Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-06-19


 presence in or around New Orleans, than she began pestering him again. When he turned deaf ear, she prob ably threatened, and then came these anonymous missives to you and Brax- ton. Yours always came by mail, you say. The odd thing about the colonels this one, at least-is that it was with his mail, but never came through the post office."
 That's all very interesting" said the little civilian, dryly, "but what we want is evidence to acquit him and con- vict somebody else of Lascelles' death. What has this to do with the other?"
 This much: This letter came to Braxton by hand, not by mail-by hand, probably direct from her. What hand had access to the office the day when the whole command was out at review? Certainly no outsider. The mail is opened and distributed on it's arrival at nine o'clock by the chief clerk, or by the sergeant major, if he happens to be there, though he's gen. erally at guard mount. On this occa- sion he was out at review. Leary, chief clerk, tells Col. Braxton he opened | and distributed the mail, putting the colonefs on his desk; Root was with him and helped. The third clerk came in later; had been out all night, drink | ing. His name is Dawson. Dawson goes out again and gets fuller, and when next brought home is put in hos pital under sentry. Then he hears of the murder, bolts, and isn't heard / from since, except as the man who helped Mrs Doyle to get her husband home. He is the fellow who brought that note. He knew something of it's | contents, for the murder terrified him, | and he ran away. Find his trail, and you strike that of the woman who wrote these"
 "By the Lord, lieutenant, if you'll quit the army and take my place you'll make name and a fortune"
 And if you'll quit your place and take mine you'll get your coup de grace in some picayune Indian fight and be forgotten. So stay where you are; but find Dawson, find her, find what they know, and you'll be famous" That night, or very early next morn- ing, there was pandemonium at the barracks. It was clear, still, beauti- full. A soft April wind was drifting up from the lower coast, laden with the perfume of sweet olive and orange blossoms. Mrs Cram, with one or two lady friends and party of officers, had been chatting in low tone upon their gallery until after eleven, but elsewhere about the moonlit quad rangle all was silence when the sec ond relief was posted. Far at the rear of the walled inclosure, where, in def erence to the manners and customs ot | war as observed in the good old days | whereof our seniors tell, the sutler's esta blishment was planted within easy hailing distance of the guard house, there was still the sound of modified revelry by night, and poker and whisky punch had gathered their devotees in the grimy parlors of MT. | Finkbein, and here the belated ones tarried until long after midnight, as most of them were bachelors and had no better halves, as had Doyle, to fetch them home ''out of the wet" Cram | and his lieutenants, with the eXcep- tion of Doyle, were never known to patronize this establishment, what soever they might do outside. They had separated before midnight, and little Pierce, after his customary peep into Warnings preserves, had closed the door, gone to his own room to bed and to sleep Ferry, as battery officer of the day, had made the rounds of the stables and gun shed about one o'clock, and had encountered Capt. Kinsey, of the infantry, coming in from his long tramp through the dew-wet field, re- turning from the inspection of the sen- try-post at the big magazine.
 No news of poor Sam yet, l sup rose?" said Kinscy, sadly, as the two
 lmc strolling in together through the rear gate.
 "NOthing whatever" was Fcrry's answer. "Wc cannot even form con lecture, unless he, too, has been mur dcrcd. Think of there being war rant out for his arrcst-for him, Sam Waring!"
 We'll" said Kinsey, mo other con clusion could be well arrived at, un- less that poor brute Doyle did it in a drunken row. Pills says he never saw 6 man so terror-stricken as he seems to be. He's afraid to leave him, really and Doyle's afraid to be alone-thinks the old woman may get in."
 "She has no excuse for coming, cap tain," said Ferry. "When she told Cram she must see her husband to-day that she was out of money and starv ing, the captain surprised her by hand ing her fifty dollars, which is much more than she'd have got from Doyle She took it, of course, but that ism what she wanted. She wants to get a him. She has money enough" "Yes, that woman's a terror, Ferry , Old Mrs Murtagh, wife of my quarter
 master sergeant, has been in the arm, twenty years, and says she knew he well-knew all her people. She come from tough lot, and they had a baC reputation in Texas in the old days Doyle's totally different man sine
 she turned up, Cram tells me. Hello : hara,s .Pills tha I.ass n ha s,.ddanl.