Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-08-25 | Page 9 | Deaths Closes Stormy Career

J DEATH CLOSES STORMY GAREER M Lieutenant Colonel Ray Was ; j Central Figure in Contro- JB versy and Inquiry flf WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 Lieuten- 'IH ant Colonel. Beechei n. Ray, V B A., "HI retired who died yesterday In Los X Wa Angeles was the central Figure In a tH controversy and congressional Ixrves- jJamiJ tigalion which started curb 1:1 ilv- !H last year of the Taft administration jffl and which did not end until after Woodrow Wilson became president iffl Colonel Ray, at the tlrae oi the MBm investigation which amounted to FgHpH A t, something akin to a sensation, was !'? HWrv a major in the paymaster enrps The Hf Inquiry' started after Representative Covington ol Maryland had charged ?&B that In response to li is resolution I'm, l --tiling for Information relative to ;;5fB alleged misconduct on the part of of- )3 ficers in the paymaster corps, the war department tailed to include cer iH tain Important letters. These miss-1 '3H Ing letters, mo-t of which related to H Major Ray, occupied a largo part in ffH a resulting Inveitlgatlon. The house committee on war ex-EfB ex-EfB pendltures found (hat Major Ray had ; W?H been engaged in political activity, particularly in the interest of Presi- 1 dent Taft had been four limes chars: 'U ed with serious offenses, never vln- ijH dicated. and never had been disci- , r(B plinod more severed) than it reprl- On the eve of the presentation of jffiHaw lne report, President Talt nominated ' fjrM Ray to be deputy paymaster general tpT of the army with the rank of lieu-i t .jrSE tenant colonel and another controv-1 ersy ensued. Ra.'s nomination fail-1 HQI of confirmation and he was given a 1 ffl , recess appointment President Wii- ' son early in hi.-- llrt admlnistrotion : j Jumped B number of officer;; t - . r 4M Ray after Attorney General McRey- 3 nolds had handed. down a ruling In tlio case. Ra tht-n attempted to I -B obtain an injunction to prevent the JH promotions over his head but lost EH his case in the courts. Ho was re- tired in 1917 for disability.