The morning call., 1893-11-01
CAPTAIN HEDBERG WAS OLD,
And His Wife Was Young and
Very Beautiful.
cHIvALRoUs LIEUTENANT NANCY
What Could the Husband Have Said
That Provoked the Alleged
Lover to Murder?

= FORT SHERIDAN. ILL.,, Get 31.-For the
third time in the last two years this army
post contains the remains of soldier shot
dead BY a comrade. The last tragedy. the
killing of Captain Alfred Hedberg of Com
pany l, Fifteenth Infantry. by Quarter
master Nancy, is the most sensational, not
only from the causes which are said 10 lie
back of the murder, but from the rank of
the two men. The other two murders
only involved privates.
Captain Hedberg was 55 years old. and
while not at all popular with either his su-
perior officers or his subordInates in rank,
was well known in army circles. To-day
he lies dead in his home. while his youth
ful wife weeps in an adjoining room. The
.. ouartermasteT, a dashing young lieuten-
ant and graduate Of West Point. is con-
fined to his quarters under military arrest.
At the Coroner's inquest to-day Alfred
Troget, private, was the first witness.
He said: Il saw Captain Hedberg and
QuatteTmaster Nancy standing near the
stables. and from their loud talk thought
they were ouarreling. Nancy had his
pistol in his hand, and as was in the
direct line of fire l moved out of range
+
in the face and Nancy dropped his pistol
to an angle and fred. Redberg fell and
: died shortly afterward."
< Private johnson gave the same testi-
mony, substantially. He said that Nancy
was fiourishing the revolver in Hedberg' s
face before he fred.
:: Herman Bartel swors that both men
were enraged and called each other vile
names. Nancy kicked the captain. Bartel
said, before Hedberg struck at him.
:: The Coroner and the jurors who inter-
rogated the witnesses were careful not to
inquire what has caused the quarrel.
There is q woman in the case," said
Coroner Knight. ''aDd it is not likely that
the soldiers would know anything about
ii"
: Lionel Eitel testified that he saw Captain
.HeGberg search his pockets as though
locking for something, presumably
weapon. 1'Aftet tne SHot was fred. said
:the witness, captain Hedberg took step
back and said: You have done it now
Twice he repeated the words and then
tried to walk away. but fell down before
he had gone dozen paces."
. The Coroner's jury returned a verdict
his death by a wound inflicted by Lieu
tenant Nancy. Nobody was blamed.
:: The funeral of the dead captain will take
place tomorrow.
g.. Nancy will be tried by the civil authori-
ties. at the examination the lieutenant
aVowed that the tragedy was the result of q
quarrel between Captain Hedberg and
himself which took place a month ago. He
said that there had been a dispute as to
calcimining the basement and that Captain
.Hedberg had at that time threatened to
shoot him.
The brother officers of the two men are
unwilling to talk of the affair, but they
hint that it is the innate chivalry of Lieu
tenant Nancy which leads him to make
such an explanation. He is said to shrink
. from dragging an innocent woman into the
case. The woman. Mrs. Hedberg, i s quite
beautiful and twenty years younger than
her husband. 1t is said that He'd berg was
inordinately jealous of Nancy and sus-
.pected him of too intimate relation with
his wife, and people who are acquainted
with the circumstances believe it is impos-
;Bible that so serious quarrel could have
arisen out of so slight cause as that given
:By Nancy.
In 1881 Mrs. Hedberg. then Jennie Rob-
bins, was one of San Francisco's bellies,
; beautiful and especially accomplished as
musician. She had many admirers. She
possessed a magnificent soprano voice and
for manv years was the leading soprano
of st. Johns Presbyterian Church, popu-
: larry known then as DR.. Scott's. Mrs.
Hedberg at that time lived across the bay
from San Francisco. in Berkeley. Cap
,:tain Hedberg eloped with Miss Robbins
and the couple went to Washington, where
in the society of the capital they soon be-
came widely and favorably known. After
q few years in Washington Captain He'd
:berg's duties took him to some lonely
frontier posts in Dakota and Montana, and
There his wife, who was undoubtedly
greatly attached to him. was his constant
companion in all the hardships that army
mems wives are often called on to endure.
Mrs. Hedberg's mother. who afterward
became somewhat reconciled TO the mar
fiage, still resides in California.