The National tribune., 1907-02-14
The BROWNSVILLE
INCIDENT.
The Matter Has Qmeted Down to q Sen.
atorial Investigation Only Witnesses
from One Company, and That the Most
Innocent, Examined So Far.

But for a group Of negros herded
daily in one end Of Senate corridor
and watched over by deputies Of the
Sergeant-at-Arms' Office almost rs
closely as tho they were prisoners, there
would be little at the Capitol in the
rush of the closing of Congress to re-
mind one that the Brownsville incident
is live topic. They are there as wit
nesses. and the Senate Military Affairs
Committee is sitting at an oval-slIaped
table few doors away trying to as
certain to the satisfaction of all its
members whether these negros, once
soldiers of the 25th Inf, are guilty Of
the Conspiracy of silence" to protect
the men who shot up the town Of
Brownsville almost six months ago.
They sit drearily about-these negros
from many States-waiting their turn
to be called, and are generally glad
when the ordeal 10 over. Nearly all Of
them make good witnesses. That is,
they stick closely to their story that
they knew nothing about the shooting.
The newspaper reports of the testimony
have been gradually curtailed, because
there seemed little Of great public in.
terest in what they testify and also for
the reason that there are other matters
Of moro pressing news interest--such
as. for instance, the Thaw trial In New
York. The newspaper wires have been
crowded in recent days. carrying the
story OF the witnesses who arc 70 show
whether the rich young man from Pitts
burg should be sent on to Sing Sing
and the electric chair.
But Senators are struggling very
fiercely for advantage in the committee
room as the Brownsville hearing pro-
to the right of the oval table as one
enters the committee room, whose walls
and ceiling are brilliantly decorated by
historical war scenes. Mr.. Foraker is
without doubt the most capable lawyer
of the committee. He is the special
champion Of the negros at the hearing.
and has gradually come to dominate
the proceedings. Thus far he has not
been able to bring out much testimony
that confirmed his side of the case, but
the hearing is by no means over. The
soldiers examined thus far have been
those who were Of Co. D. and It has
been generally understood that they
had the least to do with the affray Of
any of the three companies Of the bat
talon that President Roosevelt dis
charged. When the soldiers of Co. G
are brought on there may be develop
ments. They are the men supposed to
have participated in the shooting.
Senator Lodge, OF Massachusetts,,
who is looked upon as the champion in
the committee of the Presidents con-
tention that there was conspiracy of
silence" follows the proceedings step
by step, and participates in the exam
ination and cross-examination Of wit
nesses. He broke in upon the testi-
- wis t., ~
Harris, now porter in Boston bank
and showed that Harris had made an
impossible statement that it was dark
when he arose the morning of Aug. IA,
after the shooting, and that 1t was
O'clock. The Senator telephoned the
Naval Observatory, and found that the
sun rose at Brownsville that morning
at 5:27 a. m. He has also been able to
contradict other witnesses, who de-
scribed that morning as foggy, by con-
sulting the records of the Weather Bu-
reau.
But on the whole the witnesses have
said little that added to the available
information about those who did shoot
up the Texas town, whose inhabitants,
by the way, are mostly Northern people
who went there and settled. Senator
Foraker, however, is more determined
than ever. and he is taking hold of the
witnesses with great vigor.
In one way the hearing is boon to
the negro witnesses Many of them
probably were never earning so much
money in all their lives. The Senate
allows a per diem of SO to witnessed
called before any committee. The payl
begins with the time they start for
Washington and ends when they arel
back home again. In addition they are
paid their actual travelling expenses In
coming to and going from Washington.
While the witnesses are in Washington
they must find themselves" OF course, |
So day would not pay hotel bills for
a lot of people who stay in Washington. |
Some visitors here pay SO or SIS al
day and even more, but not so the ne |
gros who were once soldiers in the |
25th Inf. They can get boarded in |
for 81 a day, and have at |
least 50 day. or about $50 a month, |
left for wages. Some Of them are |
kept here a week or two, and will go |
back home with quite q waS Of Gov
money.