Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-12-28
WHY THE PRESIDENT MusTEREo
THEM OUT.

Gus for coiersd Men to Stand BY
Criminals.
Washington. - President Roosevelt
Wednesday compiled with the request
Of the Senate In transmitting to that
body u transcript OF testimony and doc
uments connected with the discharge oi
q battalion Of negro troops OF the
Twenty.iifth infantry. The message
was decidedly severe In Its criticism
OF the soldiers alleged to be concerned
In shooting up the town Of Browns.
Vile, Texas.
Tho President submitted the follow
ing:
To the Scnate-In response to Sen
ate resolution OF December 9th I'd
dressed to me. and to the two Senate
resolutions addressed TO him. the sec
rctary Of war has. by my direction. sub
mittcd to me n report which herewith
send TO the Senate. together with scv.
crnl documents. including n letter OF
General Nettieton and memoranda ns
to prcccdcnts for the summary DIS
charge or mastering out of regiments
or companies. some or all OF the mem.
bcrs Of which had been guilty OF mis-
conduct.
i ordered the discharge OF nearly all
the members OF Companies II. & and ID
Of the Twenty.nfth infantry by name.
In tho exercise OF my constitutional
power and In pursuance OF what. after
full consideration. ] found to be my
constitutional duty ns commnndcr'in.
chief OF the United States army. i
am clad to avail myself Of tho 'oppor.
tunity afforded by these resolutions TO
lay before the Congress the following
facts ns TO tho murdcrous conduct OF
certain members Of tho companies IN
question and ms to the conspiracy by
which many OF the other members OF
these companies saved the criminals
from justice. to the disgrace of tue
United States uniform.
Il appears that In Brownsville. the
city Immediately beside which Fort
Brown Is Lituatod. there had been con.
siderable feeling between the ciiixcns
and the colorcd troops Of the garrison
companies. Dihiculties had occurred.
there being conflict Of evidence as TO
whether the citizens or the coiored
troops were to blame.
Tho tovnspcoplc were completely
SURPRISED by the unprovokcd ana inur-
dcrous xavagery Of the nttnck. Thc
soldiers were the nggrcssors from
start TO finish. They met with no SUD
stnntInl resistance and one and NIL VINO
took part In that raid stand ns dchbcr'
ate murdcrcrs who did murder ono
man and who tried to murder 9TH
crs, and who tried to murder women
and children. The act was one OF hor.
ribie ntrocity. and so far rs ! am
aware. unparalleled for infnmy In tho
annals OF the United States army.
a., M
panIes were completely taken by
surprise and Mt first evidently be-
iicycd that the townspeoplc wcrc
attacking the soldiers. II was not
until or 3 o'clock In tho
morning that any Of them became
aware OF the truth. ! have directed
careful investigation into the conduct
Of the officers. to see II any OF them
are blamcworthy. and have approved
the recommendation Of the War De-
partment that two be brought before
court martial As to the non.commis-
stoned officers and enlisted men. there
can he no doubt whatever that many
were unnecessarily privy to the con.
duct Of those who took actual part In
this murtlcrous riot. From nine to M.
teen or twenty OF the colorcd soldiers
took part In the attack. They leaped
over the wallis from the barracks and
hurried through the town. They shot
mt whomevcr they saw moving ani
they shot into houses where they saw
lights, In some OF these houses there
were women and children. rs tho
would.be murdcrers must have known.
In one hosse in which there were two
women and Ave children some ten
shots went through at height OF
about four and one.half feet above the
floor. one putting out the lamp upon
the table. The lieutenant OF police
OF the town heard the firing anG rode
toward II. He met the raiders. who,
MS 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 ut was afterwards
amputated above the elbow. A mum.
ber OF shots were also fired at two
other policemen. The raiders fired
several times into hotel. some of tho
shots being aimed at a guest sitting
by window. They shot into saloon,
killing the bartender and wounding an
other 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. It was
at 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 eff
feet that the raiders were negro SOL
diers.
There Is no question as to the muir
ders and the attempted murders;
there is no question that some of the
soldiers werS guilty thereof: there is
no question that many of their COM
rades privy to the deed have COM
bined to shelter the criminals from