Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-11-09

CHAPTER XVII.
Benton's murder was certainly the
sensation of the week in Manila, for
there were features connected with
the case that made it still more per-
picking, even mysterious.
Maj. Farquhar, who must have seen
young Foster frequently at Fort
Averill, had been sent to survey the
harbor of Iloilo and could not be-
reached in time, but DR.. Frank, called
in course of the day to identify the
remains, long and carefully studied
the calm, waXen features of the dead
soldier, and said with earnest con-
viction:
"This is undoubtedly the young
man who appeared at Col. Brent's
and whom | sought to question, but
who seemed to take alarm at once
and, with some confused apology.
backed away. He was dressed very
neatly in the best white drilling sack
coat and trousers as made in Manila,
with a fine straw hat and white shoes
and gloves, but he had a fuzzy beard
all over his face then, and his man
ner was nervous and excitable. His
eyes alone showed that he was I'M
strung, bodily and mentally. I set
him down for crank or some one
just picking up from serious illness.
The city is full of newcomers, and
as yet no one knows how many stran-
gers have recently come to town.
saw him only that once in a dim
light, but am positive in this identi-
fication."
Two or three non-commissionedo Off
GERS of Benton's regiment were ex-
amined. Their stories were concise
and to the point. The young soldier
had come with the recruits from San
Francisco along late in August. He
was quiet, well-mannered, attended
strictly to his own business, and was
eager to learn everything about his
duties. They "sized him up as a
young man of education and good
family who hadn't influence enough
to get commission and so had en-
listed to win it. He had money, but
no bad habits. He helped in the
and could have been excused from
all duty and made clerk, but wouldn t
be. He said he'd help whenever they
wanted him, but he didn't wish to be
excused from Guard or drills or pa
troll or picket-said he wanted to
learn all there was in it. Even the
rough fellows in the ranks couldn' Il
help liking him. He had a pleasant
word for everybody that didn't bother
him with questions. He made one
or two acquaintance, but kept most
ly to himself; never got any letters
from America, but there were two
from Hong-Kong, perhaps more. If
ne wrote letters himself, he posted
them in town. They never went with
the company mail from the Quartet.
Everybody seemed to know that
Benton wasn't his own name, but
that was nothing. The main thing
queer about him was that he got a
pass whenever he could and went
by himself, most generally opt to
Pace, where the cavalry were, yet he
said he didn't know anybody there
1t was out Pace way on the Calzada
Terran, close to the corner of the
Singalon road, the patrol picked him
up with his head laid open, and he'd
been Eighty pretty much ever since
and troubled about being robbed.
Seemed all right again, however,
when reporting for duty and per-
fectly sane and straight then.
Two very bright young. soldiers,
Clarke and Hunter, were called in for
their statements. They, too, had en-
listed in a spirit of patriotism and
desire for adventure; never knew
Benton till the voyage was nearly
over, then they seemed to drift to-
gether, as it were, and kept up their
friendship after reaching Manila
Benton was not his real name, and
he was not a graduate of any Amer
lean college. He had been educated
abroad and spoke French and Ger
man. No, they did not know what
university he attended He was
frank and pleasant SO long as nobody
tried to probe into his past; never
heard him mention Lieut.. Stuyvesant.
All three of them, Benton, Clarke and
Hunter, had observed that young Off
GER during the month as he drove by
barracks, sometimes with the gen.
eral, sometimes alone, but they did
not know his name, and nothing iu-
dicated that Benton had any feeling
against him or that he had seen him.
They admitted having conveyed the
idea to comrades that they knew
more about Benton than they would
tel, but it was a 'sbluff." Everybody
was full of speculation and curiosity,
and-well, just for the fun of the
thing, they 'slet on" as they said,
that they were in his confidence, but
they weren't, leastwise to any extent.
They knew ne had money, knew he
went off by himself, and warned him
to keep a lookout or he'd be held up
and robbed some night.
The only thing of any Importance
they had to tell was that one day,
lust before his misfortune, Benton
was on guard and posted as sentry
over the big Krupps in the Spanish
battery at the west end of the Gale
San Luis. Clarke and Hunter had Il
kodak between them and a consum-
irg desire to photograph those guns.
The sentries previously posted there
refused to let them come upon the
parapet-said il was 'gainst or
ders" Benton said that unless posi-
tive orders were given to him to that
efeet, he would not interfere. So
they cot pass on the same day and
Ienioh easily got that post~men
alant usually want it. It was sueh