The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-12-18

t0OUBUI IL was u uDOT Nv
g commissary department was abou
twenty feet away from Benefits room
in the uuai termaster's building nea
the corral. Hansen had heard Bennett
complain of neuralgia. Bennett wa
a man that said very little.
Acting Commissary Sergeant Under
wood corroborated what Hansen ha,
said about hearing the shot fired
Underwood said that just before hi
left Camp Mckinley to come to tn,
inquest the Chinese storekeeper neal
the camp told him that Bennett hat
borrowed S14 rs from him and haC
not paid it back. The Chinese has
been in the habit of lending Bennett
money every month, but had always
been repaid.
Private James d. Alexander was the
man who first discovered BENEFITS
death. Alexander had charge of the
corral, and Bennett was his superior
He last saw Bennett alive Thursday
morning at 10 o'clock, when he hand
ed him some papers. The scout had
told him that he had sugar stock. AL
exander had been loaning Bennett
money since July, and the latter died
owing him $50, which he promised to
pay at New Years, when he had said
the dividends on his sugar stocks
would be due. Bennett was a man
who often went out nights, but gen.
orally returned at reasonable hour.
On Sunday afternoon at o'clock, not
having seen Bennett since Thursday,
Alexander grew uneasy, climbed to a
window of the scouts room and peep
ed in. He saw Bennett lying prone on
oil
ander identified the letter and mem
oranda found in Miss Schneider's
purse as being in Benefits hand
writing.
First Sergeant George West had
known Bennett since April year ago.
1t was from West that Bennett bor-
rowed the revolver with which he
killed himself. West was in the quar-
termaster's department, and on Tues
day-the day that Miss Schneider is
supposed to have asked Bennett for
the return of the money-the scout
came to him and asked him for a
pistol. Bennett said that he was
troubled with rats in his room and
had tried everything but bullets. Il
told him that big Colts revolver
was rather too heavy a weapon for
rats" said West, "but he insisted on
having it. ! told him he would have
to see Lieutenant Ketcham about it,
which he did, and coming back said
that he had gotten permission to have
it. l handed him the revolver and
asked him how many loads he wanted
in it. He said to fill it up. l asked
him if he only had six rats, as there
were only six bullets, and he said
yes l recommended that he get a
small caliber rifle as more suitable.
He asked if the caliber was the same
as in the old revolver" West said
that Re did not suspect that Bennett
wanted the revolver for any other pur-
pose than that for which he asked it.
Sergeant George E. Bullock was the
last man who saw Bennett alive as far
as known. He testified that Bennett
on Friday morning at quarter after
seven o'clock came to breakfast. Bull
lock had charge of the mess, and, as
usual, Bennett sat down and, drank
cup Of coffee. Bullock noticed that
it was rather early for Bennett, who
generally came after 8 o'clock, and
said to him, You're early" Bennett
replied that he had not slept during
the night. Bullock turned to some
other work end never saw Bennett
again alive. Bullock said that Bennett
then had on his cowboy hat and hign
boots. 1t will be remembered that
when Bennett was found dead, he
wore a black suit and a pair Of shoes.
Evidently, between o'clock, when he
ate breakfast, and 10 O'Clock, when !
Hansen and Underwood heard the shot |
fired, he changed his garments.
Bullock said that he did not know
of Benefits having an enemy in the
world. Everybody liked him. HE
was quiet, perfect gentleman" con-
cluded Bullock.
DR.. Pratt, executive officer of the
Board of Health, and an autopsy
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 a 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.
BENEFITS folo-finger was on the trig-
ger of the revolver. DR., Pratt thought
hat Bennett might have lived very
short time after firing the shot
Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth who
conducted the inquest as acting coro-
ler, told the jury that the Schneider
inquest would begin tomorrow at 2
o'clock, and that he wished them to
hear the evidence in that case. He
believed 1T would materially aid them
n arriving at correct verdict in the {
Bennett case. He limited at possible
disclosures which would connect Ben
lett with Miss Schneider's poisoning.
Bennett will be buried this morning :
It 10 o'clock in Nuuanu cemetery. He
will receive a soldiers funeral, and
,ver the body that in life had played n
uch an important part in border war Q
are, soldiers from Camp Mckinley