Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-12
CASE OF COLORED
SOLDIERS GIVEN
Continued from First Page.)

Luc pOSIl1On vacated Uy i. NGOtCihLiCht
report. page Ill, and affidavits j, and ID.
AFTER Company D had marched through
The town they returned to quarters ana
with Company lay around on the grass
until about $3.50, when they were ordered
in, and the guns were again locked up in
the racks. tSee affldayits and Id. Com-
pany remained on guard all night In ad-
dition to the regular guard made up from
the other two companies, and formed cor
don of sentinels around the north and east
sides of the post. Both B and D were or
dered to turn in.
"At 8 am. Company B relieved Company
c from guard duty. (See government re-
port. part II, and affidavits ], X and Ii.
Saw No Soldiers During Riot.
THAT no soldiers took part in the ARRAY
is also indicated by the testimony of VIII
liam Boschelle affidavit b, who, being
white citizen of Brownsville, was probably
not prejudiced in favor of the soldiers. He
was sleeping, he says, in town on the night
of August 13 and was aroused by the firing.
Being a United States governmen mt employee
he hastily dressed and ran toward the post
fearing trouble there. he deposes that he
did not meet single soldier, but did meet
four citizens armed and dressed in khaki
uniforms, and two policemen.
His testimony is confirmed by that of
Matthias G.. Tamayo Government report
page 49,, who is a Mexican and the Scaven-
ger of the post. He was back of Company
quarters when the firing began. He saw
ton from the fort toward the town.
"Affidavits from soldiers also prove that
the troops were not the inStigatorS of the
riot. William Harden of Company B. who
was in the hospital, states Government re-
port, page 92) that the shooting woke him
up and that he went out on the hospital
porch, where he saw crowd OF mounted
men, who could not possibly have been
soldiers, as those in Fort Brown were all
infantry, gallopfng along the wire fence
from east to west along the north boundary
of the post. They opened UP fire near
where the wire fence joins the wall in the
rear of the first set of barracks. They
fired few shots there and then rode on
along the wall to where most of the firing
took place, in the rear of and COM
panies barracks. Charles E. Rudy. arti-
ficer of Company G, says Government re-
port, page 92) that as he slept on the front
porch of his quarters he was awakened by
shot. He got up and went into quarters;
by the time he got there the call to arms
had sounded. He went to the gun rack to
get his gun, but finding the rack locked,
went to the back door and looked out to see.
who was doing the shooting. He saw the
flashes of number of guns, which were
being fired from along the wall which
separates Fort Brown from Brownsville:
They were being fired from the outside OF
the wall toward Company headquarters,
but the fire was high. AS the shooting
continued he heard cursing and calls of
Come out, you black -' ana we VIII
kill all OF YOU
Corp John H. Hill (see affidavit M.
who was in the rear of post No. B. deposes
that he saw five or more citizens run from
town in front of Company D quarters,
where they had evidently been in hiding.
This fact he reported at once to Capt.
Lyons, who will not deny 1t.
civilian Mapp, private of Company G,
says affidavit, page 90. government reporD
that he was awakened that night by firing.
and that he heard voices ON the outside OF
the company barracks saying, Come out
hi ooIy
came from the outside, back o. the quar-
tiers.
Firing From Mixed Arms.
"Those who imagine that the riot was
murderous raid of soldiers against a sleep
ing and helpless town will be disillusioned
by the fact that, Maj. Penrose and every
non-commssioned officer and private of
authoritative experience concur in declar-
ing that from the first the firing was of
mixed arms, i.e., of pistols Winchesters,
etc. (See affidavit Of Companies 3. and
D and sergeants' and privates afhdavits l,
j. K and L.
eff the private soldier Edward A. San
horn of the United States Army Hospital
Corps, now stationed at Fort Sam Houston,
San Antonio, Tex. could be compelled to
testify to facts within his knowledge 1t
could be shown that on the night of the riot,
August 13, there were eight negro soldiers
in the hospital and that on returning to the
hospital that night about II o'clock he
heard the bullets flying over the hospital.
They were not likely to have been fired by
soldiers to injure their comrades in the
hospital.
the Hospital Corps U. S. A, now stationed
at Fort Washington, Maryland. can give
like testimony as to the bullets and shoot
ing.
Guns Were Locked Up.
FINALLY, the soldiers could not have as
;,,f 4 VII ham OF .yor
at the time locked up in the racks. Major
Penrose government report, page ID says
that within five minutes after the call to
arms the racks were found intact and the
guns locked up in them. Company e rack
was indeed broken open, but only after
ward and by order of Major Penrose him
self. On the morning of August IA, as soon
as 1t was light enough to see, every rifle Of
the three companies was inspected, and
each was found unfired. bright and clean.
"Since. because of the foregoing facts,
it was an impossiblity for the soldiers to
have been implicated in the riot, it is to be
expected that the evidence upon which they
were accused is in a high degree made
quate and faulty. Such, on inspection, it
proves to be.
ITO what was called evidence in the
shape of empty army cartridge she.is and
used clips. claimed to have been picked up
by citizens on the scene OF the riot. Major
Penrose capitulated with the most facile
credulity. Were 1t not for the damaging
evidence OF the empty shells and used
clips, says he government report B. page
12), I should be of the firm belief that
none of my men was in any way connected
with the crime By this statement Major
Penrese admits the innocence of his men,
because the shells and clips afford no evil
dence Whatsoever against them In the
first place. army cartridges. and especially
empty shells and clips, were far from being
inaccessible to the citizens of Brownsville.
Any number of shells and clips could be
picked up on the target-practice grounds,
or obtained from the boxes in which, in the
fort. quantities of shells were stored to be
shipped for refiliing; and cartridges and
clips were, usual. given away by the
soldiers by the dozen souvenirs to chill
dren and citizens. In the second place, the
rifle in common use in that part of Texas
carries the government cartridge, If car
tridges are inserted one at time. If
Major Penrose reasons correctly, any one
could secure and sprinkle army cartridges
shells near any army post, fire few shots
in the air, and thereby make out perfect
case of rioting against United States SOL
diers.
Statements Of Citizens.