Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-14
through the tous. ana struck church 10.

yono.
A Mr.. Porter, whose house was on the
southeast corner Of Washington and 18th
streets. testified to hearing the men come
east on 18th and go up Washington street
and fre volley. and testified to a scurry-
ing of feet afterward as soon as the volley
was fired. indicating a return down WASH
ington street and around into 18th street
Of the squad. The testimony Of one Of
at the starck house the squad proceeded
UP to 18th street, then out 18th street.
which would bring them to the mouth OF
the alley where another witness, Manuel
ward the river on 18th street, and this
would bring them into conjunction with
the other squad. which left them at the
corner OF 18th street and the alley. and
proceeded up the alley to Tillman's saloon.
Coming now to the latter squad that went
to the Tfllman saloon. and their acts there.
there were In the saloon three men-Frank
Natus. the barkeeper. Pauline Preciado, the
editor of a Spanish paper published at
Brownsville. whose evidence had to be In
terpreted. and another. Mexican named
Nicholas Alanis. Tllman, the proprietor,
had left his saloon after the shooting began
and had gone down on Elisabeth street to-
ward the barracks. Alanis and Prectado
were seated at q table in the courtyard of
the saloon. which opened onto the alley.
through gate OF door. This courtyard
seems to have been very we'll lighted. with
several lamps. There was a cistern about
midway between the saloon and tho alley
gate. There was q water-closet in one cor
ner. Natus as he heard the firing put up
the shutters in front OF the saloon on Eliza
beth street. and then came back through
the courtyard. In order to close the alley
gate or door. which stood open. The firing
grew closer, and Alanis. who was In the
water-closet, took refuge under the STAIR
case, where he could see Natus as he came
out of the saloon door into the courtyard.
Preciado followed Natus out and stood in
the courtyard, when five or six men crowd
ed into the alley gate and shot at Natus.
who had reached the cistern on his way
to the gate, and fell over the cstern. Pre-
cia1o was wounded in the hand and had q,
bullet hole through his coat He testifies
that he saw the men who did the shooting,
In the lights that were in the courtyard,
and that they were negro soldiers. He
speaks Spanish, and testified through an
interpreter. His evidence Is weakened by
the admission on his part that in previous
statements at the inquest, before the grand
jury. and elsewhere, he had not said that
he saw the men who did the shooting to be
negro soldiers, but he seeks to explain this
by the fact that he was not asked There
were no bullet holes in the gate, but there
were inside the courtyard of the saloon.
The reproduced plat of the saloon in the
record and the marks thereon are unintel-
ligible.
Cartridge shells were found outside of the
garrison wall near Elizabeth street and
all the way up the alley from the garrison
road to 18th street, especially at the Cowan
House, at the Leahy Hotel. at the Miller
Hotel, at the Tillman saloon and at 18th
street near the intersection of tie alley.
They were also found in front of the Starck
House, Washington street. which was
shot into. The mayor found some of them
at 2 O'Clock the morning of the shooting
at the corner of Miller's Hotel The rest
were found early in the morning Of the
next day, and at the same time clips were
found, used to hold five cartridges in the
gun together, and a bandolier or cartridge
case to be slung over the shoulder, manu-
featured by the Union Metallic Cartri lge
Company. A great many of the witnesses.
other than those mentioned above, referred
to the sound Of the loading of the guns
and the extraction Of the shells as firing
progressed at places along the line of march
Of the men who did the shooting. where
the cartridge shells and some loaded car
tridges were found. Some thirty-twO shells.
seven loaded cartridges and two or three
clips were collected from Mayor Combe and
others by Maj Blocksom and Mr.. Purdy.
and were subjected to expert examination
by military officers at Fort Sam HOus on
and by Capt. Rice and Gen. Crozier Of the
ordnance bureau. They proved to be. all ot
them, ammunition with marks initiating
that they were manufactured exclusively
for the government and for use only In the
Springfield rifle of the model of 1903. with
which the battalion at Fort Brown was
armed. It appeared that these cartridges
would not fit in any gun known In the mar
ket, not the Krag-Jorgensen or any other
gun, military or sporting, known to the
expert witnesses. except sporting VIM
chester rifle Of the model Of 1903, put that
the cartridges were so insensitive as not
to explode under the hammer of this Win
chester 1905 rifle when chambered to re.
ceive cartridges of this size. so that the
cartridges of this size which were manu-
featured and sold for the Winchester 1919
rifle had different and more sensitive meth
DDS of discharge. which easily distinguished
them in appearance from the government
ammunition for the Springfield rifle 1t
therefore Is conclusively established that
no guns but the Springfield rifle could have
discharged the cartridges the shells OF
which were found along the line of fire IN
Brownsville the morning of the l4th OF
August. ,
Three bullets were extracted, one in the
presence of Major Blocksom at the Cowan
house; one by Major Blocksom from the
Yturria house, and one by Mr.. Cara, from
his own house. on the southeast corner of
the alley and 18th street. Each Of
these bullets was of the weight and size of
bullets used in the Springfield ammunition.
and bears the four marks of the lands or
raised parts between the grooves of the
rifiing. The rifiing of the Winchester rifle:
1905 into which the shells of the size OF
the Springfield rifle shells would fit. has six
lands SO that the bullets could not have
been fired out Of the Winchester rife. The
bullets however were about the same size
same mark Of the lands. which is four in
number. but already said, the shells
found would not enter the krag-Jorgensen
chamber by an inch. and the evidence indi-
seen rife In the neighborhood of Browns
Vile, and thc>t was owned by witness who
testificL The evidence is conclusive that
there were no guns except the Springfield
guns which would discharge the bullets
from the cartridges found. When this evil
dence is carefully considered. it is a conclu- |
sive demonstration that the firing must
have been done by men with the rifles Of
the Springfield 1908 model. The only rifles
of this kind In or near Brownsville were In
the possession of the soldiers of the three
companies B, c and d, OF the 18th In
fantry The suggestion that after the hur- |
ried shooting. which was done almost at
double-quick and was finished certainly |
within ten or fifteen minutes. those who did
the shooting could have had some other
gun than the Springfield rife. could have
picked up the cartridge shells of that gun |
which were extracted and thrown onto the
ground as the shooting progressed. and |
could have then placed upon the ground or
planted shells of the Springfield rifle. OBJ
tanned from the target range 20 miles away. |
certainly does not create reasonable doubt |
of the fact that the men who did the shoot !
ing were negro soldiers, even If the direct |
evidence be ignored.
Conflict as to Circumstances.
There is a conflict to the circumstances
growing out of the evidence of the wit |
&c nat in RAJ