Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-03-28
ALL COMPANY B
GUNS WERE
COUNTED
LIEUTENANT LAWRAS0N
ON BROWNSVILLE RIOT
Declares He Saw All Arms oil
His Company Locked in|
the Racks on the Night of
the Trouble,
[By Morning Journal Special Leased wlre.I ]

lBy Morning Journal Special Leased Wlre.l
Washington, March 2T,-Lieutcnant
George Carson LaWrason. who was in
command of company b, Twenty fifth
Infantry on the night Of the affray
az Brownsville, was on the stand
nearly all OF today in the inVestiga-
ti0n by the senate committee on mili-
tary affairs. on practically all mate
rial points his testimony curruburated
that given by the men of his command
and also that given by the men OF
companies G and -. He was shown
bullets taken from the walls of houses
in Brownsville but could not say
whether they had been fired from the
Springfield rifles with which the
TWenty-fifth infantry wa. equipped,
or whether they had been discharge,
from Krag-Jorgensen cartridges by
Krag rifles or 'carbines
Lieutenant Iawrason told of having
been awakened by the firing and of
his efforts to get the company formed
amid the confusion attending the call
to arms. He said he had posted his
men along the wall in the rear of The
barracks at the order of Major Pen
rose Senator Foraker asked the Wit
ness If the men could have cleaned
their guns while stationed along the
wall. LaWrasun thought this would
have BEEN impossible. as they had no
equipment except that in the butt of
their guns and this was, ne thought.
inadequate for the cleaning of guns
for inspection if the guns had been
ered.
According to s.story on direct eX-
animation. LaWrasou was with his
company along the garrison wall for
about two and fl half hours. when
they were dismissed by the command
Of Major Penrose, who first gave In
gjructionS to LaWrason to see that all
OF the company rrns We're locked in
the racks and that all of the guns not
In use were accounted for. Lawrason
saw the guns placed in the racks and
the racks locked, after which he had
carefully verified the count
The witness detailed to the commit-
tee his examination of the arms chests
which contained all Of the reserve
rifles. as wen as three company shot
guns.
All the guns he said were in
speCted next morning Lawrason de-
clared he satisfied himself that no
guns of his company had been used
the night before.
The witness explained that shells
picked up on the range are saved and
decapped. and are then shipped back
10 the arsenal He said that at Fort
Niobrara there was something wrong
with company B's dccapper, and the
shells. more than a thousand, We're
pat in box ANA shipped to Fort
Brown to be decapped there. He did
not know what had become of the box
after the arrival of the company at
Brownsville but there was consider
able property left on the rear porch
of the barracks The inference
plainlN shown by senator Foraker's
question was that this box may have
been accessible to Mexican boys or
others and that shells bearing marks
that could be traced to company b
rifles may have been carried into the
town and afterWard thrown i'm the
streets for the purpose of manufactur-
! ing evidence against the negro sol
diers.