The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-18
Discharged Negro Makes Full Statement About Shooting
 Up the Town
ADMITS HE WENT OUT ID
 HELP KILL WHITE MAN
Then Negroes Decide to Wipe Out Old Scores-Many Assist After As sault in Hurredy Cleaning
 Guns for Inspection

Galveston, Tex, March 1.-The mystery surrounding the murderous midnight raid of the negro soldiers from the Twenty fifth infantry upon the people of Browns vile, Tex, on August 13 last year, has been cleared up. A full statement has been made by one of the discharged ne- groes to two representatives of the Gal weston News. After seven months of in vestigation by the authorities of the Chi ted States, during which time the most searching inquiry has failed to shake the testimony of the negroes that they did no commit the outrage, what appears to be the true version of the crime has been secured from one of the discharged sol diers, who admits that he partcipa ed The man has been living in Galveston a large portion of the time since he was dis charged without honor from the military service of the nation, which he swore to serve honorably and is still in the city.
 Go Out to Kill.
 According to the statements made to the reporters the outbreak was not pre- medtated, but was the result of an al- legged injury done one of the soldiers by white man in Brownsville about d half hour before the raid was made The negro was struck by the white man at a resort in Brownsville. The negro, return- ing to the barracks, seized his rifle and announced that he was going to kill the white man. Several of the negroes promptly volunteered to go along and see the work well done, and to wipe out old scores which they had against the citi- zens on account of injuries which they claimed to have suffered. The negroes returned to the barracks after commit ting the assault on the town, and many soldiers assisted in the hurried cleaning of the guns for the inspection which fol- lowed soon after the shooting in the town ceased.
 Apparently the soldiers from only one company participated in the raid, al- though practically the entire battalion knew that soldiers had done the shoot ing.
 Thought Reporter in Secret Service.
 Many of the negroes belonging to this battalion enlisted in Galveston during the summer of 1905, and returned to this city after being discharged from the army Knowing there was story in some of the returned soldiers, a News reporter has been working on them for two months but with poor success, because the ne- groes had been advised by local negro politicians to avoid newspaper men. 1,n- other reporter was assigned to the story and met with success through the fact that the negro jumped at the conclusion that he was d United States secret service detective and let the secret out for ob- Vious reasons.
 The man who talked to the reporters gave his name as D. C Gray, and stated he was formerly private in Company of the Twenty-ifth infantry. He is man of apparently % years, and is about 5 feet 10 inches in height and of copper color. He is big, strong indi- vidual and is a model in physical build.
 Will Testify at CourtmartiaI.
 San Antonio, Tex, March 17.-Fort Sam Houston is much interested in the story of the alleged confession of D. c. Gray, who claims to have been a member of the squadron of negro soldiers that "shot up Brownsville, Tex, on August 13. The judge advocate in the trial here for the government has ordered the negro taken into custody by the Galveston police and brought to this city as a witness in the Penrose courtmartial.
 Major Penrose refused to discuss the matter at all.
 Capt. Edgar A. Mackln said there were two negroes in Company of the Twen- ty-fifth infantry but none that he knew of in Company B. The negroes in Com pany c were brothers and were named Joseph and George W. Gray.
 Will Be Protected, Says Overton.
 Washington, March 17.-Senator Over man of North Carolina. who is mem- Der of the Senate committee on military affairs, which is Investigating the shoot ing up of Brownsville. Tex. tonight. when shown the dispatch from Galveston telling of the alleged confession of dis charged negro soldier. said that the com mittee received information two weeks ago that a former member of the Twenty fifth infantry had expressed a willingness to make a full confession. if he could re- ceive some assurances from the govern ment that he would be protected.
 Senator Overman says that this infor- nation was forwarded to Secretary Taft with the suggestion that it be investi- gated by the war department.
 'All the discharged troops who tell the truth about the affray," said the sena- tor, Twill certainly be protected by the government Neither the committee on military affairs nor the war department has received any official report regarding the alleged confession of the discharged negro soldier"