Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-16
HIS STORY NOT SHAKEN
Dominguez Tells How He Was
Shot at Brownsville.
SURE AS TO ASSISTANTS
Positive That They Were Colored
Soldiers.
sUsTAINs CLOSE QUESTIONING
Two other Witnesses Examined by the
Senate Committee Investigat-
ing the Affair.
CLOSE QUESTIONING


The Senate committee on military affairs
today examined in the morning session at
the Capitol three of the most important
witnesses summoned to testify in the in
yestigation of the shooting up of Browns
Vile last August One Of these, Lieut.. N.
Y. Dominguez Of the police force of
Brownsville. was shot on the night Of Au-
gust 1s. and on the next day his arm was
amputated below the elbow. He came be-
fore the committee today with his empty
sleeve and gave very careful and detailed
account of his movements on that night.
and in replies to cross-questioning declared
that he was absolutely positive that he
was shot by colored soldiers. He said he
saw them. saw their uniforms, saw their
guns, and saw that they were colored
men.
Dominguez is of short and thick build
and shows evidences of exposure. He Is
fty-eis1t years of age and said that his
father was colonel Under Gen. Winfield
Scott in the Mexican war. and as this state
ment was made he said he had papers with
him to show his fathers position with Gen.
Scott, but the committee did not think 1t
necessary to have them produced.
Story Told by Domingues.
Dominguez told a very straight story.
He said that he was at the market house
eight minutes before II on the night OF
August Is. waiting to ring the bell ex-
actly at II o'clock, when he heard shots In
the direction of the barracks, and mounted
his gray horse and started in that direction.
He told OF meeting policeman named
Padron whose station was in the vicinity
Of the barracks. Padron told him that the
colored soldiers were out and had been
shooting into the town house Dominguez
first saw four soldiers walking In hle, ana
then four more walking along the alley
crossing 18th street. He started his horse
up, intending to go to Miller's Hotel to give
an alarm. feeling that he could not cope
singIy with number of armed soldiers
He went by Miller's Hotel. down 18th
street, again crossing the alley, when he
saw coming up the alley fifteen or twenty
soldiers in two files of eight or ten each.
As he went by he heard murmuring and
tken heard some one say Give him h.
He crossed in front of the alley on trot
and then brought his horse to walk. He
said he was within twenty-five feet OF the
soldiers when he went by and could see
them plainly.
Positive They Were Soldiers.
BY Senator Warner-"Can you state posi-
lively they were soldiers?'
Witness-"Yes. sir; / could see that they
were soldiers 1t was clear starilt night.
lie Sdlu tHdl dllci iC iicAio tAiCii SOY
Give him hI4-'' a volley was fired. He
proceeded on to Elizabeth street, and as
he got to the corner his arm was shot ana
his horse was hit. He was looking back
and saw the flashes from the rifles on
each side of the street His horse Stun
bled and he then changed his reins to his
left hand, and by the time he got across
Elizabeth street the horse fell and en-
tangled him partly beneath it. Another
volley was fired as he lay there, trying to
get free from the horse.
He then told of going to drug store and
the men retreating. He was cared for that
night, and the next day his arm was ampu-
tated and for month afterward he was
in bed.
The witness was cross-quest.oned at great
length by Senator Foraker, but he stuck
throughout his cross-examination very
closely to the story he told in his direct ex-
animation.
photographers Saw Soldier.
Another witness today was F. A. H.
Sandborn, manager of the Western Union
telegraph Office at Brownsville. The tele-
graph office Is across the road from the en-
trance to the barracks, and Sandborn slept
on the night of August 13 in a room in the
rear of the Office. He testified that he had
been soldier and telegraph operator In the
civil war; having enlisted in the 18th Maine
Regiment, his home having been at Bangor,
Maine
After the war he remained in the south
and for thirty years had lived In Browns
Vile. He had lived In other places in
Texas and said that Brownsville compared
very favorably as a quiet town with other
places that he was familiar with. Mr.. Sand
born said he was awakened by the fir
ing. and after there had been considerable
firing he looked out of his window and saw
a soldier walking leisureiy holding q gun,
the chamber of which he seemed to be ex-
aiming. The soldier was dressed in khaki
,,,ifa md 1lrod irfn he tor
gate.
He was positive he was soldier, not only
by his dress and gun, but he said he could
tell soldier from a citizen by the manner
rage. He saw very little more than this,
and very soon went to bed and fell asleep.
He said that he had never heard before
he was questioned on the stand that there
was any suspicion Of leaks in the telegraph
Office by which information in kilograms got
abroad. He did not regard the colored SOL
diers of the 18th Regiment as we'll disci-
plined or especially orderly, In fact, he
thought they were frequently boisterous
and showed lack of discipline.
Heard Violent Language.
DIR. Charles Hightower Thorn, a dentist
who has lived In Brownsville twenty-four
years. testified that he was awakened on
the night of August - by firing. His
house was on Elizabeth street. only about
a square from the barracks gate. He went
to the rear OF his house and into the kitchen
which was on the alley and he heard MUIR
muring Of men going by. He could not say
how many there were and did not see
them.
They talked in a low tone. and from
their voices he was satisfied they were
negroes. He heard one voice speaking