The Carrington Chronicles - Chapter 3:“Two Saxophones and Music”
By Bill Hildebrandt
On May 4, 1910, the US Senate passed Act S.1119 and forwarded it to President Taft for signature. It was the end of a 7-year nightmare for Major Carrington and the conclusion of his military career. And it was certainly most traumatic for his young son. Frank Jr. was seven years old when it began, and 14 years old when it was over. An event in a young life made more difficult by the remote nature of the circumstances. At the time he was growing up on an Army base on the west coast and being educated in school administered by the military. His classmates, sons, and daughters of fellow officers. The Major, in the Philippines, was about as far away as one could be in 1903.
President Taft
In 1903, the Major had been overseas for 5 years beginning in Cuba. In what would appear to be a “perk”, he was assigned to command a battalion of 1200 Philippine “Scouts” at the St. Louis Exhibition celebrating the Louisiana purchase of 1803. The “Scouts” were a remnant of an American military strategy whereby the government recruited indigenous natives to provide military assistance. It began in the 19th century with “Indian Scouts” in the settlement of the west. The “Buffalo Soldiers” were the tag given by our western Indians for the blacks recruited and enlisted for similar service by the US Army.
William Taft, the future President, was governor of the Philippines and a part of this political and patriotic venture of showcasing our colonial imperialism. The planning for this event included construction of typical barracks and facilities of a US Army “Scout” installation.
Authorized and ordered, Major Carrington was advanced 3,000 dollars in gold for the purchase of typical native materials for the construction of this exhibition.
The Major set sail for the US with his 1200 strong compliment. Prior to arriving, he, and he only, was ordered back to the Philippines. I can only imagine, Frank Jr., 7 years old was enroute, or about to be enroute, with his mother and sisters to St Louis. When he arrived in Manila, the Major was arrested for falsifying documents by the American civilian government. He was jailed. Then the Army court martialed him for ”conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman”. He was stripped of his rank and expelled from the Army.
The final court martial document was signed by President Teddy Roosevelt. One can only imagine the agony and the ecstasy for a 7-year-old boy longing to see his father after 5 years. Hero to villain in one instant. His sentence by the civilian courts was 40 years imprisonment.
This legal spiderweb went on for nearly 7 years. The Major was returned to the US in 1909 and rejoined his relocated family in the Washington DC area. A deeper dive into the government records reveals the drama behind this sorry tale. Evidence presented in the 4 legal actions is absent of any accusations of theft. The 4 legal actions include the court martial, a trial in civilian court, an appeal to the Philippine Supreme Court, and finally the US Supreme Court case, in which he finally prevailed. There was a tacit understanding, at the “Army’s General level” the military court martial would preclude any further legal jeopardy, apparently not so tacitly understood.
The whole affair appears to have been a setup by Carrington’s subordinate Sargent Gillespie. The Sargent prepared all the paperwork, authored all the documents that the Major signed and obtained the receipts that documented the expenses. He was himself court martialed 2 years prior and was not well liked. He was described in the court documents as one of the “men of lessor quality” in this fiasco. The Major, on the other hand, is described as a man of grace, in the context of Gillespie’s second chance working for Carrington. The archives contain letters of support from fellow officers as well as recommendations from various Generals. One such letter from General Corbin to Advocate General Polk states the following, “I saw him on the street a few days before I left Manila, old, broken, poor and hungry, without employment, and with a family, I understand, here at home also in want.” Before this fiasco, the Major was about to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. The documents do describe the Major as quite careless with administrative details and his personal finances. They also describe a man of honor and competence. Strong recommendations from colleagues and peers also exist.
Incidentally, in the ridiculous reconciliations of the expenditures that he was accused of mismanaging, there is an unexplained expense for “2 Saxophones and Music” for the Army band in St Louis! Four years later, Frank Jr. would be in South Pasadena, copyrighting his play, aspiring to act in silent films and using Maxfield for a first name.
The Major would go on until his passing in 1940. He is buried in Arlington having fought the toughest of fights for that honor…….!
