Read Online Chasing Pancho Villa by R. L. Tecklenburg - Free Book Online

was Officer of the Day during the riot. Captain James couldn’t live with that dishonor. But, Mr. James, I’m not saying the Army blamed him. I’m not saying that at all, sir. He blamed himself. When we got here to Columbus, well, Bart just wasn’t himself.”
    â€œHe wasn’t himself? What does that mean?”
    â€œYour brother seemed sad, out of sorts. He was acting strange. He kept to himself, not talking to anyone, and always seemed busy. He traveled by train the day before he died, but he wouldn’t tell anyone where he was going, or why. Lieutenant Floyd asked him, but Captain James told him only that he had to go to El Paso on personal business. He refused to discuss the troubles in Houston with me or the other officers.”
    Harrison filed that information. “Who discovered his body?” he asked quietly.
    â€œI discovered him. I found his body late, around 11:00. He was lying across the floor of his tent, between two cots. He was alone. His .45 was beside him. It had been fired.”
    â€œHis gun was fired,” Harrison repeated. “How many times?”
    â€œJust once. I checked it myself. No other bullet holes anywhere. Just the one. There were no signs of a struggle.”
    â€œNo chance of an accident? Perhaps his gun accidentally discharged?”
    â€œAccidents happen,” the officer agreed. “But this was no accident. His weapon had to have been charged, cocked, and the safety released before it was fired. In any case, the coroner ruled out accidental discharge due to the wound.”
    â€œThe wound?”
    â€œYes sir. An entry wound to the temple. At extremely close range.” The major paused. “Mr. James, again I’m extremely sorry.”
    â€œWhat else did you find at the scene?”
    â€œNothing out of the ordinary. It was late, as I’ve already stated, sir. On a Saturday evening.”
    â€œDid you hear the gunshot?”
    â€œNo, I didn’t. L Company is quite a distance from my quarters here. Only his orderly, Private Peck, heard a gun discharged. Most everyone else was gone. It was Saturday night, after all.”
    â€œIs that unusual?” Harrison asked. “That only one person would have heard the gunfire? We’re in the middle of an Army camp, major.”
    â€œNo, it is not, Mr. James. Out here, random gunfire is not unusual, in any case. Everyone carries a sidearm. After the Mexicans raided last year, people took to arming themselves.” The major continued. “Gunfire is commonplace on a Saturday night, and it’s something we’ve grown accustomed to hearing. The town is a lethal mix, guns and whisky.”
    â€œHad my brother been drinking…in your opinion?”
    â€œNo, sir, not in my opinion.”
    â€œI see.” Harrison frowned, pausing to focus his thoughts. “You didn’t hear his gun fire, yet you found him?”
    â€œWe were to meet in his tent. I entered and saw him. He was there on the floor.”
    â€œYou were to meet that late, major?”
    â€œYes. I was the duty officer that Saturday…to give the other officers a night in town. I know that sounds strange, but it’s true. We were the subject of an investigation by senior officers from Washington. The Adjutant General’s office. Their visit proved to be a very trying time for all of us.”
    â€œThere was a high level investigation?” Harrison asked.
    â€œYes, sir. The AG staff was preparing for the Colored’s court-martial. They were conducting a review of the Houston troubles. They had questioned Captain James that day. They asked him if he had refused a direct order to fire on the mutineers before they left camp. That had re-opened wounds…between your brother and me.” He stared at the ground. “We, all the officers under my command, had been interviewed that week regarding the events in Houston. The other officers left camp earlier in the evening,