The New York herald., 1875-11-08
A COLORED SOLDIERS WRONGS.
The "Marcellus" Of the Negro Troops
as Correspondent.
TROUBLES ON THE RIO GRANDE
The Honor Of the Negro Race
Defended.

to have fought noby" during the recent UNPLEASANT
ncssstationed upon the Rio Grande has been reading
the HERALD very proper thing for the colored SOL
dier TO do and takes much exception tho statements
OF OF correspondents concerning the con-
duct of the class he represents in the piping
times OF peace He has adopted the very appropriate
de plume OF ''Marcellus' in addressing u.s. and in
order that justice may be publish his commu-
nicaton with all its exceilences and defects written
uerbatim et hterdtim.
MARcELLUs' LETTER.
FORT BROWN, Texas, Oct 26 1875.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
am constant reader OF the HERALD, obtaining ac-
cess TO tho same in regmental library, and my
self and others OF my associates have been aggreved
account of certain your correspondent
has been pleased to make OF In regard to the col
ored soldiers stationed along the Rio Grande And
beg TO be pardoned for this wholesale condemnation OF
tho said statements, which here assert that they are
all basey and enormously stated and not founded upon
truth and the facts pertaining thereto and calculated
for nothing more than prejudice the good reputation
the colored soldiers have by faithful application
duty and obedience to their officers and the gentle
manly conduct they have always shown toward both
cltzens and denzens residing on the left bank OF the
| Rio Grande
The coored troops, 1t will be remembered have been
stationed upon the border frontiers of the Rio Grande
since 1865, when General Weitzel occupied in op-
| position to the French invasion OF Mexico Neverthe-
less during that time some of the post has been gar
rsoned by white soldiers, but now all the military
| post along the Rio Grande from FL Paso to Browns
vile, are partly garrsoned by coored soldiers and
/
| in the national cemetery at this place, comprising
two-thirds of the entire regiments in the cemetery
All died from disease contracted in the line Of duty
pertaining to soldier And now, to subsantiae this
introduction, am proud that am able say that
| has not been two months since one of the leading
papers OF Brownsville in editorial highly
compmenting the good behavior and gentlemanly
conduct and honesty dealing of the coored soldiers
| since being stationed here Very probably l
| have said enough to open tho way TO bring
| forward and reproduce the statements which
l have already alluded to ana at the same time
UtN facts IN odnro
experience and close proximity to the locality treated
of in those statements will enable me to Hoping they
may be calculated to turn the mind of those of your
readers who have read them and been eviy disposed
toward the coored soldiers OF the United States Army
| STATEMENTS EXCEPTED
The statements complain of are these viz. -
Your correspondent from Long Branch under date or
| August 81, 1875, says, among other things
"A short time ago some two or three negro soldiers
belonging TO the United States Army arrested IN
| Texas for violating the laws of the State"
Again. your correspondent from Long Branch of date
September 1875 says and purports have obtained
tho language used from Tom ochitree, Marshal of
| Texas and must say that the word sthieyes, used is
| barefaced falsehood, and the soldiers in question
| stand indicted for murder-
"The idea Of stripping whole people of defence
against robbers and marauders simply because of the
arrest of three negro thieves who happen DO sol
| diers and their trial by State court"
| These two statements have their origin from one
source, but the third and last complain OF of
another nature and exceeds the first two degrading
the colored soldiers in the eye OF the American people,
If the statement had the least smilitudo to the truth
Your correspondent from Washington, D. G., of date
September 90 1875, says
'Ihe presence Of colored troops in the Department
of Texas, especially along the Rio Grande officers
duty that locality say, is not effective If the
! entire command composed Of white troops Com
| plants also made that they on too friendly
terms with the Mexcans, and they likely TO suffer
| from their treacherous friendship
In regard to the first statements that we find
cause to complain of will try and state truthfuy and
canddy the facts, which have been enabled obtain
by conversation with the soldiers in question: and BY
visiting the place where the melee occurred shortly
afterwards and also by free intercourse with the
Mexican rancheros for speak the Spanish language
very well And without doubt believe tho following
narrative to be something near the truth, which
| thus
THE TRUE STORY
| Lost Cuevos, ranch on tho Mexican side of tn Q
river and about twenty-five miles below Ringgod Bar
racks Texas Is notorious as the headquarters OF the
cattle thieves who raid into Texas FL Grulai Is also
Mexican ranch but on our side OF the river and about
eight miles above Lost Cuevos. II is an out OF the
way place, being about three miles OF from the main
road At this place is shallow crossing OF the river.
