The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1907-04-04

G orroborated the Testimony
Of, His Men and All Mater
ial Points and Thinks
Z TheyAr Not Guilty .

: neys,] 81 = A N'luLy -.
| Washington, Sc March 3d. Lieut..
George Carson Lawrason, who was in
command of Company B, Twenty
fifth Infantry, on the night OF the at
fray at Brownsville. Texas, was on
the stand nearly all of yesterday in
the investigation being conducted by
the senate Committee on Military
Affairs. On practically all material
points of testimony corroborated that
Igiven by the mon Of his, command,
and also by the men OF Companies @
and D. : &. 'SS,t... ~ 8 = : -, :. '
He was shown bullets taken from
the walls OF houses in j., Brownsville,
put could not say whether they had
been fired from the Springfield rifles
with which the Twenty-ffth Infantry
was ~equipped, or, whether they; had
been discharged from Kraig-Jorgen-
sen cartridges by Kraig rifles or car
pines. He further gave testimony in
lerr1ng that the shells picked up in
the streets may have been discharged
on the range at Fort Niobrara and
IL,
he was certain that two of the rifles
identified by expert. examination of
the shells as having been used to fire
certain lot of cartridges had not
been out. Of the chests In which they
had been picked at Niobrara.
Gould Not Have Cleaned Guns.
The examination of Lieut. Lawra-
son was begun just before noon, most
OF the morning, session having been
devoted to the discrimination of
Spottswood w. Taliaferro, the form
ersergeant major. of the battalion,
who was on the stand Tuesday. -
eL1ut. LaWrason told of having
been awakened blythe firing, and of
his efforts to get the company formed
amid the confusion attending the call
to arms, as we'll as number Of other
matters on which all Of the members
of Company b had been examined.
| He said that he has posted the his
men along the wall In the rear: of the
barracks, at the order. Of Maj. Pen
| rose. = - X p. -. -. 49,
Senator. Foraker asked the witness
IL the men could have cleaned their
guns while stationed along the wall
Lawrason thought this would have
been Impossible, as they had no
equipment except that ia the butt of
their guns and which he thought in
adequate for the cleaning of guns for
inspection if the guns had been fired.
According to, his story, on direct
examination, LaWraGc.n was with his
company along the garrison wall for
about two and 8 half hours when
they were dismissed by the command
Of Major Penrose, who first gave in
lstructions to rLaWrason to see that all
EOf" the company guns were locked in
mot in use were accounted for. Law.
rason saw the guns placed In the
racks and the racks locked after he
had careful lily verified the count Then
he called his Quartermaster- sergeant
Walker McCurdy, and went to the
to the store house. The witness said
that the quartermaster sergeant did
to know the mission at the store
lhouse until their arrival their.
Il Arms Chests Under Iron Runks. :,
N Lawrason ,ecl Led r,cc~. the arms
tchests and they were. found, as he
had previously testified at the Per
rose court-martial at San Antonio
| Tex, under iron hunks iron bars fol-
the support Of mosquito netting, and
II other property. He detailed to the
committee his examn alton Of the
/ arms chests which contained all OF
/ the reserve rifles as we'll as three
II company shot guns. He told the com
pittee that he was sure he would
n have detected it If any of the rifles
had been missing, and he was equally
Il sure that the chests had not been
/ tempered with since they were pack,
II ed at Fort. Niobrara, before the re-
moval Of the Negro troops from that
+ post to Fort Brown.
\ r EFEf he report Of experts-Who- made
the microscopic examtnationeof shells
| picked up in Brownsville identified
1 one lot Of these shells as having been
fired from one Of the guns known to
have been in the arms. chests.
II All Of the guns, he said were in
spected the following morning when
drill call was sounded, and ammuni.
ton was inspected as well. Lieut.
HI Lawrason told the committee that he
satisfied himself that no guns Of his
4 company had been used the night be-
lfore, and that the men had all Of
their ammunition.
4 CortId Not Identify Bullets.
Senator Foraker called for the si1
bullets taken from the walls OF
houses IN Brownsville, and sent tc
the committee asa part Of the Purd1
testimony = He had the bullets lait
before the witness. and Mr.. Lawra
son examined them closely, but coult
not tell whether they were fired from
q Springfield or Kraig rifle.
The Ohio senator then called fol
the report Of the experts who ex
aminSd the thirty-three shells offer
ed inv evidence in the. message Of
President Roosevelt to the Senate
and which were picked up in Browns
vile. First, the Senator took up the
group of shells, which bore evidence
Of having been extracted from rifle
| L L., y.