Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-15
Roosevelt DefendSH His
Action
Sends Message to Senate In Which He
Reviews Brownsville Affair and
lncIoses Testimony Of
Witnesses
Bx Associated Press.

tional evidence obtained by Assist
ant General Purdy and Major Block
som, who were sent to Texas by the
president to investigate the affair. The
president submitted with his massage
several exhibits, including maps, a
bandoleer, three empty shells, seven
ball cartridges picked up in the streets
a few hours after the shooting, two
steel jacketed bullets and some scraps
of castings of other bullets picked out
of the houses into which they had been
fired.
The president says the evidence is
positive that the outrages of August
13 were committed by some of the col
ored troops that have been dismissed
and that some or all of the members OF
the three companies of the Twenty-hfth
infantry had knowledge of the deed
and had shielded the guilty ones.
Calls Them Assassns
The negro troops are referred to by
the president in his message as mid
night assassins" and he declares that
in few If any of the soldiers dismissed
"without honor" could have been ig-
norant Of what occurred. The part of
the order which bars the soldiers from
all civil employment under the govern
ment is revoked by the president. This
clause the president says was lacking
in validity. The disparaged troops,
however, will be forever barred from
re-enlisting in the army or navy, and
as to this the president says that there
is no doubt of his constitutional legal
power"
Secretary Taft's report gives the
sworn testimony of witnesses, and is
transmitted with the message.
ITO the Senate: In my message to
the senate treating OF the dismissal
without honor of certain named mem
bers of the three companies of the
Twenty fifth infantry, l gave the re-
ports of tie officers upon which the
dismissal was based. These reports
were made in accordance with the GUS
tom in such cases, for it would, of
course, be impossible to preserve dis
cipline in the army save by pursuing
precisely the course that in this case
was pursued. Inasmuch however, as
in the seante the question was raised
as to the sufficiency of the evidence, l
deemed it wise to send Major Block
som and Assistant Attorney General
Purdy to Brownsville to make investi-
cation on the ground in reference to
the matter. l herewith submit SeCre-
tary Taft's report and the testimony
taken under oath of the various wit
nesses examined in the course of the
investigation. I also submit various
exhibits, including maps of Brownsville
and Fort Brown, photographs of vari-
Gus buildings, a letter from Judge
PARKS 10 MS VIE, tOgetler WltQ q
bandoeer, thirty-three empty shells.
seven ball cartridges and four clips
picked up in the streets of Brownsville
within q few hours after the shoot
ing; three steel jackets and bullets and
some scraps of the 'casings of other
bullets picked out of the houses into
which they had been fired A telegram
from United States Commissioner r. b.
Creagor at Brownsville announces that
six additional bullets-like the others
from Springfield riffes-taken from
buildings in Brownsville, with support
ing affidavits, have since been sent to
the secretary of war.
Tells of Crimes
at appears from the testimony that
on the night of August 13, 1906 several
crimes We're committed by some per-
son or persons in the city of Browns
willie. Among these were the following:
"(A)-The murder of Frank Natus
"(B)-The assault with intent to kill
the lieutenant of police DOminguez
whose horse was killed under him and
whose arm was shot so severely that
it had to be amputated.
'(C)-The assault with intent to kill
Mr. and Mrs, Hale Odin and their three
little boys, who were in the window of
the Miller hotel.
"(D)-The shooting at and slightly
vate residences of the city of Browns
vile, three of them containing Wo-
men and children.
"(E)-The shooting at and slightly
Wounding of PreciadO.
"These crimes We're certainly com
mitted by somebody.
''As to the motive for the commission
of the crimes 1t appears that trouble
of a more or less serious kind had oc-
CURED between Individual members of
the companies and individuals of the
nitiupDe Of Iprpy1sr1c,ri11a In,
complaints which resulted i'm the
soldiers being confined within the lin
it's of the garrison on the evening Of
the day i'm question.
THE evidence as will be seen shows
beyond amy possibility Of honest ques-
tion that some individuals among the
cOlored troops whom / had dismissed
committed the outragos mentioned and
that some or all Of the individuals
whom | dismissed had knowledge Of
the deed and shielded from the law
those who committed them.
Brownsville Disliked Negroes
1.-The only motive suggested as pos
sibly influencing any one else was Il
desire to get rid Of the colored troops
so strong that il impellod the citizens
of Brownsville to shoot up their own
houses to kill one of their own num-
Der, to assault their own police. wound
ing the lieutenant who had been an
officer for twenty years-all with the
purpose Of discrediting the negro
troops.
"The suggestion is on its face so lu-
dicrously impossible that it is difficult
to treat it as honestly made. This
theory supposes that the assailants
succeeded i'm obtaining the uniforms Of
the negro soldiers; that before start
ing on their raid they got over the
fence of the fort unchallenged and
without discovery by the negro troops
opened fire on the town from within
the fort; that they BACKED their faces
so that at least fourteen eyeWitnosscs
mistook them for negroes; that they
disguised their voices so that at least
six witnesses who heard them speak
mistook their voices as being those OF
negroes. They were not MeXicans, for
they We're heard by various witnesses
TO speak I'm English.
The Weapons they used were Spring
field rifles for the ammunition which