Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
McDONALD'S CHARGES.
Former Commander Goes to San An
tonic to See Penrose.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
AUSTIN, Tex March 9.-When Capt. Bill
Mcdonald, the former ranger commander,
read today the remarks made by Maj. Pen
rose, who is on trial before a court-martial
at San Antonio, in which Penrose referred
to him as a contemplate coward, the cap
tain decided to go to San Antonio at once.
II have no other business over there at
this time, he said. 1T Is matter that l
don't care to talk about. l prefer to discuss
1t with Penrose personally
Capt Mcdonald left for San Antonio on
a late train. He will probably not get to
see Maj. Penrose until tomorrow. Before
leaving. he issued statement giving the
first account of his knowledge Of the
Brownsville affair. He makes some serious
charges in this statement against Maj.
Penrose. 1t says:
II have heretofore refrained from making
any statement in regard to this matter, and
ment 1 will say that Penrose was guilty Of
shielding the guilty negroes that murdered
and shot into the houses Of the citizens of
Brownsville, and / caught him in the act
of trying to cover 1t up.
Could Not Find Out Anything.
''In the first place he told me and my.
sergeant, W. J. McCauley, that he could
not find out anything about the guilty par
ties. that his on-commissioned officers
knew all about this matter, but he could
not get them to tell it. After had made
complaint against twelve Of them and one
ex-soldier he stated in the absence of Maj.
Bloxom that had six Of the right men
but that the others were not guilty. l then
asked him VINO the other men were who
did the shooting, as he was so well Eosted
in the matter.
Now he first told me that there were
but two negroes out of the post that night.
1 then asked him about some of the negro
soldiers that 1 found were out in town
from an ex-soldier who was then In JAIL
I then asked him especially about the first
one who was Corporal w. II. Miller. PEN
rose said that he was at roll call at 8
and II o'clock, and he knew he was there,
for he saw him, and that Capt. Macklin
talked with him. We sent for Macklin and
he made the same statement
Told Him to Put His Gun Down.
'T then sent for Corporal Miller, who
marched in with much gusto and stood
there until Major Bloxom had to tell him
to put his gun down, that 1 wanted to
talk with him. I then questioned him
about his whereabouts the night of the
murder on August ID. He stated that he
was at a saloon near the market house
when the shooting was being done and
was at Mack Hamiltons house, and be-
fore it occurred he was in Matamoras.
Mexico and never got to the post until
after ] o'clock.
81 asked him if he was not at roll call at
8 and IL o'clock. 1 told him that he must
have been there. I-asked him if he did not
see Mai. Penrose and Capt. Macklin and
talk to the latter after IL o'clock. He said
no; he reckoned he knew where he was. /
then told Macklin and PenroSe that they
were trying to cover up this murder; that
l thought more of the negroes than / did
of them.
II think the people of Texas ought to
resent such a dastardly attempt of Pen
rose and Foraker of trying to prove by
criminals that the citizens of Brownsville
murdered one of their own citizens and
shot into houses where women and children
were sleeping"