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| Major General Littleton T. Waller. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, April 12, 1902.
MAJOR WALLER'S PLEA.
Admits He Shot Natives of Samar Without Trial.
DECLARES HE WAS JUSTIFIED.
Alluded to the Humanity He Had Shown Captured Spaniards at Santiago—Cited the Example of British Forces In Egypt and Americans In China—Cruelties of Natives.
Manila, April 12.—Major Littleton W. T. Waller of the marine corps, who is being tried by court martial on the charge of executing Samar natives without trial, addressed the crowded court. The major said he was either right or wrong in his actions and added that he desired to cite five precedents which came under the head of his own case. He alluded to the naval battle at Santiago and the humanity he had shown to the Spaniards who were captured and said he had many letters from Spaniards thanking him for the kindness he had shown them.
Continuing the major said that in 1882 he was with the British forces in Egypt, where Arabs captured pickets of Bengal cavałry, decapitated the prisoners and placed their heads on poles. Afterwards all the Arabs who were caught were shot without trial. During the campaign in China the Chinese mutilated the dead and tortured the wounded to death. Consequently, when a Boxer or a fanatic was captured he was executed immediately, without reference.
This was true in the case of the troops of every nation in China. It was true the three weeks he commanded the Americans there. But the same thing occurred, later, when he was no longer in command. No protest was made and he had every right to believe that his acts were approved, so far as the American forces were concerned. He knew they were approved by those of other nations.
"It is impossible to conceive such treachery as that of the natives of Samar," said the major. "They revel in blood and have an appetite for wanton sacrilege of the human body. These fiends stole Captain Connell's class ring, filled the soldiers' bodies with jam and jelly and attempted to murder my command. I shot them. I honestly thought then that I was right and I believe so now. Neither my people nor the world will believe me to be a murderer."
Captain Arthur T. Marix (Marine Corps), representing Major Waller, in a forceful argument maintained that Waller's actions were justified by martial law, quoting numerous authorities on the subject. Captain Marix also said he regretted very much that the prosecution had seen fit to call General Smith. He claimed that all the testimony went to show that the major was justified.
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| Commanding General John M. Schofield. |
FOR A GENERAL STAFF.
General Schofield Thinks It Is the Proper Thing.
NO ROOM FOR TWO COMMANDERS.
Thinks the President Should Act Through the Secretary of War and Not Through a Commanding General—Calls Congress "Fountain of Errors."
Washington, April 12.—The report of the testimony before the senate committee on military affairs by General John M. Schofield on the bill to create a general staff was made public. He endorses the bill saying that he had long since come to the conclusion that there is no room under our constitution for two commanders, and that the president, whom the constitution makes the supreme commander, must act through the secretary of war.
"The very exalted individual office, so called, of commanding general of the army must disappear. There is no room for it in this government no matter who occupies it; it is not a question of personality at all or the character of the individual, so far as this great question is concerned. He must be what other nations of the earth have, a chief of staff, not a commanding general.
In answering a question by Senator Burrows General Schofield said, "You will have to get rid of that intolerable condition by which this man close to the president, the only man who is available to do these things, is a man whom the president does not talk to except to criticize him. The result is bad, very bad. The president feels the need of such a man, as did the presidents whom I have known. They would say 'I cannot do these things; I must have a military man to help me.' Then, in that situation, he perhaps sends for colonel or major so and so, and he finds that he is a bright young fellow and he knows about these things, and in a few days it gets to be known that 'Tom so and so' is commanding the army."
In reply to a question by Senator Scott calling attention to General Miles' statement that the effect or the proposed legislation would be to Germanize and Russianize the American army, General Schofield said: "I am not afraid of that. I think we might Germanize other things a little, with advantage, possibly."
Remarking upon the provision of the bill for a four years' term as chief of staff General Schofield opposed it as coming from that "fountain of errors —the congress of the United States—which provides for the retirement of the very best men just when they came to be of the age when Von Moltke won his greatest triumphs. I am not superannuated yet," he continued, "and still I have been retired for a long time."
