Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-19

Continued from First Page.)
that none of the individual raiders were
recognized; but the evidence of many wit
nesSes of all classes conclusive to the
effect that the raiders were negro soldiers
The shattered bullets shells and clips OF
the government rifles. which were found on
the ground, are merely eerroborative- so
are the bullet holes in the houses; some OF
which 1t appears must from the direction
have been fired from the fort just az the
moment when the soldiers left 1t. NOT
bullet hole appears in any of the struc-
lures Of the fort.
Townspeople Surprised.
The townspeople were completely sur
prised 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 muroer
others. and who tried to murder women
atrocity. and SO far as am aware. un-
paralleled for infamy in the annals OF the
United States army ~ 1-ET
The white officers Of the companies were
completely taken by surprise, and at first
evidently believed that the firing meant
that the townspeople were attacking the
soldiers. 1t was not until or o'clock in
the morning that any Of them became
full investigation into the conduct OF the
officers, to see II any of them were blame
worthy. and 1 have approved the recon-.
mendatiOn of the War Department that
two be brought before a court-martiaL
AS to the noncommissioned Omcers and
enlisted men, there can be no doubt what
ever that many were necessarily pr1vy'
after II not before the attack, to the con-
duct of those who took actual part in this
murderous riot. I refer to Major Block
SONS report for proof Of the fact that GER
tainly some and probably all Of the non
commissioned officers in charge Of quarters
who were responsible for the gun-racks
and had keys thereto in their personal pos
session knew what men were engaged In
the attack.
Maj. Penrose in command Of the post. in
his letter Included in the appendix gives
the reasons why he was reluctantly con-
WINGED that some Of the men under him
as he thinks from seven to ten-got their
rifles. slipped out Of quarters to do the
shooting and returned to the barracks with
out being discovered, the shooting all oc-
curing within two and a half short blocks
of the barracks. 1t was possible for the
raiders to go from the fort to the farthest
point of firing and return in less than ten
minutes. for the distance did not exceed
$50 yards.
Such are the facts of this case. Gen. Net
Teton. in his letter herewith appended.
states that next door to where he Is writ
ing in Brownsville is small cottage Where
a children's party had just broken UP De-
fore the house was riddled by United states
bullets fired by United States troops. from
United States Springfield rifles, at close
range, with the purpose of killing or malm-
ing the inmates, including the parents and
children who were still in the well-lighted
house. and whose escape from death unaer
such circumstances was astonishing. lie
states that on another street he daily looks
upon fresh bullet scars where voiley from
similar government rifles was fired into the
side and windows of hotel occupied at the
time by sleeping or frightened guests from
obi hn
any offenSe to the aSSailantS. He writes
that the chief of the Brownsville police Is
again on duty from hospital, and carries an
empty sleeve because he was shot by fed-
eral soldiers from the adjacent garrison In
the course of their murderous foray; and
not far away is the fresh grave of an I'M
! offending citizen of the place, a BOY IN
years, who was wantonly shot down by
these United States soldiers while un-
armed and attempting to escape
The effort to confute this testimony so
far has consisted in the assertion or i'm
plication that the townspeople shot one
another in order to discredt the soldiers
an absurdity too gross to need discussion,
/; and unsupported by a shred OF evidence;
There is no question as to the murder and
| the attempted murders; there is no ques-
| ton that some of the soldiers were guilty
| thereof; there is no question that many
| of their comrades privy to the deed COM
| bined to shelter the criminals from justice.
| These comrades of the murderers, by their
own action, have rendered 1t necessary
either TO leave all the men, lHC.uu TIE
murderers, in the army, or to turn them
all out; and under such circumstances there
was no alternative, for the usefulness of
the army would be at an end were we to
permit such an outrage to be committed
with impunity.
In short the evidence proves conclusively
that number of the soldiers engaged in
deliberate and concerted attack. as cold
blooded as it coWardly; the purpose
being to terroriZe the community, and to
kill or injure men, women and children in
their homes and beds or on the streets,
and this at an hour of the night when con-
certed or effective resistance or defense was
out of the question, and when detection
by Identification of the criminals in the
United States uniform was Well-nlgh I'M
possible So much for the original crime.
A blacker never stained tie annals of our
army. 1t has been supplemented by an
other only less black, in the shape of
successful conspiracy OF silence for the
purpose of shielding those who took part
in the original conspiracy OF murder. These
soldiers were not school boys on a frolic.
They were full-grown men, In the uniform.
of the United States army, armed with
deadly weapons, sworn to uphold the laws
of the United States. and under every OBJ
legation of oath and honor not merely to
refrain from criminality, but with the
sturd:est rigor to hunt down criminaity;
and the crime they committed or connived
at was murder. They perverted the power
put into their hands to sustain the law
into the most deadly violation of the law.
The noncommissioned officers are primarily
responsible for the discipline and good
conduct of the men; they are appointed to
their position for the very purpose Of
preserving this discipline and good con-
duct and of detecting and securing the
punishment of every enlisted man who does
what Is wrong. They fill. with reference
to the discipline. a part that the commits
stoned officers are CT course unable to fill.
although the ultimate responsibility for the
discipline can never be shifted from the
shoulders of the latter. Under any ord!-
nary circumstances the first duty of the
noncommissioned officers as of the COM
missioned officers. is to train the private
in the ranks so that he may be an efficient
fighting man against a foreign foe. But
there is an even higher duty. so obvious
that it is not under ordinary circumstances
necessary so much to allude to 1.-THE
duty Of training the soldier so that he
shall be a protection and not a menace to
his peaceful fellow-citizens. and above all
to the women and children of the nation.
Unless this duty Is well performed the
army becomes a mere dangerous mob: and
IL conduct such as that of the murderers
in question is not. where possible. punished.
and, where this Is not possible unless the
chance of it's repetition Is guarded against
In the most thoroughgoing fashion. 1t would
be better that the entire army should be
disbanded. 1t Is vital for the army to be
imbued with the spirit which will make