The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-12-13

~ A " -
gress calling TOR the ~diSbandlng
Of all negro regiments. n their
permanent expulsion from the
United States army. The Incl y
den promises to be one of great
moment involving many phases
OF the puzzling race question.
Sturg.s, S.. D., Dec. president Roose1
welt can find plenty and sincere backing in
his attitude against the colored troops In
this town and IN Valentine, Neb., both OF
which places nave been "shot up by.
members of the Twenty-hfth infantry,
which has finally exceeded the limit at
Brownsville, Tex.
Both here and at Valentine murders.
were committed in the most wanton man
ner and at the latter place the guilty men,
although seen to leave the scene of the
crime were never caught because for fear
of their own lives and of the "stick-to-
gether'' policy of the colored men, wit,
nesses could not be found who would tes-'
tify to the truth. At Sturgis, September
1924, 1885, the raiders were under
of one of their number, but at Valentine
just after their return from the Philip
pines, October 20, 1904, the affair was of a
more clandestine nature.
From an account of the Sturgis raid, in
a local newspaper, the following is taken
Terrorized Town; Killed One.
Last Saturday night a crowd of color
ed soldiers from Fort Meade, members
OF Company Fl, Twenty-ifth infantry,
marched up the main street of Sturgis, in
file of tours with their arms, the prop,
erty Of the United States and under COM
mand of one of their number, fired up
wards of fifty shots into various buildings.
They killed one man, an inoffensfve cow
boy who was looking out of a window.
This crowd of murderous men arrived
about 2 in the morning. They had escap-
ed sentry, guard and patrol and taken
their guns from the barracks, with which
to commit this crime of murder. They
marched up the street with military pre-
cision and at the command given by John
Taylor, in command of the squad, came
to a halt in front of Hills place. Taylor
gave the order to fire and the place was
riddled with bullets. After this these de
Tenders of our country fired several more
volleys at random, Judge Ash experience
ing a narrow escape as he was looking out
of his window. Whenever a citizen show
ed himself these men fired and but for the
poor workmanship of the mob there
would have been more deaths. The whole
town was terrorized and at the mercy
of the raiders
Four Sent Up for Life.
The newspaper relates that troops from
the fort scattered the ..ch, that q cor
oner's inquest on the body of Robert S.
Bell, the murdered man resulted in identi-
flying Evans, Watson, Greer and Taylor.
a later issue says the four men were sen
fenced to life imprisonment.
1t was in the fall of 1885 that DIR. r.
Lynch was murdered in cold blood by Cor
poral Hallen of the colored troops and al
though the murderer was ~summarily deal
with by the enraged citizens, the shooting
80 L. I~-tN- t. lam 400 l.--- --.k1
feelings of hatred for the negro soldiers
DR.. Lynch had been called to treat Name
Lewis, a sweetheart of Corporal Hallen
whom the latter had b~rutally beaten. He
remarked to the woman that Haller
should be prosecuted and when she later
related this to Hallen the trooper swore
he would kill Lynch if he hung for it.
The following night dressed as a private
he sneaked into Lynch's office and finding
the doctor snoozing in his chair shot hin
through the heart.
Woman "Peached" on Hin.
The woman told on Hallen and when III
was placed IN the Jail the citizens BROKE
in and witt a rope around Hallen's necl
led him away toward Fiddler's tree. TheS
We're overtaken by soldiers sent to saw,
the prisoner, but it was dark md twisting
the rope so Hallen could not call out, the,
hid until the cavalry men swept by. TIL
hanging then took place.
The shooting up of Valentine, Neb.
was related the other day by c. II. Cornell
! of that place, who said: IF those coloret
pastors and people would investigate at
little closer range they would notify thei
.. resolutions and memorials directed agains
an honest and courageous president"
Two battalions of the Twenty-tifth regi
ment were stationed at Fort N.obrara
bearing about the same relations to Val
]entine, respective distance and commercial
y interests, as Fort Brown does to Browns
: vile, Tex. The raid was on a dance hal
: kept by q discharged colored soldier, nam
ed Stratton.
Woman Killed, Others Wounded.
Firing on the hall began just as a WACO,
with four occupants drove to the door an
: Lulu johnson. a colored woman, appeare
to greet them. She. was killed. Trumbu,
the driver was shot through the arm
Raymond Smith who was in the WACO
|, was shot through the body, one horse va
|, killed ard a stove in the well filled ha
{ shattered, the dancers niraculous!y es
I Gaping injury. Sixteen empty Krag-Jo1
gensen cartridges were found and at leas
J, two soldiers in uniform were seen leavin
with their rifles, still as before stated
!, they were never punished.
Mr.. Cornell points out that whateve
z excuse prejudice in the south might civ
n for violence on the part of the negro so
diers. no such justification existed in til
north where they were given every cor
sideration.
Describing some of their orgies he saie
Among the soldiers, themselves an
their camp followers, principally dl
d charged colored troopers, there We're de,
It perate characters. In their many Draw
they seemed TO place no value at all {
- human life. In the dance halls aid r.
g sorts. which followed them into the coul
! try and went out of business immediate
upon the departure of the troops, the
70 would light like demons, and the recor,
! of our district court have been load,
80 down with criminal cases, due to the
"a fights. A goodly number were sent to Il
state penitentiary and others were pu
ished by court martial"