The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-19
He Did Not Accept Death as the
Penalty for His Dishonor as
His Friends Feared.
The Authorities at the Preside Are In Ignorance Of
the Officers Flight and Are Still Searching the
Hills for His Body.

= LIEUTENANT JOHN NJ. NEALL is
not dead He has fed from the city
TO bury his shame and dshonor and
- TO escape the penalty that the law
tnfiicts upon a thief. Where he has gone
no one knows, as he feared TO intruSt the
secret of his destination even to his clos
est friends. Not even the military Off
GERS of the Preside know that the dis
graced soldier is alive, but eyes keener
than those of the searchers in the Pre-
sidio hills saw Lieutenant Neall leave the
reservation on Wednesday afternoon
when he knew that his accounts were to
be examined and in a few hours he would
be known as a thief. After leaving the
Preside he came into the city and then
went no one knows where.
The news of the disgrace of Lieutenant
Neall continues TO be the sensation of
the day in the circles in which the soldier
moved. The story of his fall is now
known in all its details. There was much
more than the theft of a few thousand
dollars to force the lieutenant to sacri-
flee the honorable record Of his past and
the brilliant prospect of his future. He
had financially involved himself so deeply
that there was practically no hope that
he could with his income eXtriCate him
self The crash came of course with the
certainty of exposure of canteen frauds
and then Lieutenant Neall ned.
On Wednesday afternoon Major Edward
Field, inspector general at the Preside,
informed Neall that he should prepare
himself for the inspection of his books
The annual inspection was in progress
and Major Field had twice made the same
demand upon Neall and the third brought
the climax. A few minutes after it was
made Neall left the reservation. Mes
sages were sent, but he could not be
found. He had not waited even to change
MS uniform and left $l4OO in the safe of
the canteen.
Lieutenant Nean's books were not ex-
ported until Thursday, when Colonel c. Z.
Compton, Major Edward Field and Post
Adjutant F. W. Harris made an examina-
ton and discovered that Lieutenant Neall
was $500 short in his accounts. This con-
The inspection of the accounts was not alb
solutely thorough. 1t will be completed
by order of Colonel Compton before to-
morrow night. The following Board of
Survey was appointed for the purpose yes
terday afternoon: Captain Ii. {. Danes
Battery l, Third Artillery; First Lieuten-
ant Thomas II. SlaVenS Troop II, Fourth
Cavalry; Second Lieutenant j. ]. Boni-
face, Troop B, Fourth Cavalry. Colonel
Compton also telegraphed yesterday after
noon to General Shafter, informing him
of the disappearance and shortage Ref
erence was made in this telegram only TO
the shortage Of $500 in the canteen ac-
count, as the military authorities as such
are concerned with that and not with the
theft Of $1,000 from the Preside Club.
When the board of survey finishes its
work ii will submit the report to the head
of the department.
It will be discovered that a curious con-
dtion of affairs exists in the Preside can
teen. Lieutenant Neall was able to fitch
what he did for the simple reason that
he did not have to render monthly ac-
count of finances to any authority tnat
might have been a check upon his dis
honesty. When Lieutenant Nolan died it
was impossible to arrange the finances of
the canteen and Mrs. Nolan held several
of her husbands checks and would not de-
liver them until some legal method of do
ing so was suggested. Her husband had
been canteen officer and she very properly
wished to protect herself.
When Lieutenant Neali became NOlan's
successor he did not have to make, there
fore, a statement that would have re-
Vealed his ill-doing. He received two
months grace in which to steal, and he
seized the opportunity.
While the officials of the Preside were
busy yesterday afternoon examining
Nealrs accounts other officers and men
were traversing the hills and wooded re-
cesses of the reservation seeking and
fearing to find the body of the missing
lieutenant. The task was a hateful one
for the men who had been comrades and
friends of Neal. Each assumed his duty,
however, and several searching parties
were formed. NeaH, as a matter of
course, could not be found. He had
sought no escape from his shame by
death, but those that knew him and were
won by his good-fellowship believed he
had made away with himself.
One effort of the searchers created a
particular and gloomy interest. On the
Preside reservation there is an old, I'M
used, dangerous gas and poison laden tun-