Show ALLEGED BRUTALITY IN THE ARMY At Fort Sheridan near Chicago an Investigation of a case is now underway under-way that promises < to become somewhat celebrated It is the case of Captain Leonard A Levering who is charged with brutally treating a soldier named Charles Hammond The purported facts are as follows Hammond was a prisoner for some offense and as such he refused to work He was ordered before a summary court martial but refused to walk to where it was being held He would not be persuaded and even refused to get on his feet Finally Captain Levering ordered a rope procured pro-cured and had it tied to Hammonds feet and he was then dragged to the court some 200 yards away These are the facts as given in the Chicago papers though they draw them out many columns Captain Lovering is also charged with pending Hammond with his sword while he was down What the investigation will develop remains to be seen A military court is not a body that Is inclined to countenance any kind of insubordination insubordina-tion and Hammond certainly was insubordinate in-subordinate nor ia it a body that will be inclined to be harsh with an officer who has been harsh to a soldier that was defying its authority but It can hardly justify any officer in resorting resort-ing to such brutality as Captain Lover ing Is accused of To attach a rope to a mans feet and then drag him a couple of hundred yards is a piece of Inhumanity and brutiiity that the American people will not let pass without with-out severe condemnation while they will demand that it be trot repeated Military discipline requires and permits many things that a citizen regards as harsh if not brutal but It does not require re-quire such brutality as Captain Lover Ing Is charged with even in Europe where military discipline < Is most rigid such a thing would not be permitted then how much less should it be permitted per-mitted in this country The case Is now under nand n-and it is to be hoped and expected that the investigation will be fair full and without bias |