The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-12-11
Secretary Taft On the
Brownsville Affair.
NO EXCUSE FOR IT


wa submitted 10 Congress toGas.
gives a history Of the conduct If tho
black battalion At Brownsville. Teza-
After stating the objection that was
made - st&ttonlns thu colored SOL
dicrs &t brownsville. and the .apI of
tho War department declining 10
change the order. tho report proceeds.
The battalion was aagordInglE sent
to Fort Brown in command Of Major
G. ". Penrose. and arrived there Jul%
-, I9oC. soon after its arrival. uu-
fortUnGt" differences arose between lua
enlisted men and oUne toWnSueplte .
As i usual in such cases, There was
contradictory evidence as 70 the CATS
for the troubles. tho tncE We're
doubtless due primarily to th- resent
lucGt Of certain Of the toWnspAoQiH at
The ptcNlmitV OF Z negro Battalion.
The Of friction were GuHl-
crouS and notorious enough 10 be the
cause OF mach discussion III the bar
rack rooms of the three companies.
The feeling Of the enlisted men was
also rouse by q discrimination insist
Cd on in most of the saloons OF TIL
town, in Wh.ch separate bars We're pro
| vided for them. no cIiol injury W&-
done TO any Of the Glor2d soldiers.
aItho one of them was llnocllod ooNn
by q Government official named Tate
with 2 dubbed revolver for jostling
his wife, rs he charged, and another
was pushed off q Gang plank by 4 Gus
toms Inspector INTO the mad OF the
Rio r&nde because drums and dis
orderly, as it was claimed.
ON the 18th Of August = was re-
ported in Brownsville tnat q white
woman was seized by ttso haid ~ a
cul0red soldier and jagged on the
ground. This epOrt &lHOng the towns
people caused great bitterness ~ cX-
element Of feeling, WHICH gave such
concern to the officers OF the battalion
that on the night Of th2 Sane cay
they sent patrols into the town to
bring back theil soldiers To the fort.
A row minutes after II o'ctock mid
night of the next day. August ID. lie.
on The morning of August ii. shots
were fired in the fort toward the town
from the neighbOrhood Of each bar
rack of the three companies. The fort
is really III the town and only epar-
atc1 from the houses by a wall. The
FIRST shots seem to have been fired in
the air. Immediately afterwards q
number of men, variOuslN estimated
from nine to twenty, climbed over the
wall betWeGn the fort and the owl
There was much direct evidence that
these men We're colored soldiers in
khaki and blue shirts, carrying the
new service rifle. From twenty-five
to ~ hundred cartridge shells anG
used clips and some u~ndischarGed ear
tridgeS We're found upon the streets
OF the town the next morning, aEd
Major PenrOSe, commanding the bat
TALON, then Identified them as anumu-
milton for the new service rifle anG
reluctantly admitted thcir conclusive
weight as evidence that the shooting
was done by some of his men.
Chief OF Police Wouua!cd.
"The raiders advanced UP an alley
leading from the fer thru the town
and first fred into the room of q
house on the alley at the end of the
trSt block, in which were two WOmen
and five children. one OF the bullets
knocked over and put out Il lighted
lamp on the table in the room. Tel.
shots were fired, nearly all gong thru
the Eouse at about four and One-hal.
feet above the floor. The raiders then
encountered the chief of police on 2
horse. He had heard the shooting
and hurried toward the sound. Wher
he saw the soldiers, the number OF
whom he estimated to be fifteen. he
turned and tried to escape. They tireC
on him, Killed his horse and wounded
MIN in the arm 50 that il q TO be
amputated. Two policemen who ha6
separated from him We're also shot 1t
\ bullet pierced the hat of one 81
them. The raiders then fired into
Mller's Hotel, on the alley at the enc
of the second block. There was {
light in the hotel and a guest at one
Of the windows. SIX bullet holes Wer.
fodnd in the hotel the next day.
Saloon Keeper Shot Dead.
The party then divided. One squaG
proceeded farther down the alley t
the third block lOWard d saloon which
had been one of those in which il
had becn insisted that the cOlOred mel
must drink at the separate bar. The
barkeeper heard them coming and at
tempted to close the door. but was
shot and instantly killed near the
door. The fatal wound was declared
by q competent urgecn With arms
experience to lave been made by (
bullet of the Caliber Of those used II
the service rifle. \ Mexican in the
same saloon was shot in he hand
saloon door. The other squad shot in
to a house neXt TO the house of tbs
man who had. as already related
knocked down one Of h enlisted men
with q revolver. The shots We're al
aimed At about ) or s feet obve tn,
floor. and went thru the mosquito
bars in which q woman and Two chill
dren were sleeping. Bullet marks
We're found on other houses in tn
neighbOrhood. There vas much cvf-
dence Of expressions uttered by tn
raiders as they advanced and shot
indicating their malicious and murder
GUS intent. The shots fred IN a shor.
space of ten minutes were ~Variousl!
SoIiilldlSi from eNcIlS-INe 70 OIt
hundred and fifty. and all We're free
within three blocks of the fort.
The Garrison aroused.
THE first voIley awakened manv Of
the sleeping garrison and attracte6
ne attent on of the sentinel, who dis
chafSed his Il three times and call
ed the guard. The sergeant Of tn
gudIu CARED out the guard. and theT
he directed the call to arms to the bat
lalloh, The bUgIe sounded and the
men rushed TO the gun racks. which
lle Sefgeants and corpcTaIs in charg,
10y mao not been opened until they
@pened them with the KEYS which had
netn IN their possession for more tina
.MSthe hours. One gun rack was
.'okeh open in the hurry of the mel
y answer the call Ia arms The COM