The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-18

was a quiet. perfect gentleman" con-
cluded Bullock.
DIR. Pratt, executive officer OF the
Board of Health. and an autopsy
physician. testified to having examin-
ed Benefits body in his room in the
presence of the coroner's jury. DR..
Pratt drew some clever conclusions.
He believed the scout had fired the
bullet through his mouth because he
had found only one wound in the
head and that in the back of the
skull. Decomposition was too far ad-
vanced for the observation of powder
marks. He believed that Bennett re-
clined on quilt beside the bed when
he shot himself, from the fact that
the body was lying partly under the
bed in the position Bennett might
have assumed in his death agony.
Bennett's fore-fnger was on the trig-
ger Of the revolver. DIR. Pratt thought
that Bennett might have lived a very
short time after firing the shot
Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth, who
conducted the inquest as acting coro-
ner, told the jury that the Schneider
inquest would begin tomorrow at
o'clock, and that he wished them to
hear the evidence in that case. He
believed 1t would materially aid them
in arriving at a correct verdict in the
Bennett case. He hinted at possible
disclosures which would connect Ben
nett with Miss Schneider's poisoning
Bennett will be buried this morning
at 10 o'clock in Nuuanu cemetery. He
will receive a soldiers funeral. and
over the body that in life had played
such an important part in border war
fare. soldiers from Camp Mckinley
will fire the last volley-the token of
respect paid to brave men.
MORE OF BENEFITS CAREER.
One OF Scout Benefits exploits
which won him fame among the cav
airy boys during the Indian forays In
/ Wyoming. was one in which Captain
(now generaD Chaffee, had a hand.
/ The cavalry regiments had been in
\ readiness to take to the saddle for
many days owing to rumors which
came to the frontier post. of the rising
of several thousand braves. 1t was
important that some news of the
movements of these warriors be as
certained in order TO give the alarm
to the settlers and army posts located
on the line of their forays.
Bennett was attached to the post as
scout. The troops were drawn up
In line dismounted and the command
: ing officer stated that as a matter of
: life and death 10 the settlers and
other cavalry troops, information of
, the movements of the bucks was alb
soluteiy necessary. He could not un-
der the circumstances send a soldier,
. to what was almost certain death.
and he could not direct any man of
his command to go at his order. Hard
ly had the words escaped from his
mouth than Bennett stepped forward,
saluted the officer, and said that he
was ready to go, and that his only
request would be that a volunteer ac-
, company him until near the Indian
encampment, and walt while he crawl
. ed forward on his perilous mission
IL a shot was fred, the duty of the
/. accompanying volunteer would be to
. dig spurs into his mount and return
to the post to announce that the mis-
sion had failed.
The commanding officer pointed out
to Bennett that there were nine
, chances to one OF his coming out alive.
!; Bennett said he would take the odd
/ chance. Then, obtaining the com
, handing officers permission, he called
! for a volunteer. A diminutive Irish
/ man stepped out of the ranks, saying
, in a broad brogue, "Shure, cap'n, I'll
: help you take yer chance"
{ "He was the smallest Irishman
/ ever saw in the army, but he was a
! wiry little fellow and full of pluck
{ aithdhgh he hadn't been with the
2 troops long" said Bennett to an Ad-
. vertiser reporter not two weeks since
2 II told him Of the danger OF going In
1 the vicinity OF nearly 5000 bucks or
{ the warpath. but he said he was TAX
ing the small end Of the odd chance
' so | accepted him."
0 Captain Chaffee tried to dissuadt
e Bennett from going out on that mis-