WANGANUI COURT-MARTIAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14837, 14 February 1919, Page 7

WANGANUI COURT-MARTIAL.

(Per Press Association.) WANGANUI, last night. In the course of the charge against Lieut. Crampton, alleging that he permitted the use of unnecessary force, Quartermaster-Sergeant , Porter gave evidence that he saw the incident. It j was not pack drill, but a case of knock I iflg & man about. Crampton was "chasing round" giving orders to keep him going. Blood was flying around. He saw Wilson dumped against the wall a dozen times. Mr. Loughnan : Wilßon says he was never bumped' into the wall. Witness : He may be right. Mr. Loughnan: How could he be if you saw him bumped a dozen times ? Witness: Wilson could not be right. Witness suggested that Wilson should be brought in as it was possible he might mistake Wilson for someone else. Mr. Loughnn: Are you putting your oath against Wilson . when he says he was not pushed against the wall? Witness: Yes, 1 will. Counsel: Then Wilson is telling an untruth. Pressed to answer witness replied, "He must be.". WANGANUI, this day. The Crampton court-martial was nesnimed this- morning, when the Judge Advocate addressed the Court on the use of force to ensure discipline, stating it was clear thai the law permitted force to be used for the maintenance ■of discipline. The hearing of the third charge was then proceeded iwith, namely, of striking William Bertram Donovan on the chin and hand with a ■walking-stick while he was doing pack drill.. ■„.&„:. ...... Donovan gave evidence that when " he came to the barracl«^.,Lieutenant Crampton aaked if he was willing to carry a rifle anjd wear a uniform, and he answered no, because he objected to military service. Lieutenant Crampton then ordered Sergeant Smith to take witness to the "slaughter yard." A pack was put on, but (witness refused' to march, and a rope was put round his neck and he waspulled round, the yard. He was pulled over on several occasions. Sergeant Smith and Corporal Parmenter were pushing him from 'behind. When lying on the ground a bucket of water 'was dashed over his face on three occasions. After three-quartera of an hour he said he was willing to- march. While marching he was kicked and pushed and caught by the hair and nose and pulled along. Lieutenant Crampton .was hitting* him under the chin with a cane, and told him to hold his head up. , He (was also hitting him on the right hand with a cane, telling im to swing his, arm. He was cut, on the chin, and his knuckles were swollen with blows. He was bashed into a wall by Guard Byrne, several times.- That night he was brought before a doctor, but did not show him anything. Cross-examined, he ' admitted that he had made up hie mind not to obey militaiy commands, and no man iwould make him- do it. He used the whole of his strength in holding back when being pushed, but he denied that he was more than a passive register, or that he attempted to strike the guards and would put hie word against a hundred. Lieut. Crampton kept tapping him off- and on the whole time. He denied, that, he put up a struggle when arrested by the civil [ police at Taumarunui. He admitted that after he gave in he had no cause for complaint. He was at present serving a sentence of one year and. eleven months for refusing to take his kit at Featherston. This was after he left the barracks. He was a conscientious objector and a Roman Catholic. He did not know, whether his church objected to fighting.