The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-11-30
NEGRO TROOPS
Who We're Dismissed Entered q
Compact to Preserve Secrecy,
AND in Conspiracy,

AMI LIN CONSPlRACY.
Great Pressure Brought to Bear to Have
q Rehearlng In the Case. War
Department Issues Statement
In Reference to the Dis.
missaI.
The war department. issued the fol.
lowing statement Thursday concern
ing tho negro troops ordered dismissed
at Fort Rano:
I'm the matter of the order dis.
charging the enlisted men Of three
companies of the Twenty fifth infan
ry issued by the president application
T2s presented to the secretary Of war
by q number of PERSONS of standing
asking o rehearinR by the president
IN the ground on which the aotior
was taken. The secretary telegraph.
"a the president Of the application and
delayed the proceedings Of tho dis
charge until the president could indi
ate his wishes. The secretary was
meantime called out of town. No an
swer was received from the president
The secretary on his return did no.
feel Justified in further delaying the
execution OF the or Ter CT discharge
especially 10 view Of the faot that the
secretary then learned that tho presi
dent had fully and exhaustively con.
s!dered the argument against the or.
d5r, Of the persons who now applied
Tor rehearing. Accordingly, the sec
rotery directed that tho proceedings
for discharge be continued without
delay"
The investigation OF the conduct OF
negro troops Of companies B. O. an
d, Twenty. fifth infantry, as reported
upon by MAJ. Blocksom, inspectoy gen
erals department., Lieut. Col. Lover
ing, Fourth infantry, acting inspoc
tor general, and Brig Gen Caring
ton, inspector general Of the army
was made public at the war depart
mont Wednesday In volume entitle
The ARRAY at Brownsville. Tex"
Maj. Blocksom declares that the az
la1r was preconoerted and both he an
Gen. Darlington ezoneratG3 the Cfi
GERS from blame. Gen. darlington
sSya IL was evident from the frat that
he three companies had entered into
Q compact to give no information
about the affair. Secretary Taft said
sWedneEdI 1sehahno Ehapa qtll be rs, ken
5gsJ7 tuSSy AVau,
conduct Of the ofiic8r5.
In his summary of the reports made
by the other officers and of hio own ef-
forts to discover the guilty soldiers,
Brig. Gen. Darlington declares thai
every means Of getting evidence cot,
corning the shsotipg was exhausted
All the men Of the three compapies
we're talked with individually on diff
ferent occasions, he says, and the dire
consequence Of their failure to give ur
the guilty soldiers wore pointed out
All the soldiers avoided questions and
even refused to discuss the events at
Brownsville which were known to
have enraged the negroes before the
f1ot "Tho seoretive nature of th race
where crimes are charged to members
or their color, Ia we'll known"
GEN. aARLINaToN's REPORT.
Gen. Darlington says: Under suoh
circumstances self protection OK self.
iatorest is the only lever by which the
tasket of their minds can be pried
open. Acting upon this principle, the
history and record Of the regiment to
which they belong, the part played by
these old soldiers In this record. were
pointed out and enlarged upon. The
odium OF disgrace TO the battalion and
Its individual members by this crime
we're Indicated. The future effect upon
the battalion aB whole v. ,,s referred
to; and, finally, the concern Of the
United States In the matter, his de-
slre and the disire OF the war depart.
meut to seperate the innocent from
the guilty were explained, but with.
out effect" Continuing Con. CARING
on's report says:
mo absolutely accurate verlaoa-
tion OF the rifles and the men of the
battalion was made on the night Of
Aug. l3 In time to account for the ri.
hss and men at the beginning OF tho
hrlng or Immediately on It's conclu
sion. The failure is explained as fol.
lowe: Tue commanding officer and his
associates, whom the alarm was sound
cd aud they heard the firing assumed
that 1t came from the city of Browns.
villc and that the guns were in the
hands Of civilians; In other words that
the garrison was being fred into from
the outside civilians. 1t does not ap
pear to have occurred to any of them
that certain enl!sted men Of the TW0n.
ty.hfth infantry had possession OF
their arms and were committing the
crime OF firing into the houses and
upon the citizens Of Brownsville, until
the mayor Of the city came to the gar.
rison and Informed the commanding
oflioor, Maj. Penrose, that ono man
had been killed and another wounded
by his soldiers"
MAJ BLOCRsOM's REPORp.
Maj. Blocksom, In his report, re.
commended that Ii satisfactory eyi.
dence concerning the identity OF the
criminals who shot up" Brownsville.
did not come from memberB of the
battalion oil enlisted men OF the three
companies present on the night of
Aug. 13 be discharged from service
and debRrred from reonllstmens In the
army, navy or marine COPS. Mai.
Blocksom regards 1t particularly un.
fortunate for the reputation OF she
battalion that the officers did not dia.
cover a Bingle clue to the terrible
preoonCerted crime" In the invesSlRa-