SIR: I have the honor to submit the annual report of the JudgeAdvocate-General's Department for the year ending August 31, 1896. Commissioned officers tried by general court-martial: Records reported upon and submitted to the Secretary of War for action of the President.. 2 Records received, revised, and recorded, not requiring the action of the 5 Cadets of the United States Military Academy tried by general court-martial: Records received, revised, and recorded, not requiring further action (convicted, 1) Enlisted men tried by general court-martial (convicted, 1,360; acquitted, 114). 1, 474 Total trials by general court-martial rials by general court-martial: Year ending August 31, 1895. Year ending August 31, 1896. Decrease... Decrease in number of trials by general court-martial: For the year 1893 as compared with 1892.. For the year 1894 as compared with 1893. For the year 1895 as compared with 1894. For the year 1896 as compared with 1895. 1, 486 1,728 1,486 242 28 9 461 242 The following table shows, approximately, the number of convictions of different offences by general court-martial during the year ending August 31, 1896: Selling Government property. Sixty-second article of war: Absence without leave, not chargeable under the thirty-second article of Drunkenness, etc., causing arrest, etc., by civil authorities. Escaping from guard or arrest. Failure to pay debts... False statement or report. False swearing. Fighting.. Fraudulent enlistment Hazing cadets Indecent exposure of person Insubordinate conduct toward commissioned officer. Insubordinate conduct toward noncommissioned officer Larceny Malingering Neglect of duty Perjury. Resisting arrest... Selling, losing, or wasting Government property Threatening superior officer. Disorders, etc., charged as "conduct to the prejudice of good order and mili tary discipline” (not included under previous heads). 3480 60 1 The following table shows the desertions, classified according to the limit of punishment prescribed in the executive order of the President, published in General Orders, No. 16, Headquarters of the Army, 1895: After an absence of more than 30 days and prior conviction considered.. Year ending August 31. 1894.. Year ending August 31, 1896.. 518 255 256 The number of trials by inferior courts martial, the number resulting in acquittal, and the number of different men tried in the different departments are shown by the following table: The number of trials by inferior courts-martial for the year ending August 31, 1895, was 14,296, as against 13,556 for the year covered by this report; showing a decrease of 740 cases. At the last session of Congress the War Department called attention to the absence of any established system of ordinary criminal jurisdiction in certain places held by the United States for military purposes, except a very incomplete jurisdiction which was pointed out. To remedy the evil the Department submitted the draft of a bill, which, having been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, was favorably reported (Report No. 446) and passed (H. R. 6345). It failed, however, to receive any action in the Senate. The bill is an important one, and it is to be hoped that it will pass the Senate at the next session. The reasons for the bill were fully set forth in my last annual report. The War Department also recommended at the last session of Congress the enactment of certain legislation amending the summary court act, extending the jurisdiction of the Articles of War over discharged soldiers held as prisoners under sentence of court-martial, and making it an offence indictable in a civil court for civilian witnesses before Assaulting superior officer. Disobeying superior officer Twenty-first article of war: Lifting up weapon against superior officer.. Twenty-fourth article of war: Disobeying noncommissioned officer quelling a fray Thirty-first article of war: Lying out of quarters.. Absence without leave.. Thirty-second article of war: Thirty-third article of war: Failure to attend drill, roll call, etc.. Thirty-eighth article of war: Drunkenness on duty Thirty-ninth article of war: Sleeping on post Fortieth article of war: Quitting guard Forty-seventh article of war: Fifty-fifth article of war: Destroying property of inhabitants Sixtieth article of war: Larceny Selling Government property. Sixty-second article of war: Absence without leave, not chargeable under the thirty-second article of Drunkenness, etc., causing arrest, etc., by civil authorities.... Escaping from guard or arrest. Failure to pay debts.. False statement or report. False swearing. Fighting... Fraudulent enlistment Hazing cadets Indecent exposure of person Insubordinate conduct toward commissioned officer. Insubordinate conduct toward noncommissioned officer Larceny Malingering Neglect of duty Selling, losing, or wasting Government property Threatening superior officer. Disorders, etc., charged as "conduct to the prejudice of good order and mili tary discipline" (not included under previous heads) 262 |