Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-14

I
gave the word Of command. These thre<
| witnesses say that with the two lights, on<
on the corner of 14th and Elizabeth streets
and the other on the corner OF Washington
| and 14th streets, each $50 feet away from
| the alley, together with the flashes OF the
guns which appeared with the volieys thai
| were fired, they were able without the
slightest doubt to recognize the snen VINO
did the shooting as negro soldiers In KHAKI
| uniform. After firing from the alley at the
| Cowan house they came out into the mid
die of the street, and the witnesses described
| In detail how one man got into mud mole
| and directed the rest to march around IT.
and the number of bullets that we're fired
in the middle Of the street. some Of the
| bullets striking the rear of the Leahy
| Hotel. Part Of the squad started toward
| Elizabeth street, but were called back by
their leader and disappeared up the alley:
They describe the pumping of the guns and
| the extraction of the shells.
Lieutenant Of Police.
While the men who did the shooting were
| at the Cowan house and crossing 14th
| street to proceed UP the alley, Lieut. DOM
| inguez, a policeman of twenty years serv-
| ice, and one of his men. Padron, attracted
| by the shooting. had come down Washing
| ton street to 14th street, and stood at the
corner of those two streets and saw, the
| shooting In 14th street and recognized those
| who did the shooting uniformed men. AS
| the men went up the alley, Dominguez ana
|
! Washington street to 18th and turned into
| 18th west, apparently to head the men on
| at the alley as they crossed 18th street
Dominguez was on a white horse. ana as
| he went I'D Washington street he met an
| other of his policemen, Ramirez, and
| these three proceeded toward the intersec-
! ton of the alley and 18th street Mean
| while, the squad of men proceeded up the
| alley passing the house of DR.. Thorne, a
| physician who had lived for years In
! Brownsville, and whose room. In the house
| running back from Elizabeth street, was
| immedia tely on the alley. DIR. Thorne was
| aroused by the shooting and heard the men
| go by his house on the alley as he lay In
| bed not more than ten or fifteen feet from
where the men were. He heard their con-.
verSaton and heard them utter words in
dicating their desire to shoot somebody
| who was going by. He heard the working
| of the guns, and testifies with great GER
tainty that the voices not ten feet from
| him were the voices of negroes. A short
| distance beyond the Thorne house the men
| who did the shooting came to the Miller
| Hotel which stood. as already stated. on
the southwest corner of the alley and 18th
| street, and there, as they came to the
mouth of the alley, they saw Lieut.. Dom1n-
guez Of the police passing along 18th
street on white horse. and two voileys
| were fired by them at him and his horse.
Dominguez testifies that he passed within
| twenty-five feet of the men they came
out of the alley. and that IN the light that
| was shining on the north side of Washing
| of Elizabeth and 18th streets he was able
| to Identify the man whom he had seen on
| 14th street cOlOred men in uniform. His
| horse shot twice, and he was shot In
| the arm and his arm shattered so that it
| had to be amputated. His horse jumped
| forward with the shot and fell on the cor
| ner of 18th and Elizabeth streets. Domino
| guez falling with him. Dominguez testifies
| to the presence Of light in front of the
house of Bolack, little to the west of the
alley on 18th street. The two policemen
| who were with Dominguez did not go with
him across the alley, but delayed and re-
treated as the men came out, and l shall
| refer to their evidence later.
Mrs. Moore. the wife of the proprietor of
the hotel, was in room in the second
story of Miller's Hotel. on the alley, with
a window looking south and a window look
ing on to the alley. She and her husband
| sat in the window looking toward the
the guns. They heard them at Cowan's
house, heard the vOley heard the reload
Ing heard the second volley as they started
down the alley toward the Miller Hotel.
They dropped down behind the window
wall and withdrew for protection. but were
| near enough the alley to hear the express
sions Of the men as they saw Dominguez
and called for volley at him. They testi
fed to. eight bullet holes in the hotel. in
| side and out. Moore recognized the negro
voices. Mrs. Moore can not be certain.
The next room on the second floor of
Miller's Hotel, on the corner Of the alley
and 18th street was twenty feet square.
| with two rooms on the alley and two
rooms on 18th street. and was occupied by
a Mr. and Mrs. Hale -Odfn, with. five of
their children. Mr.. Odin is a graduate of
Ann Arbor and engaged in the land and
immigration business: was in the habit Of
staying at Brownsville two or three months
at a time. his business requiring him to
travel about the country, although his
home is nominally at San Antonio. There
were four beds in the room and all the
children were there baby Of year old
md oft +
There was dim light in the room. Mr..
| and Mrs. Odin heard the shooting at the
barracks, coming north and they took po
sition at window on the alley near a
bed in which was sleeping a boy eleven
years old. He stood up in the bed so that
the three of them with their heads to-
gether, were looking out of the window
on to the alley as the men came up. They
| heard the remark, which other witnesses
report calling for volley at Dominguez.
and the expression of satisfaction at hav-
ing hit him. When the boy made a remark
to the mother, which she answered, 1t call
ed the attention of one of the men below
to their presence, whereupon he took his
gun and fired at point-blank range at them.
The bullet struck the screen through which
they were looking, struck the lower sash Of
the window, which was raised, and went
into the ceiling and through into the room
just over the Odins' room Mrs. Odin says
that the bullet went through her hair; that
her face was smarted with what she
thought was powder from the gun; that
the man who nreQ with the gun raised
could not have been much more than
twelve feet from where they were standing.
The boy fell in the bed at the time Of the
shot Mrs Odin testified that in the light
of the discharge they were able to- see the
face OF the man who fired and that 1t was
that of a freckled or speckled faced negro.
They also testified that the men came up
the alley in files of two, first in squad
of seven and then a squad Of five, one
man leading each squad. and that in the
light of the street lamps and the flashes of
the guns they were able to count twelve,
andthat they were all negroes in uniform,
three or four without hats. three or four
in shirts.
Odin testified that he looked from the
window on 18th street after they crossed
18th street. but is unable to say whether
they all went up the alley not. He also
testifies that he saw them return, running
at double quick down the alley toward the
barracks some minutes afterward. after he
had heard the firing in the neighborhood of
the Tillman saloon. Other guests of the
hotel a locomotive engineer and a loco
motive fireman. one from the second and
the other from the third floor. on 18th street.
testified to seeing negro soldiers cross the
street. The clerk of the hotel. and a guest
of the hotel, who were on the ground floor
and who secreted themselves In the sample
room heard the working of the guns. the
extracting of the cartridges, and the guest
yhn