The Elbert County tribune., 1906-12-27
WHY THE PRESIDENT MusTEREp
THEM OUT.
MESSAGE TO THE SENATE
Acts Of the Three Negro Companies
Condemned in Strong Language
Rioters Deserved Death-Danaer-
Gus for coIored Men to Stand by
Criminals

Washington. - President Roosevelt
Wednesday complied with the request
Of the Senate in transmitting to that
body a transcript of testimony and doc.
uments connected with the discharge OF
a battalion OF negro troops OF the
Twenty-fifth infantry. The message
was decidedly severe in its criticism
of the soldiers alleged to be concerned
| in shooting up the town OF Browns
vile, Texas.
The President submitted the follow
| ing:
To the Senate-In response to Sen.
| ate resolution of December 9th ad-
| dressed to me, and to the two Senate
resolutions addressed to him, the sec
retary of war has. by my direction, sub
mitted to me report which herewith
send to the Senate. together with sew
eral documents. including letter of
| General Nettleton and memoranda as
to precedents for the summary dis
charge or mastering out of regiments
or companies, some or all of the men,
bers of which had been guilty OF mis-
| conduct.
| l ordered the discharge of nearly all
the members of Companies B, C and ID
of the Twenty-fifth infantry by name.
in the exercise of my constitutional
| power and in pursuance of what, after
| full consideration, l found to be my
| constitutional duty as commander-in-
chief of the United States army. l
| am glad to avail myself of the oppor-
| tunity afforded by these resolutions to
| lay before the Congress the following
| facts as to the murderous conduct OF
certain members of the companies In
question and as to the conspiracy by
| which many of the other members OF
these companies saved the criminals
| from justice, to the disgrace or the
United States uniform.
1t appears that in Brownsville. the
city Immediately beside which Fort
Brown is situated, there had been con
siderable feeling between the citizens
and the colored troops of the garrison
1 companies. Difficulties had occurred
there being a conflict of evidence as to
whether the citizens or the coiored
| troops were to blame.
The townspeople were completely
surprised by the unprovoked and muir
derous savagery of the attack The
soldiers were the aggressors from
start to finish. They met with no sub
stantial resistance and one and all who
took part in that raid stand as deiiber-
ate murderers who did murder one
man and who tried to murder 9th
ers, and who tried to murder women
and children. The act was one of hor
rible atrocity, and so far as | am
aware, unparalleled for infamy in the
annals of the United States army.
The white officers of the com
panies were completely taken 10y
surprise and at first evidently be
lieved that the townspeople were
attacking the soldiers. 1t was moi
until or 3 O'Clock in the
morning that any of them became
aware OF the truth. l have directed a
careful investigation into the conduct
Of the officers, to see II any of them
are blameworthy, and | have approved
the recommendation OF the War De
partment that two be brought before
court martial AS to the non-commls
stoned officers and enlisted men, there
can he no doubt whatever that many
were unnecessarily privy to the con
duct of those who took actual part In
this murderous riot. From nine to fif
teen or twenty of the colored soldiers
took part in the attack. They leapet
over the walls from the barracks and
hurried through the town. They sho
at whomeVer they saw moving AM
II
lights. In some of these houses there
were women and children, as the
would-be murderers must have known
In one hosse in which there were two
women and five children some ter
shots went through at a height, ol
about four and one-half feet above this
floor. one putting out the lamp upor
the table. The lieutenant of police
of the town heard the firing an6 rode
toward 1t. He met the raiders, VINO
as he stated, were about fifteen colored
soldiers.
They instantly started firing upor
him. He turned and rode of, and they
continued firing upon him until they
had killed his horse. They shot hin
in the right arm Ut was afterwards
amputated above the elbow. A mum
Der of shots were also fired at two
other policemen. The raiders firet
several times into hotel, some of the
shots being aimed at a guest sitting
by a window. They shot into a saloon
killing the bartender and wounding an
other man. At the sAme time Other
raiders fired into another house In
which women and children were sleep
ing, two OF the shots going through the
mosquito bar over the bed in which
the mistress of the house and her two
children were lying. Several Other
houses were struck by bullets. 1t was
at night and the streets OF the town
are poorly lighted. so that none OF the
individual raiders were recognized
but the evidence of many witnesses oi
all classes was conclusive to the ef
feet that the raiders we're negro sol
diers.
There is no question as to the mur
| do
there is no question that some of the
soldiers werS guilty thereof; there is
no question that many of their com
rades privy to the deed have com
bined to. shelter the criminals from
justice.
AS punishment, discharge is utterly
lInadeoua4e The punishment for mu,