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the quarters at Fort Hunt . At the officer ’ s request , Bradley cashed the check in Washington with a liquor merchant and paid Strebler ’ s bill there , then used the remaining funds to settle Strebler ’ s personal accounts at various other businesses in Washington and Alexandria . Bradley claimed … that he was only following orders and was aware of no wrong doing . He thought nothing of the episode until he later overheard the Quartermaster Sergeant and clerk mention that the contractor had been demanding payment for the painting job , but the check had somehow disappeared . At this point Bradley reported the incident to acting post commander First Lt . Willis C . Metcalf .
Digging though Strebler ’ s confiscated files , an Army investigator found that the lieutenant had been using his position as Quartermaster , Commissary and even Athletics Officer to skim money from various post accounts . Strebler was placed under arrest in his quarters on Feb . 9 , leaving Metcalf the only post officer not under suspicion of theft . The following day he broke arrest and fled Fort Hunt . Searching his quarters , Metcalf discovered that Strebler had destroyed all photographs of himself before escaping . Three months later , the errant officer had still not been apprehended , and was dropped from the rolls of the Army as a deserter . ( Matthew D . Laird , PhD , “ By the River Potomac ,” An historic resource study of Fort Hunt Park , George Washington Memorial Parkway , Mount Vernon , Virginia , Cultural Resources , Inc ., 2000 , pp 65-66 ) 3 Capt . Robert B . Asprey , “ Waller of Samar ,“ Marine Corps Gazette , May 1961 4 Gates , John , “ The Pacification of the Philippines ,” The U . S . Army and Irregular Warfare 5 Ibid 6 Ibid 7 Ibid 8 Frederick D . Grant , Department of South Philippines , War Department Report 1902 , Vol . 9 , p . 417
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