The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-04-10
J Il REMARKABLE RI !. SCENE.
Senator Ben. Ti'man's Retact to
Senator Redfeld Proctor.
ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE.
The sprinRneld, Iass., Republican
Stresses tho 1noidone TO the
Disadvantages Of the New
EnElander.

- u. - = ' :, .
HInslander.
a remarkable episode is embedded
in the Congressional Record Of Jan
uary 20. Let us observe the scene it
presents. The senator from Vermont,
MIR. Proctor, had the floor. Heis u
fair representative Of New England.
Debating with him was the senator
from South Carolina, Mr.. Tillman,
who happens to be more associated in
the public mind with the defense Of
lynch law than any other senator.
Senator Tillman has often Justified
violent acts toward the negro race.
These facts tend to make the cncou,-
ter between New England and South
Carolina on the floor Of the senlte
impressive, for the subject under dis.
cussion was peculiarly an issue Of law
leSSness and even .Savagery.
The senator from New England had
read to the senate the statement by
Capt. Cornelius NJ. Browncll, late cap
tain Of Co. X. Goth ylunteer infantry,
confessing and justifying his act in
torturing to death the inSurgcnt Fill
pino priest known as Father Augustin.
The statement was read in full, and
the remarks that followed were made
with full knowledge Of Capt. Brown
ellis declarations. Browncl gave
detailed description of the torture,
which is absolutely forbidden by tho
articles Of war under which the Uni
ted States army is governed during
hoStilities, and which the world re-
CARDS as crime against civilization.
SOme extracts may serve to show the
character of Capt. Drown,ll's opera
tions:
Knowing that there was on deposit
in the city Of Iloilo a large sum of
money awaiting his order at the mer-
camille house OF IIoSkyn & Co., the
banking houses Of the Hong kong and
Shanghai banking corporation, and
: the Banquo Espanol, insisted that he
would be obliged to deliver orders for
this money to me.
The time given him having expired
without result, he was brought into
my presente and that OF other officers
and enlisted men and told that he
would be blindfoldcd and the water
cure administered until he -acceded to
my request
The water cure was administered
) sf0r q short time.
5:s3F5 He still insisted that 1t. belonged to
;s;the. pope at Rome. The cure
sSsYasS Scontinu ed. S I: 81; s93
Under, this Sph hysical torture, Which,
EASass Rpt,lled st thrse 81 ines. The nfi lest 4,
sa,5 ~. iieOrderS. Tor JhepayI1ent
s:.;,lilt, oney @fi ich was intfie various
'jSlDan ks. But Capt. Brownell was not
satisfied. He then demanded that the
priest disclose the hiding place of one
Quintin SalaS. Now came the final
tragedy, which under any possible in
depreciation Of military law was mur-
der:
He (thc priest) was in Il detected
mood, respondent, thoroughly discour-
aged. IIe told me that he had better
be dead, and wished he might die.
give him until certain hour to con
sider whether he would disclose this
hiding place or not. At the cxpira-
ti0n Of this time lie declined to dis
close Salas whereabouts.
finally ordered that the cure be
again administered to him and stepped
into an adjoining room.
In very short time. was
warned by disturbance in the room
where the prisoner; was that some
thing was wrong and upon entering
the room the man was dead.
Never, OF course, was there a clearer
case for physician in determining
the cause OF death. Father Augustln
died under torture. Yet, according
to Capt. BrOwnell's statement, the
post surgeon Immediately came in,
looked at the corpse, and decided that
the priest had died from fatty de-
generation OF the heart, and from
complete collapse and mental anguish
over the exposure Of his criminal life"
That was the surgeons little joke, but
it was OF the sort Of humor that may
best be described as mOckcry.
Now, the United States senate,
having heard all these facts as related |
by Browncll, was thcn Il listener to
this remarkably prevented or remark
ably impudent expression OF the cap
tain's views on his own case:
The water cure was administered |
by my order several times to different
natives. ~. l do not and never
have believed It cruel or barbarOus i'm
any manner, and whenever it became
necessary, in my Judgment, to admin
lister it, the men chosen for that duty |
were chosen with view to having
only Intelligent, careful, humane men
perform the operation.
Senator Redticld Proctor when the
reading had ended, stood on his feet
and said: propose to make de-
Tense Of Capt Browncll. In his posi-
tiol he vas fully justified in taking
any steps he saw proper for the safety
Of his command. Father Augustin
might have been tried by Il drumhcad
courtmartial and shot or hung" And
that was New England Speaking in
defense Of hidcous torture, which re-
suited In murder, as Il means Of war
fare. Up arose whom? The sena-
tor from South Carolina, and he aim
ed at the New Englander thrust
that should have cut to his soul:
If the senator will permit me, Il |
have only to say that for tho honor or |
the American republic and tho honor
Of the American army, would to God |
Father Augustin had been shot by or.
der Of a drumhead courtmartial rather