Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-20
Roosevelt Warmly
Defends His
Action
Says His Constitutional
Duty Demanded Dis
charge OF Negroes
States That the Brownsville Raid Was
Most DastardIy in the History
oil Army-Discusses
Lynching5

5000. g g 90 % 1%@~@ g.
o e,
% BY Associated Press. q, @
(" WASHINGTON, Dee. I0.-rr .isi- &.
6, dent HOOscvcit's message 6tnling .
&" with his action in dismiss.ne from o
g. the army the negro troops of the :.
6, three companies of the Twenty {.
6" fifth inta 'ry furnishcd the one 9
e. topic of interest bI the senatc's &.
g, session today. e"
g, lively debate Followed the e,
@ reading of the M .ssngc as to what o
e, should he done with il. q
{. Senator Foraker wanted il sent %
% To the miIitaIy " committee with in @
o. structionS 10 make further inVes- %
% tigatiOn shotId the committee %
q, deem il necessary. @
{. He said thai. In reality much that {:
O. appeared to he testimony was 8:
g really not testimOny. as much OF IL {"
% was not under oath.
q. On objection from Senator Clay Z.
e, the senntc postponed action until 6:
o. tomorrow. g
~~10 . {. 9 v@v4~~~~~~@9 20
BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.-The mes
sage of President Roosevelt addressed
to the senate includes a report from the
secretary of war and several other doc
uments and reports, including letter
of General Netteton, recently pub
ished The president says:
IL ordered the discharge of nearly
all the members of companies b. C and
d OF the Twenty-ffth- infantry by
itI,-
tional power and in pursuance of what,
after full consideration 1 found to be
my constitutional duty as oonnnander-
in-chief of the United States army.
Il am glad to avail myself of the op-
portunity afforded by these resolutions
to lay before the congress the following
facts as to the murderOuS conduct OF
certain members of the companies in
question and as to the conspiracy by
which many Of the other members OF
these companies saved the criminals
from justice to the disgrace of the
United States uniform"
Referring to the several official re-
ports of the trouble at Brownsville the
president says there is a conflict of evil
dence as to whether the citizen or the
colored troops We're to blame for the
feeling which eliminated in the out
break.
The president said:
Both Sizes Were to Blame
"My impression is that as a matter of
fact in these difficulties there was
blame attached to both sides, but this is
a wholly unimpOrtant matter for our
present purpose, as nothing that occur
red offered in any shape or in any way
any excuse or justification for the afro
cious conduct of the troops when in
lawless and murderous spirit and under
cover of the night they made their at
tack upon the citizens"
In referring to the midnight attack
upon the people of Brownsville the
president says that from nine to fifteen
or twenty of these cOlored troops took
part in it.
He continues: "They leaped over the
walls of the barracks and hurried
through the town. They shot at whom
ever they saw moving and they shot
into houses where they saw lights.
"In some of these houses there were
women and children as the would be
murderers must have known. In one
house in which there were two women
and five children some ten shots Went
through at a height of about four and
One-half feet above the floor, one put
ting out the lamp upon the table.
"The lieutenant of police of the town
heard the firing and rode toward it. He
met the raiders who, as he stated, were
about fifteen cOlored soldiers. They in
turned and rode off and they continued
'ring upon him until they had killed his
horse. They shot him in the right arm
II was afterWard amputated above the
elbow. A number of shots We're also
firod at two other policemen
"The raiders fred several times into
hotel. some of the shots being aimed
at a guest sitting by window. They
shot into a saloon, killing the bartender
and wounding another man. At the
same time other raiders fired into an
other house in which women and
children We're sleeping. two of the shots
going through the mosquito bar over
the bed In which the mistress of the
house and her two children were lying.
Several other house We're struck by
bullets.
Raiders Were Negro Soldiers
1T was at night and the streets of the
town are poorly lighted, so that none of
the individual raiders could be recog-
nized, but the evidence of many wit
nesses OF all classes was conclusive to
the effect that the raiders were negro
soldiers The toWnspeople We're COM
pletely surprised by the unprovoked
and murderous savasery of tho attack.
The soldiers We're the aggressors from
start to finish.
"rhey met with no substantial resist
ance and one and I'll who took part in
that raid stand as deliberate murderers.
who did murder one man. who tried to
murder others and who tried to murder
women and children.
THE act was one Of horrible atrocity
and. SO far as J am aware, unparalleled
for infamy in the annals Of the United
States.
"As to The non-commissioned officers
I and enlisted men. there can be no