The Prescott daily news., 1910-03-23

Roberts heart sank within him. His leave had expired, and he would not be able to reach the fort in less than half an hour. He would be broken that is, reduced to a private-and his dream of becoming a commissioned of hcer was at an end. At any rate, he would be obliged to begin all over and by long period of good behavior get again in line.
 "Very well, Nancy" he said; q may as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb. We'll stay here as long as we like.''
 Nancy endeavored to induce him to go back at once, but he would not. So they ordered a supper and after that continued to enjoy themselves at the various places designed for the double purpose of giving people pleas ure and getting their money. When the money was mostly spent they took car and went home. Passing a sa- loon kept by one Murphy, Robert wish ed to go in and get glass of beer, but Nancy dissuaded him. Robert left her at her house, then went to his moth CTS.
 Though it was late. Mrs Hammond was just about going to bed Robert told her that he had broken his leave. Mother-like. she persuaded him to go to his own room that he had occupied as boy and remain there overnight.
 He did so and in the morning over slept. Then his mother begged him to take breakfast at home. By the time he reached the fort it was long past reveille roll call
 Robert was put in arrest. And what was his astonishment when told that the saloon keeper, Murphy, had been murdered the night before, that some shreds of blue uniform and several army buttons had been found near the body and soldier answering his description had been seen near the saloon.
 The young soldier was troubled only at the prospect of being reduced to the ranks. There could be no doubt of his proving that he had not been in Mur- phys saloon and that he had been with his sweetheart and later with his mother. He gave the captain the ad- dress of both women and told him to go and ask his mother and Nancy if he had not been with them during the night of the murder
 The officer, in order that there might be no collision between Robert and the others, said nothing about the charge of murder to either woman ill order to better conceal his object He told them that the soldier was in dan ger of being tried for desertion. Both women knew enough of army offenseS to understand that desertion was a se- rlous charge. Neither knew what req son Robert had given his superiors for his absence, and both feared to say anything about him for fear of dis proving what he had himself said. The consequence was that both denied having seen him the night before.
 This was quite enough to convict him, if not of the murder. certainly of falsely accounting for his absence. He was turned over to the civil authori- lies to be tried for murder
 It would be impossible to give an idea of the anguish of the mother and sweetheart when they learned of the real charge that had been made against the son of the one and lover of the other and that they had put it out of their power to prove an alibi for him and in this way establish his Innocence. They were visited by Rob- ert's attorney and questioned. It was evident to them that he did not be- Heve the reason they gave for teAing his captain that they had not seen him during the night of the murder, and it would not have made any difference if he had believed them. They had made statement and could not contradict it before jury and expect the contra diction to be considered evidence.
 Nancy Alvord. after her terror at her lovers position and her chagrin at having denied that she had been with him had in a measure subSided, began ,o think of some way to prove the un- truth of her first story. This led her to read carefully the newspaper ac- counts of the murder. and she saw that Murphy's watch, which was found in his vest pocket, had stopped at thirty-seven minutes after 10. She remembered hearing a clock strike II while OH the car returning from the island This was fixed in her mind by the fact that she expected a scolding on her return home for having stayed out so late.
 The civil authorities considered that Murphy's watch marked the time of