He said he was convinced that I was in
the wrong, and he did not send for either of them.
What sort of justice is that which can be meted out
to one without allowing him to defend himself, and
even denying him the privilege of calling his evidence?
What a model Chief Justice the Commandant of Cadets
would make, since he can decide upon the merits of the
case as soon as he has heard one side. Surely he has
missed his calling by entering the army, or else the
American people cannot appreciate true ability,
for that 'officer and gentleman' ought now to be
wearing the judicial robe so lately laid down by the
lamented Chase.
"In reply to my complaint about the actions of the
soldier in ordering my friends away from the visitors'
seats, he said that the soldier had misunderstood his
orders, as the superintendent had told him to keep the
colored servants on the 'Point' from coming in front
of the battalion at parade, and that it was not meant
to apply to my friends, who could come there whenever
they wished.
"It seems, though, very strange to me that the soldier
could misunderstand his orders, when he saw me sitting
there in company with them, for it is one of the
regulations of the Academy which forbids any cadet to
associate with a servant, and if I had been seen doing
such a thing I would have been court-martialled for
'conduct unbecoming a cadet and a gentleman.
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