THE MITCHELL CHARGES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19444, 2 November 1925, Page 2

THE MITCHELL CHARGES

COURT-MARTIAL CONDEMNED. DEFENCE TO CONTEST LEGALITY. WASHINGTON, Oct. 30. Brigadier-General Mitchell has entered a general plea of not guilty on all charges of official misconduct for which he was tried, after which th< Court adjourned until November 2 for the purpose of examining and preparing further witnesses. Brigadier-General Mitchell’s defence indicated that he might demand that President Coolidge and Mr Davis, Secretary for War, appear in Court to give testimony. This followed the development. through his testimony that both having ordered the court-martial were Brigadier-General Mitchell’s accusers. Since Mr Coolidge was also BrigadierGeneral Mitchell's court of last resort, having the final decision, the sentence might test the legality of procedure in a United States Court of Claims and the Supreme Court through the suit involving Brigadier-General Mitchell’s pay if he is dismissed from the service. The court-martial’s decision was that the procedure in the trial was legal because it was called for by Pre sident Coolidge, but the defence is ex erting every effort to baulk proceedings on the grounds that they are wholly irregular. The technical proceedings involved a clash over Brigadier-General Mitchell’s statement concerning Ihe ais defences, the prosecution declaring that they are too voluminous to handle, easily, for which the defence is responsible. The defence replied that the deplorable condition of national defence was j responsible.