Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1907-03-02
Did Mexican exams Fire onFt. BI
Wore Startling Testimony Given=No Evidence
of a Conspiracy to Tlurder Citizens.

his affidavit that he had heard the
whizzing of bullets.
Franklin told OF hearing the call
to arms. and said tnat the twelve
men at the guardhouse. "fell in"
under orders OF Sergt Reid. All
OF the guard were accounted for.
He said he heard about dozen
bullets passing over the heads of
the guard.
Corp. Burtiett thought the FIRST
two shots awakened him. and he
believed they were fired from the
town. He said ne was sent to tne
barracks TO investigate the shooting
and was ordered by Maj. Penrose
TO get Mrs. Penrose and Mrs. Grler
and take them TO Caut. Macklin's
house for safety during the firing.
While near the barracks. he said.
ne saw flashes OF about ten gun or
rifle shots, and the shots appeared
90 be elevated over the barracks.
The heaviest firing. he asserted
was from back in the town.
Carolina De Saussure. also a mem
Der OF the guard. testified TO hearing
the shots, but said ne heard no bul
lets.
OF the company was assigned as a
teamster and slept in the quarter
masters stable with three or four
other soldiers. He said he was
wakened by Corral Boss Voschelle
after the shooting was all over. The
soldiers who slept in the stable, ne
said. kept their guns at the bar
racks.
washington Post, Feb. 22. 1901
Wilbert Voschelle. the white cor
raj boss at Fort Brown was the on
ly witness yesterday morning before
the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs. which is investigating tae
Brownsville raid.
Voschelle testified that at $50
O'Clock on the afternoon preceding
the raid he had gone 20 the post
canteen for his mail. AS he came
out of the building ne encountered
Maj. Penrose. the commanding Off
Ger of the post; Mayor Combes, Of
Brownsville and the quarantine Of
flcer of the port whose name he af
terward learned was Evans.
Evans was saying, Major, il
there is not an arrest made between
this hour and II o'clock every en-
listed man we see on the streets
will be shot"
Witness said he learned after
ward that Mr.. Evans was the nus
band of the woman who had been
assaulted that day by a Negro sol
der. He did not hear Mai. Pen
rose make any reply.
l. ho1f
outside of the barracks. When hel
heard the firing ne arose and start
ed for the corral. On the way he
saw two Mexican policemen, VINO
lived near him, come out of their
homes and run along the wall of
the garrison toward the town. He
did not see them have guns. and
they did no shooting When he
reached the corral. all the soldiers
detailed there were present, al
though that was ten minutes orr
more after the firing ceased. Three
civilians, employees of the corral,
two of them Mexicaus were not
there. The policemen OF Browns
Vile, witness said. wore knaki uni
forms much like those worn by the
soldiers.
At the afternoon session NoS-
chelle was cross-examined. He
the testimony of VIM. I
Mapp. a former member of Gonna
nv c, who claimed 90 have heard
voschelle declare that he had been
in town the night before the shoot
ing, and had heard OF a plan to
Negro soldiers when they
went TO the Negro saloon.
voschelie, after testifying that
white soldiers who preceded the
Negroes at Brownsville had trouble
with the citizens. said ths.t on Au-
gust Is. two days after the shooting
he had met an old carrenter. famii- !
iarly called Dad" The old man
was carving a Winchester. and
when asked by voschelle II ne had
been hunting the old man answered: