The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-02-02
MAJOR PENRosE WILL sE
BROUGHT TO trial

San Antonio. Tex, Feb. 2.-Major
Penrose VINO was in command of the
battalion of the Twenty-fifth Infantry
at the time of the Brownsville riots,
Sam Houston, neal this city next Mon
day. The date is the same rs that set
for the taking of testimony in the
Brownsville matter by the senate com
mittee on military affairs 1t Washing
ton. The specific charge which Major
Penrose must ace is Conduct to the
prejudice of good order and discipline
in falling to exercise due diligence
and to take proper precautions to pre-
vent the rioting. Colonel George l.
Brown will probably act as president
of the court martial and Captain Geo.
E. May as Judge advocate Other pros
pective members of the court include
Lieutenant Colonel ia mes Crane Lien
tenant Colonel L.. M. Mans, Lieuten-
ant Colonel l.. M Sharpe, Lieutenant
Colonel E. ]. Mcclellan, Lieutenant
Colonel B.. NJ. Stevens, Lieutenant Col
onel Frank Baker, Major j. L. Clark,
Major Charles Taylor, Major ]. b. Ben
nett, Major H. B. Snyder, Major G.
Gardner and Major H. S. Wallace
The Court Martial proceedings were
originally set for January 4, but were
postponed one month on account OF
the shooting of Captain Edgar Mack
lin, who is also implicated in the
charges of negligence during the riot
at Brownsville. He was the Officer
of the day at the time of the riots by
the negro soldiers.
The charges of negligence against
Major Penrose are based partially o.
statements that he made no effort
to discover the guilty men n thar
the rifles of the negro soldiers were
not examined until the next no ming
after the riot. 1t is alleged by uhe of
icers that the rifles were carefully
guarded until the examination was
made AID that all were found to be
clean. When the firing began at mid
night the first shots were fired over
the tort and officers declare they at
first believed that citizens of Browns
vile were makingan attack on the bar
racks. Major Penrose, the posC com
mandant, Immediately ordered The
call to arms. 1t is alleged by the of
icers that the majority of the negro
soldiers evidently shared in the be
lief that the fort was being attacked
and begged the officers to protect them
Many Brownsville citizens have
been called upon to testify by h pro
secution during the general court maj
tial. All who have been interviewed
declare that the negro soldiers were
looking for trouble" from the nom
ent thai they arrived il Brownsville
and that there is no possible doubt
that the shooting on the night of Au
gust Is last was lone by members O.
the T~wenty-Fifth infantry. Many OF
the Brownsville citizens are open in
their criticism of Major Pelrose ano
declare that the riots could nave beer
averted if he had used proper dill
gence.
Major Penrose, the accused Off
Ger, is a son of General William Pen
rose, who served in Sherman's army
during the Civil war and was later a
colonel in the regular army for many
years. Penrose entered the army Il
1884 and vas mad a second lieuten
ant. He graduated I'm the infantry
m cavalry school at Fort Leaven
worth in 1891. While a student al
the school he married a daughter OF
Colonel Edwin TOWNSEND, then com
manda1t at Fort Leavenworth. He
is a relative of Senator Penrose of Pa
who introduced the resolution in the
senate asking for an investigation in
to the Presidents action in discharg.
ing the negro soldiers.