Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-17
DID NOT SEE the RIOTERS
WITNESSES HEARD REGARDING
THE BROWNSVILLE AFFAIR.
Why They Believed Negro folders
Were Guilty Of Doing the
Shooting.

Inc senate committee on mlntary aualr7
today heard Geo. T. Porter. general agent
Of the st. Louis. Brownsville and Mexican
railway. who Is located at Brownsville. and
Chas. E Hammond. a real estate operator
who develops land by introducing irriga-
ton works. who was in Brownsville on the
night Of August 13. when the alleged
shooting up Of the town took place. Mr..
Porter testified to the disturbance which
was going on outside Of his house, and
to some extent corroborating the state
ments OF Domingeuz and Padron Of the DO
lice force concerning their movements on
that night. but he did not see any Of the
marauders who were shooting up the town
and could not testify concerning their sp-
pearance.
That night he had said that the negroe,
from the barracks were out and he sup
posed that to be the case. as he believed
that was the only way such fracas would
occur, as there had been more or less talk
that the negroes were unruly. He heard
the working Of the chambers Of the pieces
OF the men firing.
At this point in the testimony Senator
Lodge went forward to the gun rack, and
taking up the Krag rife worked the bolt
which the witness said was the sound that
he heard that night when men were firing
across the street from his house.
Later Senator Foraker stepped I'D to the
gun rack and illustrated the sound made
BY the working OF the bolt of the Spring
field rifle. and the witness said that It was
such noise, but that he could not be posi-
tive that the noise was Of Krag instead
Of Springfield. It was q noise Of that
kind. No Winchester rife was present. so
that the noise that might be made with
that gun could not be illustrated.
Believed They Were Negroes.
Mr.. Hammond was staying at the Miller
Hotel and was sitting in front Of that place
when the shooting began. He did not see
those who passed the hotel firing. but testi-
fed to hearing one Of them say There goes
the -. let him have It." He said he re-
cognized q negro's voice as making this
exclamation. but he saw nothing to further
identify the men who were shooting. There
was no doubt in his mind that the colored
troops did the shooting.
Senator Warner-"You had no doubt
about that?' 49,
Witness-'No, sir; had no doubt about
1t then and have had no doubt about 1t
since" -. .
There was considerable discussion as to
former testimony Of this witness, in which
he had said that he thought cowboys might
be shooting up the town at first, but stated
that when he heard the volley he at once
concluded that they were negro soldiers,
especially as he recognized high-power
guns, which he knew were in the hands of
the soldiers. He knew the shots were not
from pistols.
He explained that he was familiar with
various kinds Of rife and pistol shots, as he
had been trained as a boy in the hardware
business, the sale of firearms and cartridges
being an important part of 1t. He had hunt
ed a great deal in Texas and had used a
Winchester. He was sure the shots he
heard were of high-power guns, but could
not say positively that they were Krags:,
Asked whether he had any prejudice
against negroes, he said that he now en-
ploys a colored man as an overseer. work.
ing gang Of fifty or sixty Mexicans, and
men. '.-..artr
Policeman Recognized Soldiers.
After The Stars report of the proceed
ings was closed yesterday afternoon %
liceman Genare Padron testified that he
was at the corner Of Washington and 18th
streets shortly before midnight. and that
he saw soldiers in the alley half a block
away and that they were shooting. He
said he could distinguish their uniforms
when the guns flashed. He told Of the
meeting with the lieutenant of police, but
contradicted the statement Of Dominguez
that he had said the men had just I'm
According to Padron's story he accom-
panied Dominguez back to 18th street and
part way to the alley near the Miller Ho-
tel He said ne went 1 no further ~, because
to cross the alley. He told OF seeing negro
soldiers rush out and fire at Dominguez
and follow him some distance down 18th
street. He did not see Dominguez when
his horse was shot from under him as the
men saw him Padron). and started firing
at him. Padron told Of the running from
Of taking refuge in an obscure doorway.
The witness was cross-examfned by
Senator Foraker at some length without az
fecting his story. -Dominguez also was
cross-examined by Senator Foraker at the
afternoon session, but his story was not