Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-01-14


were committed by some person or per-
sons in the city OF Brownsville. 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
1t had to be amputated.
(c)-The assault with intent to kill
MIR. and Mrs. Hale Odin and their three
little boys, who were In the window OF
the Miller hotel.
(d)--The shooting into several private
residences of the city of Brownsville.
three OF them containing women and
children.
(e)-The shooting at and slightly
wounding of Precedio.
These crimes were certainly COM
mittcd by somebody.
MOTIVE FOR CRIMES.
AS to the motive for the commission
Of the crimes 1t appears that trouble or
more or less serious kind had occur
red between individual members of
The company and Individual citizens OF
Brownsville, eliminating in conn
plants which resulted in the soldiers
being confined within the limits of the
garrison on the evening OF tho day in
question.
Tire evidence as will be seen, shows
beyond any possibility OF honest ques~
ton that some individuals among the
colorcd troops whom had dismissed
committed the outrages mentioned.
and that some or all of the other in
diriduals whom smissed had
knowledge OF tho deed and shielded
from the law those who committed II.
A RIDICULOUS THEORY.
The only motive suggested as pos-
sibly influencing any one else was II
desire to get rid of the colored troops,
so strong that It impclled the citizens
of Brownsville to shoot up their own
houses, to kill one of their own num-
her. to assault their own police,
wounding the lieutenant, who had
been an officer for 20 years--pll with
tho purpose of discrediting the negro
troops. The suggestion is, on its face.
SO ludicrously impossible that II is Diff
ficu1t to treat it as honestly made. This
theory supposes that the assailants
succeeded in obtaining the uniforms
of the negro soldiers; that before
starting 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 thoy blacked their faces
so that at least IA eye-witnesses mis-
took them for negroes; that they dis
guised their voices SO that at least
six witnesses who heard them speak
mistook their voices as being those
OF negroes. They were not Mexicans,
Tor they We're heard by various wit
nesses to speak In English The
weapons they used We're Springfield
rifles for the ammunition which they
used was that of the Springfield rifle
and no other and could not have been
used in any gun in Texas or any part
or the Union or In Mexico or in any
part of the world save only in the
Springfield now used by the United
states troops including the negro
troops In the Garrison at Browns
VIE and by no other persons save
these troops---a weapon which had
only been in use by the United States
troops for some four or five months
PRIOR TO the shooting in question and
which Is not in the possession of pri-
vate individuals. The cartridges used
VIII go into no other rifle used in the
United States when specially cham
bered--the Winchester of the '95 mod
el---but II will rarely II ever GO off
when In it: and moreover the bullets
picked out OF the buildings show the
nhrkihgs of the four so-called lands
winch come from being fired through
the Springfield but not through the
winchester the latter showing six.
WERE ARMY CARTRIDGES
The bullets which / herewith sub
NIT, which were found In the houses
could not therefore have been fired from
q Winchester or any other sporting ri
he. although the cartridges might have
been put into Winchester model 's5
The bullets might have been fired from,
a Krag. but the cartridges would MOI
have gone into a Krag. Taking the
shells and the bullets together the proof
Is conclusive that the new Springfield
rife was the weapon used by the mid
night assassins and could not by any
possibility been any other rifle OF any
KIND In the world. This OF itself estab
fishes the fact that the assailants We're
United States soldiers and would he
conclusive on this point II not one SOL
der had been seen or heard nv any
residents In Brownsville on the night I'm
question, and II nothing were known
save the finding OF the shells, clips and
bullets.
EVIDENCE OF EYE WITNESSES.
Fourteen eye-witnesses namelv
Charles r. Chase Amado MARTINEZ.
Mrs Kate Leahy. Palermo Preciado,
fnaeio Dominguez, Macedonia RamIr-
e. George w. Randall. Jose Martinez
j. !. Mcdonald. r. II. Sanborn. Her
bert Elkins, Hale Odln, Mrs. Hale Odin.
anu JunBe farks, testified that they
saw the assailants or some OF them AT
varying distances, and that they were
negro troops. most OF the witnesses civ
ing their testimony In such shane that
there ~ no possibility of their having
been mistaken. Two other witnessed
Joseph Bodin and Genera Padron saw
some or the assailants and testified
that they We're soldiers (the only SOL
diers In the neighborhood being The
colored troops), Four other witnesses
namely, s. c. Moore. DR.. Thorn. Charles
;, scanada and Charles Il. Hammond
testified 10 hearing the shooting ana
nearing the voices Of the mon who were
doing IL, and that these voices were
those or negroes, but did not actually
see the men who We're doing the shoot
ing About % other witnesses gave tes-
timony corroboratng to n greater m.
less degree the testimony of those who
mus saw the shooters or heard them.
The testimony OF these eye and ear
witnesses would establish beyond iii
possibility OF contradiction the fact that
me shooting was committed by 10 or *
OF more OF the negro troops from no
garrison, and this testimony OF their,s
would be ample, sufficient In itself n
not q cartridge or a bullet had been
found; exactly as the bullets and cart.
ridges that We're found would have es.
tablished the guilt OF the troops even
had not single eyewitness seen them
'r any witnesses heard them.
FIRST SHOTS FIprp