Here tho cattle thieves always crossed with their spoil
hence TO Los Cueyos To break this up ono corporal
| and four mon OF Company g. Ninth United States
cavalry detailed TO guard the crossing. They en-
deavored to cultivate friendship with the ranchero but
to avail for in every instance they exposed
to be ostraczed and held up obnoxious the mem
bors Of the ranch more by certain party, who
intrigued with tho thieves This told at the ranch
Finally ono night, January 20, 1875, just daylight
had disappeared two Of the soldiers went to house
in the vicnage of their camp; entering they found
two Mexican mon who proved TO DO brothers. and two
women; Immediately the Mexicans began hostile
mannuvres ordering tho soldiers out othe house with
threats, while OF the soldiers tried TO him
| that they was after nothing wrong, but come 10 pay
them friendly visit But neither the Mexican under
standing English nor the soldier Spanish the trouble
| originated. One or the Mexcans made for trunk,
taken therowith pistol in threatening manner when
one the soldiers in obedience the first law OF
ture ''sef preservation drawed his pistol and fred
woundng tho Mexican in tho thigh tho othor Mexican
grabbed the pistol Of his brother, intending 70
| IL when he received the second shot from the
soldiers and died shortly aterward. The soldiers
tho h' oorpOra SS they hna e snd IN T
cattle thieves so tho corporal give orders to saddle up
| and leave the ranch in pursuit Of them When out q
short distance from the ranch they armed party
or Mexicans who fired on the soldiers, killing Of
them instantly, and from the TACT that there a
great many cattle the vicinity and tho other two
men getting separated from the corporal he was lead
to believe they cattle thieves he his way
10 Rngrod Barracks and reported to tho Commanding
officer he had been attacked by cattle thieves and
all his men killed The commanding officer Colonel
| Edward Hatch, Ninth United States cavalry started
with companies OF cavalry for the OF war arr
riving at the ranch about daylight morning and
found the two dead bodies but the other men had
male inhabitants OF the ranch were arrested
| and there was, no doubt great deal
OF destruction done 10 property but this
altogether cannot be attributed the soldiers for
officers present. and two of them stand to-day
indicted for the damage done, and for which all the
difficulty at present is about and not the arrest Of
| sthree negro thieves
| And by reason that your correspondent never men
toned this fact shows he Is ignorant OF the subject he
tries TO grapple with and degrade the coored soldier
the eyes Of the people Tho three soldiers will be
tried at the next term OF the United States District
Il
any further writing upon the subject awaiting to soc
tho facts judiciay developed
oUTRAGEs MRxIcANA
| The question TO be settled Is whether the two men
who killed the Mexican among the three yet alive
, or were they killed The Mexicans who killed the
soldiers yet at large and efforts being taken for
their exradition Notwithstanding they have been
| in Camargo Mexico, with the government horses and
arms which they have taken from the dead bodies, and
exhibiting bloody grcenbacks saying they have taken
| them from the dead negroes
| COMPLAINT.
20 he nj nnfn M wgFiff
Washington, ID. c. And am compelled 70 say, that
from the fact that your correspondent docs not namo
any particular officers serving out here, that ne has
conyerscd with upon tho mator, nor states whether
he has visited the frontiers and personally examined
into tho condition Of tho colored soldiers stationed
along tho Rio Grando, and know Of no officers
serving In this locality who visiting Washington al
tho time that communication was written, " clear
reason for mo 70 believo that hts ideas was nothing
more than imagination and maiciousy fabricated into
q acommunication simply TO njure and degrade In the
eyes OF your readers certain class 81 american c.-