The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-22
HIS MEMORY
IS DEFENDED
What DR.. Reidy Knew
Of Frank Bennett.
FRIEND Of THE DEAD MAN
Says He Was an Admirable Char
acter and Thoroughly
Reliable.

The memory OF Frank Bennett is
warmly defended by DIR. Reidy of the
Honolulu Drug Company. who was a
friend of Bennett. and who had known
him early In the seventies on the from
tier In Colorado. He fatty contradicts
the story that Bennett was a drinking
man, and quotes an incident to prove
that the deceased avoided the use of
morphine and opium.
AT the time Bennett is alleged by
Mr.. Ottmann. TO have threatened sui
eide" br. Reidy states. II am quite
sure IL was on the same night. that of
November 9Th. received a telephone
message from Bennett who was at
IOttmann's place. asking me TO send out
some seidlitz powders To Ottmann's
which ! did. lie would not be taking
medicine TO improve his health on the
night he contemplated suicide. Il seems
TO me. AS TO his alleged intemperance
I never saw Mr.. Bennett under the I'M
fluence OF liquor but once. That was
sometime In September OF this year,
lie came into the drug store and talked
20 me. I observed that he was drink
ing and spoke TO him about IL. express
ing my surprise. He said IL was his
birthday. and that II was the first drink
he had taken In tweuty-three years. He
was 50 years old that day.
"The last time I saw him was. I
think, on Wednesday. the day that
Clara Schneider died. lie came into
The store and todd me that he had not
been able to sleep for four nights, that
he had been troubled with the neural
gia In his head and with insomnia, and
he wanted me to give him some medi-
cine TO make him sleep. He specially
stipulated. however. that he did not
want anything with opium. morphine
or any like drug in a.
1 MIR. Bennett never COnfided his IL
nancial affairs or his association with
women To me. lie was very quiet and
reserved In such matters. and such con-
versatiOns as we had were In relation
TO mutual friends we had had on the
frontier. or "reminiscences. / was In
business I'm Colorado In 30 when h.
was stationed at Fort Lyon. four mile.
away. He occasionally rode i'm to towT
and came Co the store. I never was
asked by him. either then or afterward
for morphine or opium. / knew hin
when ne was shot In the head by Chey-
enne Indians and was confined in th'
hospital. He was always a gentleman
and never heard him use an oath Ol
rough language In all my association
! with him. lie was an admirable char
! acter. aud N there were more men lik'
; him the world would be much bette
Oft lie was absolutely without fear
and the statement that his suicide wa
, towards act II absurd I'm the ligh
Of all his brave deeds and the perils HI
; has faced for his country. There wa
some other motive than the prompting
of cowardice that caused him To xii
himself. I agree with Major Ennis, a
do all those who knew Bennett well
that his suicide was probably the car
4 rying out OF his high ideas of honor
+, through some unfortunate association
! with the woman who I think took he
!, own life.
II also wish Co say that wheneve
A Bennett heard n woman lightly spoke
; %. II was always his custom to re
; proach the man who spoke. with som
gentle rebuke. and don't remember {
= have ever heard him speak an unkin
: word % any one. man. woman or child
q Things that have been said since hi
death In his disfavor could not hav
= been said while he was alive. with safe
,ty 90 the man who said them. Will
tender-hearted and kind. he had n per
!, sonality that all would naturally re
" spect. and no one would have dared I
; have uttered such things In his life
time as they have since his death.
seems Co me TO be altogether uncalle
for. unnecessary and. In fact. a coward
J. ~ thing TO have done. TO attack tn
,. memory ~ one whose life was so fu
: ~ all commendabie things, whose SCI
vice TO his country was so faithful an
So filled with daring and bravery. an
" who. being on the other side of th
Y grave. has no reply but the silence Z
n death. I'm his own defense. Those VIII
y have slandered his memory would M
!. have dared 10 smirch his name Will
y he yet had n pulse beat"