He said that the United States and Great Britain were the only important countries which had not a general staff. Of the British he said: "They have not any system. What we have is what they had a hundred years ago, and we have not improved on it, and they have not either. They have had the same conflict between the Horse Guards and the war office in Great Britain as we have had here and that will continue until by some chance a king happens to be a soldier, and then he will straighten it all out quicker than lightning."
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| Theodore Roosevelt. |
NO MORE WAR TAXES.
President Roosevelt Signs the Bill Repealing Them.
Washington, April 12.—The president today signed the war revenue tax repeal bill which cuts off some seventy million dollars from the annual income of the government. Representative Bartholdi of St. Louis, who was among the callers at the time President Roosevelt signed the measure, was given the pen that made the bill a law.
BURIAL IN CORTLAND.
Remains of the Late Mrs. J. B. Chapman of Ovid, N. Y.
The remains of the late Mrs. J. B. Chapman who died at her home in Ovid very suddenly Tuesday night were brought to Cortland on the 9:40 Lehigh Valley train this morning for burial in the Cortland Rural cemetery beside the remains of her first husband, Rev. H. R. Dunham, a former pastor of the Presbyterian church of Cortland, and beside their daughter who was buried here two years ago, and beside Mrs. Chapman's younger sister who was the first wife of Mr. Dunham. The remains were accompanied by Rev. and Mrs. A. L. Benton of Montrose, Pa., the latter being a sister, and Mr. M. S. Sandford of Geneva, N. Y., a brother. At the grave a small company of friends gathered and the committal service was read and prayer offered by Rev. Robert Clements, pastor of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. and Mrs. Benton will be the guests over Sunday of Mr. H. F. Benton. Mr. Sandford returned to Geneva on the afternoon train.
SLIPPED ON A LOG.
Fell on His Side and Quite Seriously Injured.
Dr. E. M. Santee is staying within doors in these days and is nursing a very lame side. On Thursday he set out across lots to go to his chicken farm west of the Otter creek woods. He attempted to cross Otter creek on a log which he has for some time used as a bridge. It had been raining and the log was slippery. When about half way over his feet went out from under him. He made a mighty jump to save himself and fell flat on his left hip across the log, and so well did he balance himself that he did not touch the water at all. It was with difficulty that he could stir, but he at length succeeded in crawling ashore on the log and with still more difficulty got home.
Dr. Johnson was summoned and attended to his brother physician. No bones were broken, but the doctor is exceedingly sore in every joint, and especially in the region of the hip joint. Dr. Johnson told him he had better stay in bed for a few days till he could move with greater ease.
AŁWAYS ON TIME.
A New Clock Run from Washington Regulates Other Clocks.
A new sub-master, self-winding clock has been placed in the local office of the Western Union telegraph company in the rear of Brown's pharmacy, which is connected with the master clock at the United States observatory at Washington, D. C. The clock will be regulated each hour by wire, as will also the three clocks in Cortland connected with the sub-master, which are in Jewett's and Nourse's jewelry store, and in the residence of Mr. C. L. Kinney.
The self-winding clock at the Western Union office is operated in the same way as an ordinary key winding clock, with the exception that the spring of the clock, which furnishes the motor power, is automatically wound each hour, three minutes past the even hours, by a small electrical motor attached to the clock movement.
The electrical current for driving the motor is obtained from two small cells of battery placed in the clock case. The clock is self-contained and is not dependent on any outside wire connection for operation, the telegraph wires connected with it being solely for the purpose of correcting the clock hands by the United States observatory time signals.
BOARD OF HEALTH.
Resolution Regarding New Cesspools Introduced Before Board.
The [Cortland] board of health discussed the matter of garbage at the adjourned meeting last evening and decided to follow up the policy of imposing fines where refusals to comply with the ordinance were made. The board authorized the health officer to clean up all alleys and filthy places at once and to bring actions to collect for expenses and fines.
