Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1907-03-14


Firsd ~ oeldisrA
washinstsn. March 1s.-esnator
Foraker gave an entirely nsw turn
10 the investigation Of the BrownsviIle
affair. He examined Csptain KiIburn
Of the Twentysixth infantry. which
preceded the Twenty.fifth rog1nent a.
Fort Brown. regarding the penefrntion
OF steel bullets. and tho witness sail
. bullet Of the callber used In tn
Springfield rifle could be fired frof
Mauser rifle. but that its penefratirn
would be retarded. He thought tkf
the Springfield bullet from q rifle tbs
had been fired 800 or 400 times wcu'
not show the imprint Of the Rrcas
but u Hired from Mauser. the imprint
would be shown.
II Is said this testimony viii have
an important bearing or the invert.
cation. as the committee has had b..
fore II the bullets taken from the waI.s
OF the houses shot up" during the
fray. These bullets are SAID 10 L
deeply grooyed.
II seemed TO be the purpose of se.
ator Foraoer TO show by this tesf,n
ny that the bullets taken from VI
walls could not have been fired fro
the rifles In the hands Of the resss
troops. as these were not used in fss
get practice. Captain kilburn test
NED that he was at Brownsville vhe-,
the order was promulgated withdraw
Ing the white soldiers and scrding =
battalion Of negro soldiers to For.
Brown The best people Of Brown \.
vile. said the witness. expressed al
approval Of the change. but the cIn$
that loafed around saloons and drt.
stores and loitered on the streets. wer..
loud In their threats that Il would .'nr
be long before the colored troops wor-.i
be run out Of the fort"
Captain kilburn said he was in TIL,
mans store In BrownsviIle. and heart
Tiilman say:
We'll run the niggers out within
three weeks" and the expression o.
Ioiterers IN the store colncided with
the prediction, added the witness.
Continuing. the witness told Of hear.
Ing Of plans to organise . poooo 70 prr.
vent the negro troops from getting or
the train on their arrival at Fer
Brown. and to raise money 70 semi
delagtion 10 Washington to protest
against the sending Of negroes to Fort
Brown.
WAS all this talk Induced By hos.
tiiity to negroes?" asked Senator For
aker.
Undoubtedly Il was" replied the
witness.
Most OF the population Of Browns
Vile are Mexicans OF . low grade Of In
telligence said Captain Milburn- He
said these people considered the sol
diers legitimate prey. and made trcu'
BILE for them when they were cauxh'
IN town In small numbers or singly
Il was practice. be said. for the
Mexican citizens to carry side arms
and rifles through the streets. AM
shooting a, night was so common that
little attention was paid to II Mt fhe
for.
He described the police force at fhc
time he was there as consisting Of ten
men. nine OF whom were Mexicsnx who
could not speak. read or write Ene
lish. Their method OF making arrests
he said. was to beat the soldiers over
the heads with the butts OF their re.
volvers and take them TO the station
Captain Kilburn said this caused mrth
III feeling between the people and the
authorities at the fort.
On cross-examination by Senator
Warner. witness said II was not dif
ficuls for the soldiers to obtain few
extra cartridges. nor was u unusual
for soldiers &c lose one or two from
their allowance.
He said that the inspecting officer
could not always be exact In counting
the ammunition. When soldiers lose
ammunition the cartridges are charged
against them. but the witness said they
were only tried for negligence when
they became chronic losers.
AT the target practices, he said. the
men were supplied with ten or twenty
cartridges. according to the amount OF
shooting TO be done. but he thought
that n they were disposed TO DO So
they could take few extra ones.