The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-29
Illinois Republican Investigates
 Whole Brownsville Affair
TROOPS ARE NOT MARTYRS
Attempt to Make Them Such Is Char acterized as Grotesque and Presi- dent Pursued the Only
 Course Possible.

Brownsville Tex, November 2S.-Be- cause of the apparent misunderstanding in portions of the country of the facts which called forth the order for the dis charge of the three companies of colored troops recently stationed here, and in view of the resulting criticism of the Presi- dents course in the matter, the citizens committee of Brownsville recently re- quested Gen. A. B. Nettleton of Chicago, former assistant secretary of the treas ury, now here on business, to make, in his own way. a thorough and dlsinterest- ed investigation of the Brownsville trage dy of August 1S, and report his conelu- sionS.
 General Nettleton has embodied his findings in a letter to the Secretary or War He says in part:
 "As a citizen of Illinois, as an anti slavery advocate when that phrase had a meaning and as a lifelong republican, who served in the union army throughout the civil war, I shall at least, not be sus- pected of prejudice against men of color, as such.
 Caused By Misnformaton.
 q feel sure that only carefully dis seminated transformation as to the facts can account for the present gross mis- apprehension on the part of many per- sons and journals.
 "Without rehearsing details, I wish to assure you that there was absolutely unprejudiced investigation made after local excitement has subsided, which con firms in every particular, the conclusions
 off here, by the war department on the strength of which the President took his action, as well as the very clear and temperate statement published inlmedi- aecly after the tragedy by Chairman Kelly of the Brownsville citizens com mittes."
 After summarizing the facts hitherto published as to the killing of one citizen, the manning of a chief of police, the fir ing of volleys into and through hotels, saloons and many private residences and the terrorizing of the entire town, the let ter continues:
 srreated With Consideration.
 "The well attested evidence, controvert- ed by none is that the colored troops were treated here with the same consider ation with which colored soldiers of like bearing are treated in most garrison towns of the northern states. That on the other hand, the street conduct of some of them was often progressively and causelessly insolent toward white men and women; that there was no proVoca- tion for the murderouS raid by the sol diers unless it can be called a provoca- ton that the drinkers among them were provided with separate bars in certain saloons, and that on two occasions lndi- yidual insoIcnce was resented by 1ndlVld- ual citizens, both of whom happen to have been republican sfederal officials. There was no riot and no street rows as many newspapers persist in calling the occurrence. It was simply most cowardly conspiracy to terrify, wound and kill unoffending men, women and chil- dren at the hour of midnight when de- fense or resistance was impossible, and was not even attempted. Evidently not an opposing shot was fred.
 General Nettleton's letter sharply raised the question as to what the white of ticers of the garrison were doing on the night of the raid and closes thus:
 Calls 1t Groteseue.
 .'In view of the facts as l find them here, the present attempt on the part of some to make martyrs of any portion of the discharged men would be appalling, if t were not grotesque. The conspiracy or silence on the part of all members or the battalion prevents the government from punishing the previous conspiracy Of violence and murder and the separation or all alike from the service, which they have disgraced, becomes inevitable. l be- lleve no course other than the one "hic inc President has pursued, was, or oren to him, unless all semblanco of a decent discipline in our army IS 10 be ended, and unless every American com munity, north and south alike, is to be given cause to dread the proximity of the negro garrison as it would be that an encampment of armed and uniformed assassins. l sympathize deeply with the colored people in their upward struggle in America against fearful odds, but I believe the most damaging. service that can be rendered them as race in their period of test and transition, is that of championing or excusing the criminal ele- ment in their ranks"