Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-12-11
that the shooting was done by some
Chief of Police Wounded.

q house on the alley at the end of the
first block. in which were two women
and five children. One of the bullets
knocked over and put out a lighted
lamp on the table in the room. Ter
shots were fired, nearly all going
through the house at about four and
one-ha feet above. the floor. The
faiders then encounteded the chief OF
! police on a horse. He had heard the
shooting and hurried toward the sound
| When he saw the soldiers, the number
| df whom he estimated to be fifteen, he
turned and tried to escape. They fired
On him, killed his horse and wounded
| him in the arm so that 1t had to be
dmputated. Two policemen who had
separated from him were also shot at
A bullet pierced the hat of one OF
them. The raiders then fired into Mil
ler's hotel. on the alley at the end OF
the second block. There was a light
In the hotel and a guest at one of the
windows. Six bullet holes were
found In the hotel the next morning.
The party then divided. One squad
proceeded farther down the alley to
the third block toward a saloon. which
had been one of those In which IL had
been insisted that the colored men
must drink at a 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 competent surgeon with army ex-
let Of the calibre of those used in the
service rifle. A Mexican in the same
saloon was shot in the hand. There
were five or six shots in the saloon
house next to the house Of the man
who had, as already related, knocked
down one Of the enlisted men with a
revolver. The shots were all aimed at
about or 6 feet above the floor, and
went through the mosquito bars In
which a woman and two children were
sleeping. Bullets marks were found on
other houses in the neighborhood.
There was much evidence Of express
siOns uttered by the raiders as they
advanced and shot, indicating their
malicious and murderous intent. The
shots fired in a short space Of ten min
utes were variously estimated from
seventy five to one hundred and fifty,
and all were fired within three blocks
Of the fort.
The Garrison Alarmed.
The first volley awakened many OF
the sleeping garrison and attracted the
attention of the sentinel, who dis
charged his gun three times and call
ed the guard. The sergeant Of the
guard called out the guard. and then
he directed the call to arms to the bat
TALON. The bugle sounded and the
men rushed to the gun racks, which
the sergeants and corporals in charge
NSay had not been opened until they
opened them with the keys which had
been in their possession for more than
twelve hours. One gun rack was brok-
en- open in the hurry of the men to
answer the call to arms. The COM
missioned officers were awakened by
the firing, dressed hurriedly, and came
out to call the roll Of the men Of the
companies. They supposed that an at
tack had been made upon the barracks
by men in the town. and did not know
until some hours later that the shoot
ing had been done by soldiers, and that
their men were suspected Of any Of
fence AS soon as they were inform
ed Of the facts by the mayor they caus-
ed all the rifles Of the enlisted men to
he examined. Every rifle was then
found to be clean.
The evidence makes II quite clear
that the firing had not ceased when
the men began to form in line, and,
therefore. that all the guns with
which the firing was done could not
have been in the racks when the ser
geants in charge Of quarters went to
unlock the racks, although they testi-
fed that they were there. 1t Is also
certain that during the formation OF
the companies. or Immediately after,
the men who had done the shooting
must have returned to their places so
as to respond to the rollcall or that
some one answered for them.
One or two enlisted men testified
that the first shooting was done out
side the fort, that 1t was accompanied
by cries indicating hostility to the
soldiers, and that the bullets were di-
rected toward the barracks, but not
the slightest trace Of any bullet holes
could be found in the barracks, and
the great weight of the testimony in
dicates that these witnesses were mis-
taken.
That facts as stated appear from the
careful investigation and report of
Major Bocksom, of the inspector gen.
erals corps of the army, supplement-
ed by affidavits and oral examination
of many witnesses, conducted by a
citizens committee at the invitation
of Major Penrose, and by the report of
Major Penrose. Major Blocksom be-
gan his investigation three days af-
ter the occurrence.
Efforts to Get at the Truth.
Since the occurrence every effort
has been made by the commissioned
officers and by competent military in
spectors sent for the purpose. through
cross examination OF each member OF
the company who was present In the
fort that night, to find some clue by
which the enlisted men who committed
this crime could be detected, and not
the slightest evidence tending to es-
tablish the identity of a single man
has been forthcoming. All the enlisted
men OF the battalion were advised that
II evidence was not forthcoming lead
ing to the identification Of those who
planned and committed these murders
and attempted murders. 1t would be-
come necessary to discharge all the
men present at Fort Brown that night
without honor and to bar them from
raapIiStmept In the army or service