Deposition of Howard Franklin Temple
taken at the Sheriff’s office in
St. Augustine, January 28, 1892.
That night I was sitting at the fort, after seeing the Reverend shouting at dinner, after seeing Julie Ann run up to her room that night, I just sat there in the dark and listened to the waves break against the seawall. Julie Ann and I had sat there nearly every Sunday afternoon last summer. Once we sat until dark and watched the full moon rise.
While I was sitting there alone I saw a shooting star, a real shooting star and followed it with my eyes and my eyes fell on Connors’ boat, tied up at the end of Capo’s dock. At that moment all I could think of was that boat, that it had brought the man that was confusing my Julie Ann. In my mind I could see them on board, maybe by candlelight, looking at books and maybe laughing. It made me kind of dizzy.
On my way home I went down Charlotte Street thinking I’d stop at Kinney’s for a whisky. As I was going in, I saw Connors getting out of a carriage across the street at McDaniel’s with a rich looking lady. I felt dizzy, but I hadn’t been drinking. Really, I even decided then I didn’t want to.