Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-19
CHARACTER OF TESTIMONY
What Has Been Adduced to Justify Action
of the Executive in Dismiss
ing the Men.

of regiments or companies. some or all of
the members of which had been guilty of
misconduct.
l ordered the discharge of nearly all the
members of Companies B. & and d of the
18th Infantry by name. in the exercise of
my constitutional power and in pursuance
of what. after full consideration, | found
to be my constitutional duty as commander
in-chief of the United States army. | am
glad to avail myself of the opportunity af-
forded by these resolutions to lay before
the Congress the following facts as to the
mruderouS conduct of certain members OF
the companies in question and as TO the
conspiracy by which many of the other
members of these companies saved the
criminals from justice, to the disgrace OF
the United StgteS uniform.
call your attention to the accompanying
reports of Maj. Augustus P. Blocksom, of
Lieut. Col. Leonard A. Lowering and of
Brig. Gen. Ernest a. Darlington, the In
spector general of the United States army,
of their investigation into the conduct of
the troops in question. An effort has been
made to dscredit the fairness Of the inves-
tigation into the conduct of these colored
troops by pointing out that Gen. Darlington
is a soUtherner. Precisely the same action
would have been taken had the troops been
white-indeed, the discharge would proba-
bly, have been made in more summary fash
ion. Gen. Darlington is native of South
Carolina; Lieut. Col. Lowering is native of
! New Hampshire; Maj. Blocksom is native
of Ohio. AS it happens the disclosure of
the guilt of the troops was made in the re-
port of the officer who comes from Ohio,
and the efforts of the officer who comes
from South Carolina We're confined to the
endeavor To shield the innocent men of the
companies IN question. if any such there
We're, by securing information which would
enable us adequately to punish the guilty.
But / wish il distinctly understood that the
fact of the birthplace of either officer is
one which absolutely refuse to consider.
The standard of professional honor and of
loyalty to the flag and the service is the
same for all officers and all enlisted men
of the United States army, and l resent
with the keenest Indignation any effort to
draw any line among them based upon
birthplace creed or any other consideration
of the kind l should put the same entire
faith in these reports if it had happened
that they were all made by men coming
from some one state whether in the south
or the north, the east or the west, as now
do. when. as it happens. they were made by
officers born in different states
Maj BlocksomS report is most careful
Is based upon the testimony of scores of
ewitnesses-testimony which conflicted
only in Eonessentials and which established
the essential facts beyond chance of sue
cesSful contradiction. Not only has no sue
cesstul EFFORT been made TO traverse his
findings in any essential particular, but as
matter Of fact every trustworthy report
from outsiders amply corroborates them,
by far the best of these outside reports
being that of Gen. A b. Nettleton made In
a letter to the Secretary of War, which
herewith append; Gen. Nettleton being an
eX-CniOn soldier, a consistent friend of the
coiored man throughout his life, lifelong
republican, a citizen Of Illinois and assist
ant secretary of the treasury under Presi-
dent Harrison.
1t appears that in Brownsville the city
Immediately beside which Fort Brown is
situated, there had been considerable feel
ing between the citizens and the colored
troops Of the garrison companies. Difficult
| ties had occurred, there being a conflict of
evidence as to whether the citizens or the
colored troops were to blame. My impress
sion is that, as a matter of fact in these
difficulties there was blame attached to
both sides; but this is a wholly unimportant
matter for our present purpose, as nothing
that occurred offered in any shape or way
an excuse or justification for the atrocious
conduct of the troops when, in lawless and
murGerous spirit, and under cover of the
night, they made their attack upon the citi-
| Zens.
| August -. The following facts as to this
! attack are made clear by Maj. Blocksom's
investigation and have not been, and in my
judgment. cannot be, successfully contro-
verted. From nine to fifteen or twenty Of
the colored soldiers took part in the attack
They leaped over the walls from the bar
! racks 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 muir
dercrs must have known. In one house in
which there were two women and five chill
dren some ten shots went through at a
| 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 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 off and they continued fir
| ing upon him until they had killed his
! horse. They shot him In the right arm lit
was afterwards amputated above the ell
| bow. y number of shots were also fired at
| two other policemen. The raiders fi-ea sew
| eral times into hotel, some of the shots
| being aimed at guest sitting by window
I They shot into a saloon, killing the bar
| tender and wounding another man. At me
same time other raiders fired into another
! house in which women and children were
| sleeping. 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 bullett 1t was at night. and the
4 streets of the 6wn are poorly lighted. so
| Continued on Thirteenth Page)