Article III.
Section 1. When a soldier shall be convicted of an offence the punishment for which, as authorized by Article II. of this order or the custom of the service, does not exceed that which an inferior court-martial may award, the punishment so authorized may be increased by one half for every previous conviction of one or more offences within eighteen months preceding the trial and during the current enlistment; provided that the increase of punishment for five or more previous convictions shall not exceed that thus authorized when there are four previous convictions, and that when one or more of such five or more previous convictions shall have been by general court-martial, or when such convictions shall have occurred within one year preceding the trial, the limit of punishment shall be dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement at hard labor for three months.
When the conviction is of an offence punishable under Article II. of this order or the custom of the service with a greater punishment than an inferior court-martial can award, but not punishable with dishonorable discharge, the sentence may, on proof of five or more previous convictions within eighteen months and during the current enlistment, impose dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances in addition to the authorized confinement, and when this confinement is less than three months it may be increased to three months.
When a non-commissioned officer is convicted of an offence not punishable with reduction, he may, if he shall have been convicted of a military offence within a year and during the current enlistment, be sentenced to reduction, in addition to the punishment already authorized.
Sec. 2. In every case when an offence on trial before a court-martial is of a character admitting of the introduction of evidence of previous convictions, and the accused is convicted, the court, after determining its findings, will be opened for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is such evidence, and, if so, of hearing it. These convictions must be proved by the records of previous trials, or by duly authenticated orders promulgating the same, except in the cases of conviction by summary court, when a duly authenticated copy of the record of said court shall be deemed sufficient proof. Charges forwarded to the authority ordering a general court-martial, or submitted to a summary, garrison, or regimental court, must be accompanied by the proper evidence of such previous convictions as may have to be considered in determining upon a sentence.