Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-22
REPORT OF GEN. CR0ZlER
Errors in List of Guns Of the 25th
Infantry.
PROBING BROWNSVILLE AFFAIR
Secretary Taft Sends Information to
the Senate Military Committee
Return of Bullets

held a brief session at the Capitol today.
after which it adjourned to Monday. in or
der to secure more accurate information in
relation to the record of Comp anies B, c
and d of the 18th Infantry, which are in
voIved in the charges of the shooting-up of
Brownsville August ID.
When the committee assembled it was
with the understanding that it would fully
examine Lieut.. Hawkins and Mr.. Spooner.
both stationed at the Springfield armory.
who made an investigation which has
resulted in a report claiming to identify
cartridges found at Brownsville with par
ticular rifles from which they were shot.
Secretary Taft today sent to the committee
a report from Gen. Crozier. chief of ord
nance. which showed that inaccuracies have
been discovered in the records which make
yalueless the identification of the soldier
with his gun until corrections have been
made In several instances a gun. according
TO these records, was assigned to two men
at the same time, and in another instance
two guns the numbers of which indicated
that they were nailed down in box. buried
under a pile of iron cots in the Quartermas-
ters storehouSe, were in fact hacked As II
they had been cut with an ak or Ratchet.
This condition of the guns causes the Sus-
picion that instead of being in the store
house of Company B they were in the gun
racks of Company c, and were packed with
other guns found IN the same COnultlOH
According to the records previously re-
ceiyed here these two guns were wholly
inaccessible to the men on the night or
August II. and that fact constituted
strong denial of the expert testimony which
identified cartridges with guns in the store
house. These guns that were packed were
not of the same numbers OF guns ldentlfled
by Lieut. Hawkins as having fired certain
cartridges but the possibility of those guns
being In the hands of the men is suggested
because the packed guns were recorded as
being with them. 90
Gen. Crozier was present in the committee
room this morning, and the three bullets
found imbedded in the walls of houses at
Brownsville and exhibited during the Purdy
investigation were turned over TO MIN In or
der that lie might have measurements made
of them to see whether or not they too were
fired from Springfield rifle cartridges.
To Be Resumed Monday.
Tie committee has information that by
next Monday Capt. Lyon, Capt. Mackiln'
Lieut.. Lawrason and Lieut.. Greer will be
here. and it is expected that they will then
be placed upon the witness stand. Several
other witnesses are in the city so that the
committee expects to be able to meet there
daily and continue its work all of next
week 1t seems likely that in the coming
week the testimony to be given will do a
great deal to clear up matters that are Stlll
ia doubt regarding the shooting up of
Brownsville. The witnesses who will then
appear before the committee are some of
the most important ones in connection with
this affair. 1t is likely that the expert
testimony of Lieut.. Hawkins and Mr..
Spooner will then be fully developed as
to show what weight is to be given to it.
The committee has not yet decided
whether or not it will 60 to Brownsville
The necessity of its visit to the scene of
the shooting of August 13 will largely de-
pend upon the developments that will take
place next week.
Lieut.. Hawkins Conclusions
In his letter transmitting Gen. Croziers
supplementary report Secretary Taft says:
''It will be observed that this does not
affect in the slightest the conclusions Of
Lieut. Hawkins, the expert who examined
the shells and made further tests at the
Springfield arsenal. as to the Numbers of
the guns from which the cartridge shells
found the streets oft-Rrox nSS3ile were
discharged The lists of the gun numbers
AS assigned to the men were not sent to
Lieut. Hawkins and were never in his pos
session This matter only affected the
question of the custody of those guns and
the names of the enlisted men Of the COM
pany to whom they were assigned II 10 any
OF them.
Property Books Called For.
In order to remove the possibility of err
ror Secretary Taft has ordered the property
books of all three companies sent to the
War Department, and ne mas notiheo TIC
Senate committee that the books will arrive
iu DAY two.
HE says IT will probably be possible from
them TO correct the errors apparent on the
lists as pointed out in the supplementary
report Of General CroZier
General CrOzer'S report gives In detail the
numerous errors that were made In tele-
graphing the numbers Of guns to w asnins-
tor and explains the manner in which sucn
no. adj
Another report from the ordnance bureau
of the army was sent to the committee by
Secretary Taft which shows that the am
munition for the new Springfield rifle cannot
Lac used IN any other guns except the Mau-
Ger and Schmidt. either the caliber or the
fact that the Springfield ammunition uses
a FAM. case excluding all other arms
The type. Of Mauser which is adopted TO the
SprjngficId ammunition is said to be useo
only in Argentine, Peru, Belgium and lur-
kei and the Schmidt gun has only three
Lands instead of four. which the ne"
S,Tir gneld rife has, and the bullets conse-
uuentIy would be differently marked sec
rr,ary Taft notified the committee that
shnuld il desire further expert evidence on
tnis subject General CroZier and his assist
ants in the bureau of ordnance are at the
disposition of the committee.