“Tell us all about it, Os; how did you get back? A midshipman bilged for hazing isn’t eligible to reinstatement. It’s against the laws of Congress. Tell us about it this minute, Os, or I’ll bust,” shouted Bollup.
Ralph was indeed happy at the outburst of joy which his sudden reappearance created. “Give me a chance, fellows, and I’ll tell you all about it,” he cried. “Here, Himski, get upon that carpenter’s bench and read this paper; it explains everything.”
Himski snatched the paper from Ralph’s hand and commenced to read as follows:
“Navy Department, Washington, D. C.,
“August 9,——.
“Sir:—
“This Department referred to the Department of Justice certain legal questions concerned with your dismissal from the naval service by sentence of court martial for the hazing of Mr. Frank Chappell, a citizen in the town of Annapolis.
“The attorney-general has decided that for a naval court to have cognizance of an offense of hazing the hazing must have been on a person in the naval service. That your offense was committed on a civilian and therefore was not within the legal naval meaning, in your case, as defined by act of Congress, of hazing. Your offense was an assault upon a citizen in the city of Annapolis, and for that offense you are amenable to the municipal laws of that city.
“The attorney-general decides that you were not legally subject to trial for hazing; that the charge, trial, finding and sentence were all illegal. The order of your dismissal is therefore and hereby revoked from the time it went into execution. During the time of your absence from the Academy your status is to be considered as that of a midshipman on leave.
“A copy of the attorney-general’s complete opinion is herewith enclosed.