irie past the doctor's," and the
sergeant had pursued, but returned in a moment or two, having seen
nobody but Hogan and Shea, who came running back with him. Shea went for
the doctor and Hogan to call Lieutenant Blake. The corporal of the guard
then arrived with two men. They sent one for the colonel. Lieutenant Ray
again told them to hunt the murderer, but they found nothing but the
pistol. When they returned the second time the colonel and surgeon were
there, but Mr. Ray was gone.

Shea's testimony was sensational: Hogan had come to him about tattoo,
and proposed that they should go out and have a quiet time at the house
on the hill; he had plenty of money and had already been drinking a
little. Shea went, but fearing Hogan would take too much and get into
more trouble, had persuaded him to start for home about 11.30. They came
across the prairie and were talking pretty loud, heard no pistol-shot,
or cry, saw or heard no one except the sergeant, though they had come
through the gap between the hospital and surgeon's quarters. Shea said
that he had been Mr. Gleason's "striker" (soldier-servant) for two
years; knew his character and habits well, and knew there was trouble
between him and Mr. Ray. Questioned as to particulars, Shea went on to
say that there had been a "terrible row" between them the day Mr.
Gleason started for Fetterman; he didn't know what it was about, but had
overheard some of the language from the back kitchen, and the last thing
Lieutenant Ray had said was, "'If ever you breathe a word of this to a
soul,' or something like that, 'I'll shoot you like a dog.'" He was sure
of the last words, and he thought then he wouldn't like to be in Mr.
Gleason's place. Shea's words produced a marked effect; but no more so
than did Hogan's, whom grief and liquor had made somewhat maudlin. Like
every Irishman in the regiment he thought the world of Ray, and it cut
him to the heart to have to testify against him; but he recognized the
pistol at once as the lieutenant's, and the fact was dragged out of him
that before tattoo the previous evening he had gone to get it and clean
it, and found it was not in the holster. He asked the lieutenant for it
and was refused. "I want it" was what the lieutenant had said.

Mr. Blake, very calm and very white, was brought in next, and faced the
impressive coroner and his jury. He corroborated Hogan's statement as to
Ray's language about the pistol; said that he had gone to bed up-