to one
of the most colorful careers in the
Armys history. The son of Senator
John L. Mitchell of Wisconsin, William
Mitchell was born December %, 1879,
at Nice, France. He entered military
life by enlisting as private in 1898,