Tragedy of Sand Cave
Chapter 11:
The Military Inquiry

The morning of February 9 [1925] marked a new and sensational development. The newspapers of that date carried long accounts of two investigations, one already formed and the other under consideration. The first was a detailed announcement of the Board of Military Inquiry, duly summoned and impaneled at the order of the Governor, William Jason FIELDS and Adjutant Gen. J J KEHOE. The planned investigation was a grand jury probe, suggested by County Atty J Lewis WILLIAMS of Barren County who conferred Sunday night at great length with correspondents of the Louisville Herald and Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Cincinnati Post and the Nashville Tennessean, concerning the maze of rumors and inuendo that had beclouded main issue - the rescue of Floyd COLLINS. Singularly enough both investigations had a common objective, although the Military Board in addition to investigating the rumors of delays in the rescue of COLLINS, also was directed at the running down of an unfortunate story which appeared in many newspapers allied through the national organization of the Associated Press. [Photos: The Military Board of Inquiry, left to right: Capt CHANEY, Brig, Gen. DENHAARDT, Lt. Col. Henry J STITES and Capt POLIN. Correspondents Getting Story From Albert MARSHALL, Boss of Timbermen. The Radio Station, H E OGDEN, Jeffersonville, Ind., at the Key.] This story related in substance, among other rumors concerning the Sand Cave case that, "certain residents in the vicinity of Sand Cave doubted if Floyd COLLINS was really trapped; that they considered the whole thing a giant publicity scheme to attract thousands to the cave country; and that the whole affair might be a gigantic hoax." The reaction to this report, which angered the high officials of the State of Kentucky, was violent and instantaneous. Governor FIELDS in a righteous explosion of wrath, demanded the immediate recall of the correspondent, who sent in the story, holding that the article was an insult to the commonwealth, that it placed the entire state in a precarious position in the eyes of the world, and that the people of Kentucky were in grave danger of being held up to scorn by their fellow men. The writer had no desire whatever to delve into the circumstances surrounding the writing of the Associated Press story, feeling that the matter is one that concerns the Associated Press and is of no interest to the world at large. He feels that the correspondent was indiscreet, but that the story was no more irrational than a score of others which might have been penned by other correspondents, if all that was heard was written. But the fact remains that this story was the lever that really precipitated the convening of the Military Board, which held its first session on Monday morning in the dingly little police court at Cave City. The personnel of the board was as follows: President, Brig. Gen. Henry H. DENHARDT; members, Lieut. Col. H J STITES, of Louisville,; Major W H CHERRY, of Bowling Green; Capt. John A POLIN, of Springfield; Capt. Julius L TOPMILLER, of Smith Grove, and the recorder, Capt. Alex L CHANEY, of Bowling Green. [Photo: A Shaft Crew Resting on the Brow of the Cliff.]

The Military Inquiry accomplished much good. First of all it proved conclusively, that there was no foundation, in fact, for the Associated Press hoax story, secondly the testimony showed beyond a a shadow of a doubt that excessive drinking of moonshine, haphazard organization, chaotic rescue party direction and the general tumult that prevailed from the time Floyd COLLINS was found there trapped until CARMICHAEL took charge, hampered the work of rescue. There were so many days lost in what has always been a handicapped race between man and nature. These were the accomplishments of the Military Board which held its sessions, regularly, went in the police courts, or at the cave until the close of the drama. The files of the Board which were later made public in the Adjutant General's office were along the same lines set forth above and its testimony will remain an eternal fact of the Sand Cave cave in the archives of the commander. Coincident with the convening of the Military Board came the institution of the military communique, a system of press information. The reporters had been gathering their news haphazardously until this time, but the situation between the press and the military and the superintendents was not fully clarified until a meeting was held on the brow of the cliff. This meeting was quite suddenly precipitated when the two reporters were ordered from the mouth of the cave. After such milling around and considerable wild talk on both sides, the press representatives and those in charge of the soldiers and workmen gathered together in the rear of the field hosptal and got down to cold facts. There was no question that the army of reporters had grown so large that they at times got under the feet of the workmen and CARMICHAEL, POSEY and Dr FUNKHOUSER, all patient men, had been harassed almost to the point of exasperation by the continual clamor for news. The communique plan of news dispensation was worked out to the mutual satisfaction of all concerned. It did not dampen the enthusiasm of the reporter nor did it suppress the slightest bit of information from the columns of the press and so the informal meeting on the hill takes it place as one of the important gatherings of the Sand Cave case, in that the two factions arrived at a common basis of understanding, understood thoroughly the varying viewpoints and ironed out kinks of organization that may have resulted unfortunately for all concerned. [Photo: The Western State Normal School Football Team.- After the meeting a bull pen was constructed quite near the mouth of the shaft, fenced in with barbed wire, but strategically located to permit clear view of the operations. The reporters were ordered to remain within this bull pen, and a similar contrivance was erected for the convenience of the photographers, thus separating the sheep from the goats. And, so, after being duly penned, showered with instructions and given definite orders as to conduct, the reporters proceeded to gather much news and much after the same fashion as before with exception, of course, of the official comminiques. These were announced at regular intervals, namely: at nine in the morning, at two in the afternoon, and at ten at night with frequent informal bulletins interspersing. Direct testimony as to the chaotic conditions in the early states of the rescue was delivered by the Reverand Columbus DOYLE, who was driven from the entrance of Sand Cave forty-eight hours after COLLINS was entrapped, by the confusion, factional disputes and drinking. The minister testified as follows: "There were three or four factions that seemed to be contending with each other. They were all strangers to me. And there was a great deal of swearing. I saw one empty bottle, but thee was so little organization and so much tumult that I was afraid to remain. [Photo: The Coroner's Jury, Police and County Officials.] Note - there follows a question and answer time between DOYLE and the officials which repeats much of what has been said and will not be repeated. [Photo: The Diamond Drilling Is Started to Test Rock Strata.] Additional testimony that proves that there was drinking of moonshine in the early states of the rescue was delivered by J O HORNING, County Agent of Barren County. Even the aged fther, Lee COLLINS, admitted on the stand that the rescue had been hampered by too much whiskey. He was asked directly by Cap. CHANEY to give the name of the bootleggers, but the ironclad man of the hill country sealed his lips, turned square about in his chair and gazed without flinching in the face of his questioneer and replied, "I cannot tell you, suh."

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