The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-12-14
SHOOTING UP"
TEXAS TOWN
BY Negro Soldiers Reviewed By
Secretary Of War Taft.
A STRONG ARRANGEMENT
Conspiracy TO Murder and Conspiracy of
Silence is Double Charge Set Forth
In Annual Report.

The annual report Of Secretary OF
War Taft, made public al Washington,
Wednesday. reviews the events lead.
ing TO Shooting up" Of the town OF
Brownsville, Texas, on August a. last,
by unidentified negro soldiers Of com.
panies B, C. and d Of the twentyffth
infantry. the crime proper, the investl.
cation and subsequent discharge with
out honor, OF the members OF the bat.
TALON.
The report establishes the exist
Once Of a conspiracy for the perpetra-
ton of the crime, and, uneQuivocally,
later conspiracy Of silence on the
part Of the battalion, whereby the
criminals were permitted to escape
The secretary justifies the govern
ment's course, and answers criticisms
directed at It,
The report shows that the battalion
was sent to Brownsville, July "a, over
the protest of the townspeople, the
department alleging the past good be-
havl0r OF negro troops as reason for
not changing its decision
From the first, ii appears, there was
friction between the troops and the
people of the town, sufficiently fire.
aTent to be the constant topic Of
discussion in the barracks Many OF
the saloon compelled the soldiers to
drink at separate bars, discrimi-
nation they resented bitterly. The sec
rotary says
"On the 18th OF August 1t was re-
ported in Brownsville that "A white wo-
man was seized by the hair by a
colored soldier and dragged on the
ground. This report among the towns
people caused great bitterness and
excitement OF feeling, which gave such
concern to the officers OF the battal-
ion that on the night Of the same
day they sent patrols into the town
to bring back their soldiers to the
fort. A few minutes after II o'clock
midnight Of the next day August 10,
4 O.. on the morning Of August IA,
shots were FREQ in the fort toward
the town from the neighboThood of
each barracks of the three companies.
The fort is really in the town, and
only separated from the houses by a
wall. The first shots seem to. have
been fred in the air Immediately af-
forwards a number OF men, variously
estimated from nine to twenty climb
ed over the wall between the fort
and the town There was much direct
evidence that these men were colored
soldiers in khaki and blue shirts, car
rying the new service rife From
seventy-flve to one hundred cartridge
shells and used clips and some I'M
discharged cartridges we're found upon
the streets of the town the next morn
ing. and Major Penrose, commanding
tho battalan identified them as
ammunition for the new service rifle,
and reluctantly admitted their con-
elusive weight as evidence that the
shooting was done by some Of his
me7.
The secretary describes how these
men fired into the room of @ house
in which there were two women and
Ave children. The raiders next en-
eountered the chief of police Before
turning to escape, he estimated their
number at fifteen They fired upon
him. wounding him in the arm and kill
ing his horse. They also fired upon
two policemen, a bullet piercing the
hat of one Of them. The raiders then
fred into Miners hotel six bullets
being found in the building the next
day. The party divided, one squad
going to saloon, the keeper Of which
had insisted on maintaining sepa'
rate bar. The barkeepeT attempted to
close the door but was shot and kill
ed. A competent surgeon with army
experience testified the fatal wound
came from a service bullet.