The San Francisco call., 1898-11-10
Lieutenant Bennett's s
 Secret Inquiry.
HlLARITY IN THE MESS TENT
AN OFFICERS RESIGNATION IS
 LOOKED FOR.
The Matters of Pure Food and the Improper Conduct of the Can- teen Are Being Looked
 Into.

The vigorous investigation into the al- legged breaches of discipline practiced by the army officials stationed at Fort Baker
 has caused deal of trepidation on the part Of the men accused and 1t Is rumored
 that at least one of them intends to re-
 sign. The investigation was continued yesterday and the examination of the twenty or more witnesses called to testify is asserted to have been of a decidedly
 racy nature.
 Lieutenant Bennett went to the post yesterday in the Government boat Mo Dowell and returned at 5 o'clock The strictest secrecy was maintained and even
 the driver of the post wagon had a com panion along when he had to go to Sausa- tito in order to make sure that his lips should remain padlocked
 What the witnesses stated cannot be learned, but 1t Is to be supposed that they gave substantially the same facts as they
 have imparted to others. Sergeant Bern
 ard was subjected to rigid questioning as
 regards the food given the men and Ser geant Breeding was asked to tell all he knew concerning the actions of the women present in camp last Thursday evening. The men assert that the women In ques- tion were at the camp about ten days
 previous to this occasion, and at that
 quantity of beer was taken to the tent,
 and that in a short time the result was tersely summarized as a warm time" by one of the privates doing sentry duty. Two of these women are said to live at a lodging-house on Ninth street, near Market. It is stated further by eye-wit- nesses that as retreat was sounded last Thursday one of these women rode a | horse up and down in front of the line
 in the fashion commonly affected by the sterner sex, and that for short time another sat on horse with Lieutenant Sprague.
 Captain Choynski has said that he
 knows the names of none of these women,
 but there are several persons who are Will ing to swear to the fact that on the same ! day Lieutenant Thede brought the trio into Sausalito in a buggy, where they were met by the gallant captain, who then proceeded to hire buggy out of a stable and take one of them for spin. While the men were on their way from
 the camp at Larkspur back to the post
 a few days ago First Sergeant Breeding voluntarily removed from his arm the diamond which was his insignia of office, and thereby reduced himself to the rank of a private The reason given for this was the alleged overbearing conduct Of Lieutenant Huie.
 The non-commissioned officers assert
 that the canteen has rendered no ac-
 counting yet for the month of September
 and that there are outstanding bills for
 that month. It was asserted by one of these officers yesterday that any enlisted man has a right to look over the books at
 any time. but none of them has ever been permitted to do So.
 A most important fact, fact which
 clearly demonstrates that Lieutenant Bennett believes the evidence given war
 rants a court-martial, is that yesterday
 he was accompanied by a stenorrapher,
 who took down the testimony of all the witnesses.
 It is variously estimated that the can
 from s400O to S6O0O The feeling that pre-
 vails is shown by the change in the diet of the men since the investigation be- gan. Beginning with last Friday evening the men have frequently had fresh meat to eat and few delicacies.
 Private Shaffer has been in the habit of cooking his own meals rather than en- dure the regular fare of the post. Yes terday morning he was incarcerated in caustic remark of Sergeant Bernard. At l noon he was sent simply a dish of soup for dinner, 1t is alleged. and being unable to eat 1t had to do without anything.