The Washington herald., 1907-03-13
POOR OPINION OF CITY
Army Man Finds Few Good
Families i'll Brownsville.
TALK OF ATTACKING NEGROES
Soldiers or Citizens Could Have
Gotten Cartridges - Would show
Groove If Fired 400 Times out of
Mauser Gun-Mexican Police Also
DisIiked White Soldiers.

Capt. Dana Willis Kilburn, Twenty
sixth Infantry. who was the principal
witness yesterday before the Senate Com
mittee on Military Affairs. which is in
vestigating the Brownsville raid did not
give the town or its citizens a very. good
recommendation in the statements which
he made 10 the committee.
He said that a very large majority OF
the peopIe-more than three-fourths, in
fact-were Mexicans, and the most of
them Of low order Of Intelligence. He
did not know OF more than a dozen
families in the entire town with whom hs
would care TO associate. He had been
there for two and a half years imme-
diately preceding the arrival of the
colored troops.
Capt. KilbUrn testified that the better
element of Brownsville disapproved 0f the
action of the War Department in send
ing negro troops TO the town. while the
lower classes openly declared that they
would soon run the niggers out OF the
town" and get the white soldiers back
Talk of Organizing Posse.
There was even talk of organizing a
posse to do this, and also of raising
money 10 send a committee To Washing
ton TO protest He gave several instances
Of this sort Of talk. Capt Kilburn de-
claTed that of the ten privates on the
Brownsville police force only one spoke
English sufficiently well 70 carry on "a
conversation. The police disiked white
soldiers also, frequently arrsstiug them
for trivial offenses and subjectiug them
TO fines and heavy costs.
Shooting at night was quite common in
the town, and many OF the people car
ried weapons. Capt. Kuburu explained
much of the practice followed in main
tanning military discipline, and admitted
that there was no way of keeping ac-
curatc account of cartridges. Il was pos
sible either for civilians to get them or
for soldiers 10 obtain a surplus.
Bullets show Imprint of Grooves.
Senator Foraker brought out the fact
that bullets used in the Springfield rifle
could be fired in a Mauser. but Capt Kill
burn explained that the penetration
would be retarded. \ bullet fired from
a Springfield that had been shot three or
four hundred times would not show the
imprint of the grove but if fired from a
Mauser the imprint would be shown. This
statement is regarded as important. in
view OF the fact that the bullets which
the committee has examined In executive
session, and which were taken from the
houses fired upon in Brownsville. are said
10 be deeply groved
Lieut. Edwin r. Thompson Twenty
sixth Infantry, battalion quartermaster.
the officer left at Brownsville TO turn over
the property 70 the commanding officer
of the Twenty-ffth Infantry when the
iwenty-siXth had left Fort Brown. said
ne. heard the same deTogatOrv remarks
against the coming of the colored soldiers
as had been testified to by Capt. Kuburu
Ex-senator David b. Hill. who was at
the Capitol yesterday TO appear before
the Supreme Court, dropped into the com
mittee room and shook hands with sew
eral Of the Senators whom De knew.
He listened q few minutes 20 the testi-
mony of Can't Kilburn. but expressed
no opinion regarding the Brownsville af-
fair