The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-12
Further Facts Alleged in the
Brownsville Affair
PLANS FOR RE-ENLISTMENT
Taft Tells What Steps Should Be
Taken BY the Men If They Want
to Re-enllst for Mill
tary Service.

Washington, December n.-Gilchrist
Stewart representing the Constitutional
league. and 145 of the soldiers, and Rev
Charles Morris. pastor of the Abyssnian
BAPTIST church of New York city, are
in washington in the interest of the bat
TALON of soldiers of the twenty-fifth in
fantry, colored, who were discharged
without honor" as result of the affair
at Brownsville, Tex. Stewart has large
amount of evidence regarding the affair."
which he presented to the President to-
day through Secretary Loeb.
The President is preparing his answer
to the Senate resolution calling for In
formation regarding the discharged SOL
diers.
Stewart said the evidence he presented
to the President embraced 172 affidavits
that show that within five minutes after
Major Penrose ordered the ''call TO arms
every man of the battalion answered the
roll call "and was under the direct su-
pervision of the white officers who verified
the roll call, making it impossible for
substitutions," that all officers and men
thought the firing was of mixed arms,
and that the fort was being attacked by
a certain element in the city, which had
threatened to drive the colored soldiers
out of the city.
Wanted to Harm Soldiers.
Stewart says the affidavits show Major
Penrose ordered the three companies in
a position of defense on the wall of the
fort, each company supporting the other,
Company staying on guard all night. He
contends that the evidence makes it clear
that an attempt was being made not only
to do the soldiers bodily harm, but fall
ing in that, an effort was made to lay
the blame upon the soldiers by both
shooting UP thestown and getting kovern-
ment cartridges and cli.s roh the target
gronnds, and scatterig g lftan along the
streets.
He says the affidavits show that II
would have been impossible for any sol
dier to have gotten back into the lines
without being seen by the white officers,
and adds that there were threats by
citizens to shoot colored soldiers after
II O'Clock on the night of the difficulty;
that citizens were dressed in khaki uni
form and regulation hat and carried RIFLES
being seen on the street that night in
two squads, one of four men, and one OF
five.
these affidavits that there be a congress
sonal investigation by committee hav-
ing power to subpoena witnesses, or that
the President take steps to restore them
to the army without prejudice.
Plans for Re-enlistment.
In a special memorandum to General
Ainsworth military secretary, Secretary
Taft. by direction of the President, speci-
fies the form of procedure to be followed
by former members of the discharged
companies, who may wish to re-enlist in
the army. The secretary directs that
the applicant will present to the recruit
ing officer such evidence in writing as
he desires to show that Notwithstanding
such order of discharge, he was neither
implicated in the murderous raid on
Brownsville nor withheld any evidence
which might lead to the discovery of
the perpetrators thereof This evidence,
together with the application, should be
forwarded by the recruiting officer for the
consideration and investigation of this
department. Secretary Taft indicates that
this method of procedure is to apply
to particular applicants for re-enlictment
and not the general question involved.
The secretary says that Gilchirt Stew
arts evidence submitted to the President
will be referred to the war department
for investigation and report.
Report Is Voluminous.
The preliminary report of the "Consti-
tutional League of America" whose
headquarters are at New York, and which
sent a commission Of inquiry to Fort
Reno, Okla, Fort Sam Houston, San
Antonio. Tex, and Fort Brown, Brown
Vile, Tex, which was filed today both
at the White House and the Senate, is a
voluminous document. After citing va
rious affldavits, reports. letters, ETC., ii
declares that every member of the bat
talon was present and accounted for;
that much of the evidence accepted as
against the soldiers is incompetent and
biased; that the assumption that the sol
diers must have been aware of the iden-
tity of the rioters is an assumption un-
warranted by evidence.
"There Is a fair reason to believe,
says the report, that the commotion was
created by parties not soldiers, partly TO
crafty a long harbored hatred against
the soldiers, or partly to punish their
independence in boycotting the towns
Jim Crow drinking saloons, and that
such resistance as the rioters encountered
was offered by unknown persons who
were not soldiers from the garrison.
Wherefore, your memoralists pray for
congressional investigation by a commit
tee empowered to summon and examine
witnesses and report remedial legisla-