nces were brought to light
which certainly indicated that he entertained very lax ideas of honest
dealing and fairness and which developed a disregard of the obligations
and requirements of his position as an officer in the Navy. He was given
abundant opportunity to meet and explain every damaging allegation and
every adverse inference arising from the evidence, and his claim, not
without foundation it appeared, that the charges against him were
instigated by malice was doubtless given full weight.

The examining board on the evidence made the following decisions and
findings:

The written examination of the candidate shows that he is deficient in
his knowledge of the duties appertaining to the next higher grade; and
the record evidence puts in question his moral fitness, and he has
failed to establish both his professional and moral qualifications for
promotion to the satisfaction of the board.

Therefore we hereby certify that Passed Assistant Paymaster Louis A.
Yorke, United States Navy, has the mental fitness to perform efficiently
all the duties, both at sea and on shore, of the next higher grade, but
he has not the professional and moral qualifications required, and we do
not recommend him for promotion.

After the board had thus disposed of the case and had adjourned it was,
at the request of the candidate, reconvened by order of the Secretary of
the Navy, who issued for its guidance the following directions, among
others:

The board will inform Passed Assistant Paymaster Yorke of its findings
and of the evidence upon which it finds him to be not morally qualified
for promotion, and will afford him a further hearing and an opportunity
to present such evidence as he may desire as to his moral fitness for
promotion.

The board met pursuant to such order on the 4th day of January, 1887,
when the findings of the board were read to the candidate for promotion,
and also the evidence upon which said findings were based, and he was
informed that the board would accord him a further hearing as to his
moral fitness for promotion and would afford him a reasonable time in
which to submit his case. Thereupon he requested the board to allow him
until the 26th day of January to produce the necessary witnesses in his
behalf. This request was granted, but on the day appointed, upon his
representation that he was then unable to submit his defense, he was
upon his request allowed another day