The San Francisco call., 1909-11-13
Roused by Soldiers Cry

others to liquor; but nothing definite
is known.
Reused by Soldiers Cry
The men, both members of the United
states military barrack guard. shared
the same room. and, after the custom
of the army. were recognized as bun
kies." being bound to each other by
those ties embraced in the term. The
first that the other members of the
garrison knew of the affair was Null
laly's cry, followed by q shout from
Ford who. running down the long
Railways, cried out that Mullaly had
fallen out of the window. Ford ran
with the others to the rocks below and
when it was discovered that Mullaly
was dead. declared:
MY God! What shall l 'do?" He
followed this with protestations of his
innocence. incoherently saying that
Mullaly had fallen from the chair while
attempting to pull down the window.
No thought was there other than it was
an accident and to Ford was assigned
the duty of reporting the death to
Lieutenant J. E. Stedje, officer of the
day He swung off without word,
but not to the officer of the day. In
stead, he crept into dark storeroom
and there waited. In the meantime
Lieutenant Stedje was notified of the
an immediate investigation. He first
examined the room where the two SOL
diers lived and then gave orders to-
have Sergeant Ford brought. before hinx
Ford Kills Himself
Ford was not to be found. FilEt
Sergeant James Creamer, heading a
searching party, hunted high and bow
without avail. In the midst of the
search Lieutenant Stedje observed. the
door of the storeroom move and called
to his men to look within. AS Ser
geant Creamer advanced the door, was
slammed from within.
Come out" said Creamer.
A shot answered him Fearing at
them, Lieutenant Stedge. and Sergeant
Creamer took cover. After wait of
some minutes they advanced again,
and, hearing the labored breathing of
Ford, battered in the door, finding Ford
lying with his face in a pool of blood
and bullet hole in the back of his
head He died six hours later without
recovering consciousness.
Stories to the effect that they were
to be court martialed for irregularities
were denied by Colonel Turner, COM
manding. He said their records were
perfectly clean. One story was to the
effect that after the men had retired
to their room their voices could be
heard as If in a quarrel, but this could
not be definitely ascertained. The
whole affair is enveloped in mystery
and there is little likelihood of the
facts ever becoming known.
Inquiry Is Fruftless
A board of inquiry, consisting oil
Captain X. ]. Hampton of the quarter.
masters department, Captain R. M
Thornburg of the medical corps and
Lieutenant Maynard A. Wells of thu
Seventeenth infantry, held an examina.-
tion yesterday. but could obtain nc
light on the deaths. Besides LieuteI l.
ant Stedje and Doctor Anderson, WI &c
attended Ford. there were examine
Privates Davis, Miller, Fenwick. Mic
Combs and Thompson, who testified tc
the details of the actual deaths. Mnl-
laly was from st. Louis and Ford from
Creale Springs. Ill. The testimony de-
veloped also that Ford had been drink
ing for several days and had been re.
Gently repfimanded for this offs,nse
and also that he used drugs.
AS all telephone communication with
the mainland had been cut off at the
time the tragedy occurred, the deaths
were not reported to the coroner until
vest srday. The autopsy of Doctor An
derson was that Mullaly had died from
a fractured skull and Ford from self
iniiietes wound.