The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1906-12-19
President Submits COrrespon-
dence on Subject
Says Plainly That He Was within
His Authority as Commander
In Chief.
SHOT AT PEACEABLE PEOPLE.

/
ance with resolution of the senate
President Roosevelt today transmit.
ted all the correspondence concerning
the Brownsville, Tex, incident.
The message in part is as follows:
To the Senate:
In response to senate resolution
OF December addrest to me, and TO
the two senate resolutions addrest to
him, the secretary of war has, by my
direction. submitted to me a report
which | herewith send to the senate,
together with several documents, in
GLIDING letter of General Nettleton
and memoranda as to precedents for
the summary discharge or mastering
out of regiments or companies, some
or all of the members of which had
been guilty of misconduct.
ordered the discharge of nearly
all the members of companies B. C..
and D of the Twenty-fifth infantry
by name, in the exercise of my con-
s.itutional power and in pursuance
of what, after full consideration, I
found to be my constitutional duty
as commander in chief of the United
States army. l am glad to avail my
self of the opportunity afforded BY
these resolutions TO lay before the
congress the following facts as to
the murderous conduct of certain
members of the companies in ques-
ton and as to the conspiracy by
which many of the other members
of these companies saved the crimi-
mails from justice, to the disgrace of
the United States uniform.
call your attention to the ac-
companying reports of Major Angus
tus p Blocksom, of Lieut.. Colonel
Leonard A. Lowering, and of Brig.
Gen. Ernest A. Darlington, the in
spector-general of the United States
army. of their investigation into the
conduct of the troops in question
An effort has been made to discredit
the fairness Of the investigation into
the conduct of these colored troops
by pointing out that General Gar
lington is a southerner. Precisely the
same action would have been taken
had the troops been white indeed,
the discharge would probably have
been made in more summary fash
ion. General Darlington is native
of South Carolina; Lieutenant-C Colo
mel Lowering is native of New
Hampshire; Major Blocksom Is a
native of Ohio. As 1t happens, the
disclosure of the guilt of the troops
was made in the report of the officer
who comes from Ohio and the ef-
forts of the officer who comes from
South Carolina were confined to the
endeavor to shield the innocent men
of the companies in question, II any
such there were, by securing infor-
nation which would enable us ade-
quately to punish the guilty. But I
wish 1t distinctly understood that the
fact of the birthplace Of either on
Ger Is one which | absolutely refuse
to consider.
1t appears that In Brownsville. the
city Immediately beside which Fort
Brown Is situated, there had been
considerable feeling between the cit
liens and the colored troops of the
garrison companies. Difficulties had
occurred, there being q conflict of
evidence as to whether the citizens
or the colored troops we're to blame.
My impression is that. as a matter Of
fact, in these difficulties there was
blame attached to both sides.
The attack was made near mid
night on August IS. The following
facts as to this attack are made clear
by Major Blocksom's investigation
and have not been, and. In my judg-
ment, can not be, successfully con-
troverted. From to Is or 20 Of the
colored soldiers took part in the at
tack They leapt over the walls from
the barracks and hurried thru the
town. They shot at whomever they
saw moving, and they shot into hous-
es where they saw lights. In some of
these houses there were women and
children, as the would-be murderers
must have known. In one house In
which Their. were two women and
FIVE children some ten shots went
thru at height of about Ia feet
above the floor. one putting out the
lamp upon the table. The lieutenant
of no1ica ~ tho foup hao ~ ~ a. ring
and rode towardit. He met the raid
ers. who as he stated. were about Is
colored soldiers. They instantly
started firing upon him until they
had killed his horse. They shot him
in the right arm (it was afterwards
amputated above the elbow.) A num-
Der of shots were also fred at two
other policemen. The raiders fred
several times into a hotel some of the