The Washington times., 1906-12-19
F'aVOrs Court Martial
For Two White Officers

The tOWnspeople were completely sur
priscd by the uEprovoked aud murder
Gus saVageFy Of the attack The SOl-
diers were the aggressOrs from start To
finish, They met with no substantial re-
sistance, and one and ali who took part
in that raid stand as deliberate muir
derers. who did murder one man, who
tried TO murder others. and who tr.ed
10 murder women and children. Tne act
was one OF horrible atrocty. and SO
far as / am aware. unparalleled for in
fanny in the annals of the United States
Army.
The white officers OF the companies
We're completely taken by surprise, and
at first evidently believed that the 1iring
meant that the townspeople were at
lacking the soldiers. It was not until ,
OF o'clock in the morning that any
Of them became aware of the truth. I
have directed a careful investigation
into the conduct OF the Officers. TO see
If any of them were blamewoTthy. and
/ have approved the recommendation of
The War Department that TWO be
brought before a court-martial-
AS TO the nOu-COmmissioned officers
ana enlisted men. there can be no doubt
whatever that many were necessarily
10 the conduct of those who took aC-
tuai part in this murderous riot 1 refer
10 Major BIocksOm report Tor proof
Of the fact THAI certainly some and prob
ably all of the nOn-COmmissiOned off
GERS ia charge of quarters who were
responsible for The gun racks and had
kcys thereto in their personal possession
knew what men were engaged i'm the at
tack
Major Pcnrose. IN command OF the
post IN MS letter tincluded in the APP
pendlO gives thc reasons why he was
reluctantly convinced that some of the
men under hiuu-as he thinks from
seven 10 ten-gOt their rifles, slipped ous
OF quarters 10 DO tho shooting and re-
turned 10 th- barracks without being
discovered the shooting all occurring
within TWO and half short blocks
or the barracks. II was possible for
lhe raiders 10 go from the fort 10 the
IdTtheSi point pt firing and return in
less than ZEN minutes, for the distance
did uot exceed $50 Yards.
Slch ere the facts of this case. Gen
orIl Netueton, iu his letter herewith
appended states ta}t next door 90 whsrre
he is writing in Brownsville Is a small
CnJtlEc where "a ChiidTeU's party had
Just broken up before the house was
flddlod ay United States bullets fired
~ ",S-d Sli,ts Troops. from United
St1teS Springfield rifles n close range
with She purpose of killing OF muminE
tH- inmates Including The parents ana
. tH .luTru who Were ~tlu in tla we'll
l--tet house and whose escape from
death uud T. sech circumstances was
astonishing.
tig states taat on another street Inc
daily looks -UuH sI-sl bullet scars
whore yaleE from similar Govern
mrnl rifles Was fired into the sid. and
y 'ruows of hotel occupied al The
tiul" HN ~lrfu.u- ng frightened guests
from abroad VINO could nor pJss. bis
have given say eff-re- 20 the a-sa!l-
ants. Tie writes that The chief at the
'IuFii@F-llr ponce ls again on duty
from hospital and carries an empty
sleeve because De- was shot by Federal
soldiers from che adjacent garrison in
the course ot the.F uurlerauS forIy. and
non ftr away Is tls fresh grave OF .u
u-flfHl-uE citizen us IEa place. r bog
I'D years, WAC was vlutuUly shot down
bE these United States soldiers while
u.aImIa and lL-.uI.nE I. os.Lu.-