The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-24
Order tor Their Transfer to Fort
Brown Issued.
WILL CO To FORT RING COLI
Company ordered to Fort Brown In
Their Place Is Composed of White
Aefa-Niator Penro>c Tells of the
Attitude Of the Citizens OF Browns.
Vile oward the Negro Soldiers.

Washington. August ee-Orders
! were issued today BY the military sec.
reiary. Major General r. c. III
worth, for the transfer Of the coIored
troops from Fort Brown. Texas. where
there has been trouble between citi-
zenS and soldiers 10 Fort Ring Gold.
Texas. which i about 100 miles above
roFt Brown. and Is also on the Rio
Grande. and 10 replace them with one
company Of the @sth infantry.
The company ordered - Fort Brown
Is made up 81 white men. This shift
Ing about III troops was made suisse
g - a report from Major (. w.
Fenrose, on the situation at Fort
Brown. and after an appeal by Sena-
tor tuIoerSon 10 President Roosevelt.
III MS report Major Penrose says he
was p~urSuaded that the killing OF one
OF the citizens IN Brownsville and the
~Woundlng Of another was the work
OF soldiers, although he has been an
able - Yet to discover who the guilty
men are.
OF the attitude Of the citizens Of
brownsville toward the negro soldiers,
Major Penrose says.
That the enlisted men have been
subject TO indignities since their ar
rival here, there can be no doubt. and
this has caused a good deal OF feeling
among them. The one case TO which
attributed this outbreak will make
the subject OF an official report as
soon as John W. Vann. the collector
OF customs. returns 10 the city"
Major Penrose then outlines briefly
the case in question. Priyatcs Newton
and Lipscumb were passing along a
walk on august 5 where some women
were standing, engaged in conversa-
ton with a man named Tale. who Is
employed in the customs office. The
negro privates walked single file be-
tween the women and a fence. Tale
knocked Newton down with the butt
Of a revolver and is supposed TO have
said: iii learn you TO get of the
sidewalk when there is a party OF
ladies on the walk When Newton
rose Tale is said to have covered him
with the revolver. commanding:
Damn You leave. OF | will blow your
brains out"
This account of the affair l. cor
federated by Lipscumb.
An August 18th Major Penrose SAYS
q Mr.. Evans and DR.. COmbe. mayor OF
Brownsville, called on him. Mr..
Evans said his wife was seized while
entering her home by a negro sup
posed to be a soldier as he wore n
khaki uniform. This evening Major
Penrose made an attempt to get all
the soldiers into the reservation early.
All but two men We're out on passes
were gathered into the post but short
after midnight the engagement
which resulted SO d~isastrously took
place the whole garrison was
by a fusilade. AS soon as
the shooting ceased and il seemed
safe to make al investigation. all but
soldiers answered roll call and
and the rifles were all in place and
showed To marks which indicated that !
had been fired. Cartridges and !
shells made at the government ar
were found near where the !
shooting took place and Major Pen
expresses the opinion that eight
or min soldiers who had keys to the
gun racks got their slipped /
put of the post and engaged in the
battle with citizens and managed to
clear their guns, replace them in the
and regain their places In the
barracks during the excitement which
prevailed in the post.