The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-14
President Roosevelt Transmits
a Message to the Senate.
Keasserting Correctness of His
Action in Brownsville Affair.
MIDNIGHT ASSASSINS.
Is the Term He Applies to the
Discharged Soldiers.
Withdraws Bar to Employment
in Civil Capacity.

| washington, Jan. 14-President
Roosevelt today sent to the senate a
special message regarding the Browns
vile incident which gives the additional
evidence collected by Assistant Attor-
ney General Purdy and Major Block
som, who were sent to Texas by the
president to investigate the affair The
president submitted with his message
various exhibits including maps OF
Brownsville and FIT. Brown. a ban
| doieer, 80 empty shells. seven ball car
tridges picked up in the streets a few
hours after the shooting three steel
| Jacketed bullets and some scraps of the
castings of other bullets picked out OF
the houses into which they had been
| fired.
| The president declares that the evi-
dence is positive that the outrages of
August 13 were committed by some OF
the colored troops that have been dis
missed and that some or all of the mem
bers of the three companies of the
Twenty-fifth infantry had knowledge
of the deed and have shielded the gull
| ty ones. The negro troops are referred
| to by the president in his message as
midnight assassins'' and he declares
/ that very few, If any. of the soldiers
|
| been ignorant of what occurred That
part of the order which bars the SOL
diers from all civil employment under
| the government is revoked by the pres
| ident.
| This clause, the president says, was
! lacking in validity. The discharged
/ troops, however, will be forever barred
from re-enlisting in the army or navy
and as to his course the president says
that there is no doubt of my constftil-
| tional and legal power
Secretary Taft's report giving the
sworn testimony of witnesses is trans
mitted with the message. The testimony
of IA eye witnesses is given and the
president declares that the evidence is
conclusive that the weapons used were
1 Springfield rifles now used by the Unit
/ ed states troops. ff1cluding the negro
! troops who were in the garrison at
| Brownsville.
! The presidents message follows:
The Grimes Committed.
The crimes committed at Browns
| vile on the night of August Is. ac-
cording to the Investigation ordered by
the president are as follows:
(a) Murder of Frank Natus
OBJ An assault on Lieutenant of Po-
lice Dominguez.
(c) Assault upon Mr.. and Mrs. Hale
Odin and son.
(d) Shooting into houses containing
women and children.
(e) Wounding of Preciado.
My evidence" says the message.
proves beyond the possibility of a
doubt that some individuals among the
colored troops 1 have dismissed COM
mitted these outrages and that others
had knowledge of the deed and shield
ed the guilty from the law"
The president dismisses as ridicu-
lous the charge that Brownsville citi-
zens committed the outrage with q
view to throwing odium on the negro
troops and obtaining their dismissal.
hat he NViY1 fYlQ lC q
shown by the fact that reputable wit
nesses saw their uniforms heard their
voices, recognizing them as negroes:
the fact that Springfield rifles were
used. no weapons of that kind being
in the hands of civilians, and an ex-
animation of the shells and cartridges
showing that they could not have been
fired from Krag Jorgensen or Win
chester rifles.
"The finding of this ammunition in
itself" says the message, "esta bltshes
conclusive If the soldiers were neither
seen or heard by Brownsville residents
on the night in question"
The evidence of fourteen reputable
witnesses is submitted. These saw
the attack in it's various features and
submitted sworn statements to the
presidents investigators Twenty-Five
other witnesses saw minor phases OF
the affair and make statements ac-
cordingly.
Shots From the Fort.
From all this the president gathers
that from IS to 20 negro soldiers COM
mitted the outrage and that some OF
the numerous shots were fired into
the town from the fort.
THE shooting" the president says,
WAS done at midnight. After the f1rst
yolley the soldiers advanced on the
town. firing into residences with the
results above mentioned. Few of the
soldiers in the fort therefore could
have been ignorant of the affair In
deed from this additional evidence IL
is Drobab BILE that but few of the SOL
diers dismissed could have missed see
ing the attack.
''I have gone carefully over every
issue of law and fact that has been
raised. 1 am now satisfied that the ef-
feet of my order was not to bar these
men from all civil employment under
the government and that portion of
the order is hereby revoked. AS to
the rest of the order dismissing the
without honor, there is no
question as to my legal power. The
order was within my discretion, under
the constitution and laws and can not
be revoked or reversed except by an
other executive oder Such action was
unless 1 proved false to my
sworn duty. If any of these men can
what action is warranted but the cir
cumstances I have related certainly
put uDon such man the burden Of
clearing himself.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
''The White House, Jan. IA, 1901"
Taft's Letter.
The letter of the secretary of war to
the president transmitting additional