San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-21


There was a frown on Col. Morris
face on Sunday morning that BODIED i'll
for officer or man who could not come
up to the standard of the post command
er on the forthcoming inspection. The
old order of things was still in existence,
and benefic9nt administration had not
yet issued its ban against martial exer.
cises of any kind upon the Lords day.
First call for inspection in full dress had
gone" as the soldiers say, as the colonel
appeared in the pauoply of his profess
sion upon the front piazza, glancing
modified approval at the glistening sur
face of his top boots and the brilliant
polish of his spurs. Down at the front
gate his orderly stood. every item of his
dress and equipment model OF soldierly
trimness. Out in the center Of the pa
rade little party of the guard had just
lowered the storm flag that had been
hoisted at dawn, and were running up
in its stead the great garrison standard,
whose folds of scarlet and white Tapped
out lazily in response to the soft breeze
now rising from the westward bluffs
Over at the barracks the men had
come pouring forth, the neat dark blue
and white of the infantry at the east
side contrasting favorably with the glar
ing yellow trimmings of the cavalry
battalion, swarlning along the walk and
streaming from the stairways and gal
leries OF their crowded quarters, like so
many full plumaged hornets. On the
vcrandas across the parade helmeted
officers and ladies in dainty muslins be-
gan to appear, and along the row 20 his
right and left the sheltered porches were
similarly occapied. But the post com
mander stood alone. Madame his better
half had visitors. Breakfast was not
quite finished. and she was devoting her
self to their entertainment, knowing
we'll that her liege lord was feeling in no
mood for such light duty.
Almost the first thing that the colonel
heard on going downstairs this bright
Sunday morning was an animated col
loquy in the kitchen between cook and
his man of all work, an old darky who
had followed the family fortunes for
Sears. Jake had learned from the police
sergeant, while he was at work on the
colonels boots and spurs, that Corp.
Brent had been "slugged" by somebody
the night before and was now lying un-
conscious in the hospital. There was
time only for very brief investigation be-
fore his guests came down. Mr.. Wal
lace was officer of the guard. and in re-
spouse to the message brought by the
colonel's orderly had gone at once to his
quarters and made his report.
Somewhere about twenty minutes af
ter midnight the sentry on No. had
called Corp. Werner out, saying there
appeared TO be something wrong up by
the gate. Mr.. Wallace. knowing Brent
to have gone thither, sprang up and
went outside and saw a light being car
ried rapidly from Capt. Lanes quarters
at the corner over toward the cavalry
barracks. Hurrying around in front, he
got there just in time to see the captain
and the young lady who had recently
arrived, Miss Marshall, raising Corp,
Brent from the ground. He was bleed
IIS lIotll a .tss5Cl tsttSl ONCi INC lCiO Sy =,
and was limp and seuseless. After hay
ing him carried to the hospital and
arousing the steward, it was found that
his face and eyes were covered with red !
pepper. Not word as to his assailants |
could be learned. The last men to reach
the garrison We're Murphy and Seaman,
two scapegraces of company T.
But the sentry on No. declared they |
had come around by his post ON the |
south side, whereas Brent was lying al |
most in front of the quarters of Q troop, |
inside the post. Then, again, Seaman |
and Murphy were both sober, and neither |
of them men who would be likely to as
sault SO popular and respected fellow
as Brent. Indeed both Of them stoutly |
denied having had anything to do with
the case. What was more, Miss Mar
shall had said that she heard the alterca-
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