The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-20
Message 10 Congress Explains
Shooting By Troops
lACE ISSUE NOT INVOLVED
He Takes Occasion to Tell to What
Lengths He Has Gone In Behalf
of the Negro Since He
Became President.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE IL

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one house in which there were two womenl
and five children some ten shots went
through at a height of about IA feet
above the floor. one putting out the lamp
upon the table. The lieutenant of police
o. the town heard the firing and rode
toward it. He met the raiders, who, as
he stated, were about Is colored soldiers,
They instantly started firing upon him. He
turned and rode off, and they continued
firing upon him until they had killed his
horse They shot him in the right arm
dt was afterwards amputated above the
elhowD A number of shots were also
fired at two other policemen The raid
ers fired several times into hotel, some
OF the shots being aimed at a guest
sitting by q window. They shot into a
saloon. killing the bartender and wound
ing another man. At the same time other
raiders fired into another house in which
women and children were sleeping, two
of the shots going through the mos
quito bar over the bed in which the mis-
tress 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 of all classes was con-
elusive to the effect that the raiders
were negro soldiers. The shattered bull
lets, shells, and clips of the government
rifles, which were found on the ground,
are merely corroborative. So are the bull
let holes in the houses some of which
i. appears must, from the direction, have
been fired from the fort just at the mo-
ment when the soldiers left it. Not a
bullet hole appears in any of the struc-
lures of the fort.
The townspeople were completely sur
priced by the unprovoked and murderous
savagery of the attack. The soldiers
were the aggressors from start to finish.
They met with no substantial resistance.
and one and all who took part in that
raid stand as deliberate murderers, who
did murder one man, who tried to murder
others. and who tried to murder women
and children. The act was one of horri-
BILE atrocity, and so far as I am aware
unparalleled for infamy in the annals of
the United States Army
The white officers of the companies
were completely taken by surprize, and
at first evidently believed that the firing
meant that the townspeople were attack
ing the soldiers. 1t was not until or 3
o'clock in the morning that any of them
became aware of the truth. / have d.
rected a careful investigation into the
conduct of the affcers, to ene If any OF
| them were blameworthy, and I have ap-
proved the recommendation of the War
| Department tina. two be brought before a
| court-martia..
| AS to the noncommissioned officers and
| enlisted men, there can be no doubt what
ever that many were necessarily privy,
after if not before the attack, to the con-
| duct of those who took actual part in
this murderous riot. l refer to Major
Blocksoms report for proof of the fact
that certainly some and probably all Of
the noncommissioned officers. oin charge
of quarters who were responsible for the
gun-racks and had keys thereto in their