Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-15
TO BRING OUT FACTS
Brownsville Affair Will Be In
vestigated.
C0URT-MARTIAL ORDERED
Major Penrose and Captain Macklin
to Be Tried.
ONE POINT TO BE CLEARED UP
How Could the Colored Troops Take
Part in Riot and in Few Minutes
Report at Roll Callp

Of the alleged participation Of the LIST Bat
TALON of the 18th Infantry in the midnight
raid at Brownsville, Texas, August 1o last,
the President has taken steps for a COM
plete investigation of that affair, to be con-
Quoted under the auspices of the War De-
partment. To that end he has directed
Brig. Gen. McCaskey, commanding the
Department Of Texas, to detail a general
court-martial for the trial of Mai. Charles
w. Penrose and Capt. E. A. Macklin of
the 18th Infantry on the charge of conduct
to the prejudice of good order and mill
tary discipline in violation of the sixty-sec-
ond article of war.
Major Penrose was in command Of the
battalion at Fort Brown and Captain
Macklin was in command of Company c.
at the time of the troubles at Brownsville
The charge on which they are to be tried
Is based on alleged neglect of duty in hav-
ing failed to take proper precautions to
prevent the clash between the soldiers and
citiZers which resulted in bloodshed on the
18th of August In ordering the trial of
these officers, the President clearly as
sumes that the alleged raid on the town
was made by members of the 18th In
fantry, in accordance with the original re-
ports of Inspector Generals Darlington
and Blocksom and takes no cognizance of
the doubt thrown on that vital point by
the later investigation. conducted by a
committee of the Constitutional League of
the United States.
Degrees of Responsibility.
There has been much comment concern
ing the degree of responsibility of the Off
GERS in command of the troops and It is
now to be determined whether thew were
to blame at all. The reports of the officers
who investigated the affair practically ex-
onerated the commissioned officers of blame
in the matter. They put the blame entirely
on the non commissioned officers, and the
soldiers. all of whom were dismissed with
out honor and debarred forever from sery-
ice under the government.
The officers are more fortunate, however,
than the enlisted men, for they are to be
given fair and impartial trial, In which
all the testimony will be given under oath
and be subject to the usual rules of evil
dence. AS is we'll known, none Of the SOL
dlers discharged was tried on charges or
allowed to confront his accusers
No explanation is vouchsafed as to why
Major Penrose and Captain Macklin alone
are charged with dereliction of duty and all
larly on duty at Fort Brown at the time
are apparently eXonerated from delin-
quency.
A Point to Be Cleared Up.
point that has an important bearing on
the alleged participation of the coiored
troops in the rioting will probably be cleared
up at the coming military trial. That is
how the soldiers who shot up the town. as
alleged, managed to leave their quarters
unobserved, kill one man and wound an
other, exchange several volleys of shot
with policemen and citizens, and having
meanwhile alarmed the entire garrison
managed to return to the post unobseryed
and respond to roll call, all in less than
ten minutes time.
Another question to be determined is why
the arms of the soldiers were not exam
ined until daybreak following the midnight
alarm.
The matter of re-enlistment by the dis
charged men has not been taken up by
the War Department. Several applications
for re-enlistment have been made by those
who were dismissed. These have been
placed on file. No individual cases will be
taken up until all the records have been
sent from the War Department to the SEN
ate, in response to the resolutions of last
week calling for information. That will be
done next Wednesday.
Will Consider Evidence.
These records have been compiled, and
are now being printed. When they have
been presented to the Senate, the de-
partment will consider any evidence which
may be placed before it by any of the dis
missed soldiers who desire to re-enter the
army. The cases will be taken up individ-
ually. Evidence will be required from the
soldiers to prove that they were not i'm
plicated in the trouble and have no knowl-
edge of the participants. 1t is said that the
soldiers are embarrassed by the depart
ment's requirements. They are the only
ones having the necessary evidence as to
the actual whereabouts of one another on
the night of the raid and the department
does not consider such evidence sufficient
Then they are in a quandary as to how
they can show, beyond their own sworn
statement, that they have not heard any
thing that might lead to the detection of
the participants.
To Restore the Rights Lost.
Representative Roberts of Massachusetts,