MILITARY ENQUIRY. AN UNPLEASANT CASE:

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 3, 4 January 1908, Page 9

MILITARY ENQUIRY. AN UNPLEASANT CASE:

{From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 22nd November. \A very strange and unpleasant case, materially affecting the honour '"and credit of our army, is now occupying a large share of public attention. Ostensibly -it is a mere appeal by an ordinary young subaltern against he conceives to be certain injustice with which he has been treated. In reality it covers far wider ground ; for one thing it is a virtual recrudescence albeit iv a milder external shape, of that species' of lynch-law which some years ago," when it .took. the shape of "ragging," so strongly excited public indignation and brought about the downfall of one or two distinguished officers of high rank, who, by negligence, if not of intent, had allowed the objectionable practices to prevail. In the present case a young lieutenant of th© Grenadiers has had great pressure brought to bear upon him, first by his comrades, and latterly by his superiors, to "send in his papers,'" or, in other words, to resign hie position, abandon his prospects and relinquish his military career to which he was greatly devoted. After, long and fruitless correspondence he finally, at Iho instance of his father, demanded an investigation. This is now proceeding under several distinguished officers, and several legal counsels feven more distinguished are appearing for the respective sides. The evidence given was interesting. Some of that given yesterday was perhaps the most striking ,of ! all It was given by Lieutenant Woods's immediate superior officer, Major Corkran. A number of official imports had been put in, all representin Lieutenant Woods as earnest, active, industrious, studious, ardently devoted to his profession, and fairly intelligent. But by degrees this tone had been succeeded by one much less favourable, I it being alleged that the lieutenant had not a nice manner, was wanting in tact, was unpopular with the men — the rank au«L SSIye y I mean — and was disliked by j h ; s brother subalterns The reason for this last feeling" -being quite- openly ; stated to be that he did not mix enough ' with his comrades or take part in their amusement — the old story, and a most i discreditable one, /oeing in effect that I hi was too much devoted to his duty j~and too little to play. Ultimately his superiors advised him to leave and i practically threatened that, if he did ! not he woufd be "pet out." j Yesterday's • cross-examination of I Major Corkran, by Mr. Rufus Isaacs, K.C., brought out much that threw a lqrid light upon the feelings entertained and the methods pursued towards tha unpopular yonnt; officer. One complaint mado by Major Corkran 'was* "When .Lieutenant Woods came anywhere near the men on parade,* I have seen them, nudge one another!" Please-- don't tell mo that it was thj men who did the I nudging. It was not the -men, that wero on trial, but Lieutenant Woods, and that -was^ one of the' sins , cited against him. Another of his. heinous crimes was that his manner "bored" tho men. ' Drill often does! "He bored them and they got annoyed," said Major Corkran. Mr.' Isaacs thereupon invited the j ; major to explain himself more clearly. j What did Woods do that "bored" the mc-n? What single act or failure to acton his part was wrong! What' was the precise thing he had done?" said .Mr. Isaacs, "cannot you help me? Am I to take it that you cannot give me anything farther?" "Well, if you will have it," answered Major Corkran, "one day my pay-officer came to me and said if I did not take Mr. Woods away from tiiat corporal, that corporal would knock him down." One must _adrqit' that this was ' very wrong of Mr. Woods. But it seems a somev hat novel . test of an officer's conduct that his corporals might knock him down if he weren't taken away. Major Corkran did not seem to see it in that light, for he promptly removed the peccant lieutenant. Mr. Rufus Isaacs might well exclaim, "Now, wo have it 1" He forced Major Corkran to admit that all he heard was what that pay-sergeant told him. "Do you know to this moment what he was doing?' asked Mr. Isaacs. "No," answered Major Corkran. "You never enquired?" "No." "Was nothing said to Mr. Woods about it?" "No." "Was no opportunity given him to explain?" "No." - '"You 'did not caution him to be careful?" "No." "Although you found such fault with him?" 'TCo." "You never warned him?" "I don't remember doing so." "Never gave him any suggestions as to mending his ways with, the men?" "I don't remember." "Yet after those two months you reported him unfit to hold a commission." The major assented. "Why did you not tell him of this incident?" "Because I did not choose to." "Did you mear> in your report to say all you could in his favour as well as what you thought necessary to say against him?" Certainly. "Have' you observed that there is nothing in your report in his favour:"" "Yes." "But you found hirr J^een ; wasn't that in his favour?" "Yes." "And that he was painstaking and hard-working?" "Yes." "Then why not say it in your report?" "It never entered into my head that his keenness or his wish to do well could be questioned by anybody." "Surely these are matters which should be referred to in any report which deals with him, and in which it is said that he is unfitted to hold'a commission??" "Well, yes," answered tlie, major, hesitatingly. Now, this gives the best possible idea among all the evidence extending over several days, of the attituQe toward the unlucky young man. The worst that could be said of him by anyone was that he had not an agreeable manner, either with his comrades or with the men. and yet a number of eminent officers and - a pack of amusementhunting subalterns are found banded together to hound the young man out of the army, to rob him of his muchloved profession, and in effect to ruin him for life. And these are supposed to be /'British officer^ ifljl >6Sfiti£liasaj,'^