The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-20

scores of eve witnesses testimony
which con1icted only in nonessentials
and which established the essential
facts beyond chance of successful con-
tradiction. Not only has not successful
effort been made 10 traverse his find
ings i'm any essential particular. but,
as n matter of fact, every trustworthy
report from outsiders amply corrobo-
rates them. by far the best of these out
side reports being that of Gen, a: B.
Nettleton, made in letter 10 the Sec
retarv of War. which | herewith APP
pend; Gen. Nsttleton being an ex-
Union soldier n consistent friend of the
colored man throughout his life, life
long Republican, citizen of Illinois,
and Assistant Secretary Of the Treas
ury under President Harrison.
II appears that in Brownsville. the
city Immediately beside which Fort
Brown is situated. there had been con-
siderable feeling between the citizens
and the colore3 troops of the garrison
companies. Difficulties had occurred.
there being q conflict of evidence as
TO whether the citizens or the colored
troops were to blame. Ny impression
is that. as a matter Of fact. in these
difficulties there was blame attached
10 both sides; but this is wholly unim-
portant matter for our present purpose,
us nothing that occurred offer>l in any
shape or way an excuse or justification
IoT the atrocious conduct Of the troops
when, in lawless and murderous spirit,
and under cover OF the night, they made
their attack upon the citizens.
Attack Made at Midnight.
The attack was made near mid night
on August 13 The following facts as
to this attack are made clear by Mai
Bocksom S investigation and have not
been, and, in my Judgment, can not be,
successfully controversial From nine TO
fifteen or twenty of the colored soldiers
took part in the attack. They leaped
over the walls from the barracks and
hurried through the town. They shot
at whomever they saw moving. and
they shot into houses where they saw
lights. In some of these houses there
were women and children. as the would
be mnrdereTS must have known. In one
house in which there were two women
and five children some ten shots went
through al a height Of about four and
a half feet above the floor, one putting
Out the lamp upon the table. The lieu
tenant OF police Of the town heard the
firing and rode toward it,. He met the
raiders, who. as he stated, were about
fifteen colored soldiers. They instantly
started firing upon him. He turned and
rode on, and they continued firing upon
him until they had killed his horse.
They shot him in the right arm (it was
afterwards amputated above the ell
bow. A number of shots were also
fred at two other policemen. The raid
ers fred several times into a hotel, some
OF the shots being aimed at guest sit
ting by window. They shot into n
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 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
1T 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 conclusive to the effect that
the renders were negro soldiers The |
shattered bullets, shells, and clips Of |
Government rifles, which were found |
on the ground, are merely cor
the houses; some Of which il appears |
must, from the direction, have been
fired from the fort Just at the moment |
when the soldiers left IT. Not bullet |
hole appears IN any of the structures of
Inc fort.
Soldiers Were Aggressors.
The townspeople were completely sur
prised by the unprovoked and murder
Gus savagcry of the attack. The soldiers |
were the aggTe5sors from start TO finish. |
They met with no substantial resist |
ance. 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 horrible atrocity. and so far as / am
aware, unparalleled for infamy in the
annals of the United States army.
The white, officers Of the companies
were completely taken by surprise, and
at first evidently believed that the fir
ing meant that the townspeople were
attacking the soldiers, 1t was not until |
. or B o clock in the morning that any |
of them became aware OF the truth. [ |
have directed careful investigation |
into the conduct of the officers, 10 see if |
any of them were blameworthy, and | |
have approved the recommendation of |
the War department that two be |
brought before court-martial
As TO the on-commissioned officers |
and enlisted men. there can be no doubt |
whatever that many were necessarily |
privy, after il not before the attack 10 |
the conduct of those who took actual |
part in this murderous riot | refer 10 |
Maj. Blocksom s report for proof of |!
the fact that certainly some and prob
ably all OF the non.commissioned off |
GERS IN charge of quarters who were re-
sponsible for the gunracks and had keys |
thereto in their personal possession |
knew what men were engaged IN the
attack.
Statement by Maj. Penrose,
Maj. Penrosc, in command of the |
post, in his letter (included in the ap- |
pendix) gives the reasons why he was |
reluctantly convinced that some of the |
men under him-as ne thinks, from |
to 10-got their rifles, slipped out of |
quarters TO do the shooting and returned |
TO the barracks without being discov- |
cred, the shooting all occurring within |
TWO and a hnlf short blocks of the bar
racks. 1t was possible for the raiders |
20 90 from the fort to the farthest point |
of firing and return in less than ten min
utes. for the distance did not exceed |
$50 yards.
Such are the facts of this case Gen.
Ncttleton, in his letter herewith append
ed, states thai next door TO where he |
is writing in Brownsville is small