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Wash. Star
11-13-25
[[PHOTO]]
At the Mitchell Trial. Mrs. William Mitchell (left) and Mrs. Zachary Lansdowne, widow of the late commander of the Shenandoah, photographed in the courtroom yesterday afternoon. Mrs. Lansdowne gave her testimony yesterday. Copyright by Harris & Ewing.

[[PHOTO]]
Mentioned in the Mitchell testimony. Capt. Paul Foley, U.S.N., judge advocate of the Shenandoah court of inquiry, who, according to Mrs. Zachary Lansdowne, prepared a copy of testimony for her and sent it by Mrs. George W. Steele, wife of the commander of the naval air station at Lakehurst, N.J. Copyright by P. & A. Photos.

On Stand
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News - 11-12-25
Mrs. Zachary Lansdowne
Mrs. Lansdowne today charged that Capt. aPul Foley, judge-advocate of the Shenandoah court, urged her, thru a secret letter, to give false testimony before the court. (Story on Page 3.)

Courtroom Comes to Order Unwillingly as Laxity Ends
Reid Asks Decorum, Gen. Howze Commands It, Lieutenant of Guard Demands It, Spectators Oppose It, But of Necessity Comply.

After allowing the widest latitude for its preceding sessions, the court-martial trying Col. Mitchell for alleged breach of discipline decided yesterday to practice what it preaches.
Hereafter there will be permitted in the courtroom nothing other than the most approved sort of decorum and this applies especially to spectators and press.
Gen. Robert L. Howze, president of the court, himself called a halt to what was rapidly developing into a sideshow from the standpoint of the audience. He acted, however, only after Representative Reid, counsel for Col. Mitchell, had complained that there was so much noise in the room that he couldn't marshal his thoughts.
The spirit of revelry had become so infectious as the trial went of that even the members of the military guard from time to time forgot themselves and joined in the demonstration of laughter, surprise or what-not.
But that is all a memory of the past now. One can't even loll back in his chair and read the comic strip in the morning paper; nor even rattle the morning paper. The lieutenant of the guard has become that strict.
Reading and rattling the morning paper had been a regular passtime up to yesterday. It helped to fill in the uninteresting phases of the proceedings, which occur now and then. In accordance with the custom, several occupants of chairs in the press section - which doesn't necessarily imply they were members of the press, for most anybody is welcome in this reserved section, it seems - were sharply called down by the lieutenant of the guards yesterday, after the lieutenant himself had been called down for not maintaining better order.
"This isn't a reading room," he advised one reader. "Stop rattling those papers," he admonished another.
That isn't all. He bruised his knuckles quite badly during the remainder of the afternoon trying to quash the spontaneous outbursts of laughter or other expressions of emotion that persisted in cropping up. It was almost a hopeless job. The regular customers had come to be entertained, as they were not to be denied their pleasure.
It's lucky that the lieutenant did not see a certain member of the press gallery eating peanuts yesterday. It might have been overlooked the day before, but yesterday it would have meant conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline, and the court would have had the pleasure of adding another defendant under the ninety-sixth article of war.

Bares Naval Plot
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Mrs. Zachary Lansdowne, widow of the commander of the ill-fated Shenandoah, who testified today that a naval officer sought to have her give false testimony at the inquiry into the Shenandoah disaster.