The following resolution was received:
Resolved, That from and after the 20th day of April, 1902, the building, maintaining, operating or using of any new cesspool thereafter built or constructed opposite any street in which sewers are laid be and is hereby prohibited. Any person violating this ordinance shall pay a penalty of $10, and the additional sum of $5 for each week's continuance or use thereof after due notice to abate it from an authorized officer.
CHARGE OF THE PARK.
Mr. James Walsh will Greet Visitors Again this Season.
Mr. James Walsh is expected home in a few days from Chicago where he is attending a medical college. It is expected that he will be in charge of the Cortland park again this summer where he made such a success last summer and where he was so very kind and acceptable to all. Mr. Duffey is already arranging for certain improvements to the park and a series of attractions that will please the public will be arranged from time to time.
CHUMPABAI, THE CHILD WIDOW
Speaks in an Interesting Way at the Presbyterian Church.
Chumpabai, the child widow of India, who spoke at the Woman's Foreign Missionary meeting at the Presbyterian church yesterday afternoon, gave a very interesting account of her own life and the work of Ramabai, in whose school in India she was educated. Her secret marriage at the age of 5 years, her conversion while at Ramabai's school for child-widows, her experiences with famine-stricken children and the resolve to come to this country were all told with a charm and simplicity which captivated her hearers.
At the end of the remarks, Chumpabai sang in her native tongue and offered a closing prayer.
The Misses Newkirk gave an added pleasure to the program with music on the violin and piano. Tea was served at the close of the meeting with Mrs. Robert Clements and Miss Jane Humes pouring.
GRADUATING CLASS
Of the Central School Meets and Organizes.
The graduating class of 1902 of the Cortland Central school which number eighteen met and organized on Wednesday, April 9. The following officers were elected:
President—-Miss Florence Brown.
Vice-President—A. J. Twentyman.
Secretary—Frank Mullen.
Treasurer—Miss Addie Rynders.
Orator—Miss Margarite Collier.
Poet— Miss Bessie Watson.
Historian—Miss Marlea Wells.
Prophet—Earl Maas.
Wills—A. J. Twentyman.
NEBRASKA WON
But Other New York Lodges Did Not Keep up With Cortland.
The contest between the lodges of the Ancient Order of United Workmen in the states of New York and Nebraska to see which should get the greater number of members during the months of December, January and February, resulted in a victory for Nebraska. The lodges of that state added 2,252 new members in the three months, while those of New York secured 1,878.
During the last few months and while the contest between the states was in progress, the local lodge of A. O. U. W. has been making a great hustle with the result that 100 new members have been added. There are in the state of New York about 400 A. O. U. W. lodges, and if all had done as well as Cortland the state would have had 40,000 new members to place against Nebraska's 2,252. The Cortland lodge certainly did its part in the work.
BREVITIES.
—Church notices on four page.
—First thunder of the season at 2:53 this afternoon.
—There were thirty-nine arrests made in the city during the month of March.
—Glann & Clark are preparing to build a large double house on their lot, 17 North Church-st.
—New display advertisements today are—M. W. Giles, Tubs, carts, etc., page 7; Baker & Angell, Men's shoes, page 6.
—All kinds of weather today—sunshine, rain, hail and snow, and plenty of wind at intervals. There is something to satisfy every one.
—A work meeting of the Farther Lights society of the First Baptist church will be held in the church parlors Monday evening at 7:30 o'clock.
—Tioughnioga chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will meet Monday afternoon at 3:30 o'clock with Mrs. S. W. Sherwood, 79 Railroad-st.
—State Secretary Fred S. Goodman of New York will address a mass meeting for men at the Opera House at 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon. All men cordially invited.
—Invitations are out for the wedding of Mr. Frank Barrett of Buffalo and Miss E. Maude Stillman of Syracuse, which will occur at her home, Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 P. M.
—The Normal students crowded the trains going out from the city last evening and this morning. They made up merry parties homeward bound for the spring vacation of a week.
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