Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-18
STATEMENT BY
SENATOR FORAKER
Testimony in Brownsville Inquiry
Fails to Show Any Soldier
Took Part in ARRAY.
NO NEW EVIDENCE WAS FOUND
Does Not Predict Ultimate Result and
Doesn't Know IL More Wit
nesses VIII he Heard.

Washington. June Ex-senator
Foraker of Ohio gave out written
statement summing up the testimony
taken by the senate committee on
military affairs in the Brownsville in
quiry and declaring that it fails to
show that any soldier took part in
the ARRAY. The statement, which
the senator makes as a plain duty
to the truth as well as 10 the accused
soldiers and because he is more ia
miliar with the testimony than any
body else, is an answer 10 a publish
ed statement chat the testimony con-
clusiVcly showed the soldiers of the
Twenty-fifth battalion did the shoot
ins
Mr. Foraker says:
The testimony given by the sol
diCrs in their own behalf is not, in
my opinion. shaken by the testimony
given by the citizens of Brownsville.
No important Item of new evidence
has been brought forward against the
soldiers in this examination. Ninety
per cent of what the citizens have
testified to has relations 10 mat
ters over which there was no con-
troVersy. For instance, everybody
comedies that the town was shot up.
that somebody did IL. that those peo-
pie who did II passed through the
streets and allows where the shooting
was done, and they had guns or re-
volvers or firearms Of some sort, and
that one iHan was killed and another
Wounded The only dispute Is as 10
whether the raiders were Identified
as soldiers Of the garrison
There are two Kinds of evidence re-
lied upon to show the soldiers did II.
One consists OF shells and bullets that
were secured from the streets and
houses Of Brownsville. The results OF
microscopic inspection, interpreted IN
the light Of the other testimony In the
case completely disposed of this part
Of the case. The only other testimony
Is that Of people who claim to have
been eye witnesses 10 the shooting.
This consists Of various people declar-
ing that when they heard the fring
they looked out OF their windows and
houses and down dark alleys where
there were no lights, at distances vary
ing all the way from 30 feet up 10 80
feet and recognized the men who We're
doing the firing az soldiers wearing the
uniforms OF United states soldiers. The
officers of the battalion have testified
generally and specifically as to the
darkness OF the night According 10
this testimony IN the language of Mai
penrose. the night was 30 dark that he
could not distinguish one OF his officers.
who were an white men, from one Of
the enlisted mon who were all colore1
al q distance OF 10 feet. nor could he at
that distance tell anything about how a
man was dressed.
IAN these officers have testified thar
tn, claims nf the citizens who testified
that they saw the raiders and rccog-
nized them az soldiers at this distance,
are utterly impossible, Al one time,
when the case was only partially in
vestlgated they We're OF The opinion.
and frankly stated IT, that their men
We're guilty, but the fact only strength
ems their testimony as they now give
Il, that the testimony or the citizens ~
the city Ginning 10 identify the soldiers,
IS utterly unreliable unworthy ana unbe-
llevable.
- don't know whether any moro t-t-
timony VIM and don't know n any
more should be taken and l cannot
therefore, with proprlety predict ulti-
mate results, but ! have no hesita-
ton IN saving that the testimony taken
down 10 this time utterly falls. IN my
oplnlan. to snow that the soldiers or
any OF them had anything whatever 10
do with the shooting up Of Browns
Vile. l shall take this occasion when
speak at Wlllberforce. next Thursday,
10 deal with the subject at some
length"