The true northerner., 1897-05-12
GhPTHIN CLOSE
BY CAPTAIN CHARLES KING.
iCopyright. 1894, by J. d. Lippincott Col
XIV.

XIV.
Those were the days which but fore
shadowed the lettre de cachet episodes
of the winter of 1S70-71. Never an or
namental, never social, and often an
embarrassing feature of garrison life,
the first lieutenant of Company had
been laboring under the further disad-
vantage of six months absence from
the post of the regimental colors. There
were many to speak against and none
10 speak for him. His singular habits
and characteristics, the rumOrs in cir
culation with regard to his Saving"
propensities when on bureau duty, and
the queer yarns" in circulation as to
his disposition of the property of the
officers who had died on his hands dur
ing the fever epidemic, had all received
additional impetus from the publica-
ton in northern papers of the Parmelec
side of the Tugaloo stories, and Closes
name was on the regimental market
at low quotation, even before the an
nouncement of his arrest. But this
was not all. For months the regiment
al commander had been the recipient of
frequent letters from two despairing
widows, relicts of the late Capt. Stone
and Lieut.. Tighe, which letters claimed
that their husbands had died possessed
of certain items of personal property
watches, jewelry, money, martial
equipments, etc.-of which Capt. Close
had assumed charge and for only very
small portion of which had he ever rem
oil 10
dies of the regiment, had been sent
north when it became apparent that an
epidemic was probable; they had never
met Capt. Close, but were confident,
from the unsatisfactory nature of his
replies, and from all they could learn
about him from the letters they re-
ceived from the regiment, that he was
~obbing the widow and the orphan,
and they appealed to the colonel for re-
dress.
Now, old Braxton knew almost as lit
tie of Close as did they. He asked his
adiutant and one or two captains what
they thought; he had letter written to
Close telling him of these allegations
and calling for his version of the mat
ter. It did not come, and another let
ter-a "chaser"-was sent, demanding
Immediate reply, and nearly week
ylapsed before reply came. Close wrote
o laboring hand, and for all official mat
ter employed the company clerk as
amanuensis. This being personal, he
spent hours in copying his reply. He
said he was tired of answering the let
ters of Mesdames Stone and Tighe on
this subject. He had sent them inven-
tories Of everything of which their hus-
bands died possessed, and had remitted
every cent he had realized from the
sales thereof. Only one of them had a
watch. If either had ever owned di-
amond studs, as was alleged, he, Close,
had never seen them, nor the hundreds
Of dollars alleged to be in their pos
session, nor the company fund for
which Stone was accountable. In point
of fact, he, Close, was compelled TO say
he aid not believe the ladies knew what
their husbands did or did not have.
He was ready to make oath as to the
truth of his story, and Hospital Stew
ard Griffin and DR.. Meigs could also
testify that the deceased officers had
hardly any effects TO speak of-could
they only be found. But thereby hung
q tale of further trouble. Meigs him
self had died of the fever, and Griffin,
after a fitful career, had been found
guilty of all manner of theft and dis
honesty as TO hospital stores in his
charge, and was himself languishing,
in dishonorablc discharge, prisoner at
Ship island. Here Close thought TO end
il all, but the widows-sisters they
were, who were born in the laundress'
quarters of old Fort Fillmore and had
followed the drum all over Texas and
New Mexico before the war-had
welded strapping sergeants and seen
their spouses raised to the shoulder
straps in the depleted state of the reg
ular army during the four years of vol
unteer supremacy-the widows were
row backed by priest and pettifog-
ger, and, mindful of the success achieved
by such proceeding when led by a name
Of their own nationality, were deter
mined to push things" When De-
cember came, such was the accumula-
ton of charge and specification against
the absent and friendless officer that
old Brax took the simplest way out of
il and applied for court-martial to
try the case.
The day after Christmas. therefore.
and before the official copy Of the order
was received at the barracks (as, oddly,
often happened in those times, until the
leak was discovered and duly plugged),