The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-19
SAD BLOW
 FOR FORAKER Four Rifles of Company B. Used EXPERIMENTS ARSENAL Microscopic .amination Proves Negro 2 Up Brownsville. Alleged -Snfession of Ex-Trooper At Galveston Proves To Be Fake
 of Purest Ray serene--For-
 aker BefuddIed.
 

" WaSnlnBtOn, MATCH to.--HV V1h AhH,rf from Company B. 25th Infantry were used in the Brownsville affray if the or- iinance department of the army can substantiate the reports sent to the l senate committee on military anatfn today concerning the microscopic sx1 1 aminations of the thirty-three snaiiS picked up in the streets of the town on the morning following the shooting
 All the rifles ip the possession of ] the battalion at Fort Brown on the night of August 13, were sent to the | Springfield arsenal and two shots were fired from each. The shells were com pared with those picked up at Browns vile and the officers making the tests reported that 1t had been demonstrat- ed beyond dispute that four guns Of l Company B, were used in discharging all of the shells. The reports were made a part of the committee records and Lieutenant Hawkins of the ord- nance department and c. A. Spooner, expert inspector of gauges. used in the manufacture of muskets at the Spring l field aresenal are ready to go ou the stand to explain this report and be cross examined concerning them.
 Two of Company >Bs rifles, said to have been used in the affray were kept In the store house under lock and key of which the key was in the possse- sion of former Quartermaster Sergeant MoCurdy and the two other rifles were said to have been issued to Private T. Wilson and Thomas Taylor.
 F0raker Gets Hnsy.
 l Senator Foraker Immediately had subpoenas issued for Taylor and Wii~ son and for the recall of McCurdy. Ac also asked that the war department De instructed to send for Lieutenant Lauxi- son who commanded Company B, at tho | tfraA of fha aFFray EAoraf&rV TafF in l a letter to the committee pointed out that the men who did the shooting may have used any guns they could socnTe and that Taylor and Wilson cannot be held to be guilty because of the shaw < ling made by the tests at the arsenal
 The alleged confession of ID. W l Cray. supposed to. be member f& Company fB, which was printed at Galveston, Tex, was formally dehied today in telegram from Major Block som at San Antonio to the war depart- ment Major Blocksom said in his dis patch that he had received telegram from the chief of police at Galveston saying that the publication was fake. .
 Senator Foraker had the alleged confession put in the record with the | denial which had been furnished to Chairman Warren by the War Depart ment The Ohio Senator also had re- corded the fact that there was not man named "D w. Gray'' in the dis- charged battalion, but that there were two men named Gray, one G. W. and the other G. in Company c Both of thes meme were heard from today de- nying that they had made confessions,
 One is in West Virginia and the oth- CT in Pennsylvania No members of the 18th Infantry were examined to- day and no testimony was given which ho ing except that of Henry Watson, private of Company M, 26th Infantry.
 He testified he was left behind on guard at the post when the 2eth mov- ed out and that he saw loose shells of both the Krag and Springfield type lying about the barracks He said that he also saw 3s-calibre revolver ammr- milton lying around and that the bar racks were open so that citizens could have access to this ammunition
 On cross examination he admitted that it is always easy for soldiers td secure extra ammunition if they desire it..
 The committee took up today the question of going to Brownsville ir connection with the investigation. It. was decided that 1t probably will be necessary to visit Brownsville but no action was taken toward fixing a time for the trip.
 Declares Interview Fake.
 Chairman Warren of the Senate Com mittee on Military Affairs, today re- ceived from Secretary Taft a copy of a dispatch from San Antonio. Texas, as follows: The Adjutant General, United States
 Army. Washington:
 Chief of Police, Galveston, has just wired me confession of Gray, supposed discharged soldier, appearing in papers N. Nal
 (Signed ) "Blacksom. Major"
 The dispatch relates to an alleged confession printed in Galveston newspaper and sent broadcast through the country. Senator Foraker, who was taking the lead in the role of the defense of the negro soldiers. said to- day that he would order the subpoena of the editor of The Galveston News in order to secure statement from him concerning the story.
 The statement of Senator Foraker that he would subpoena the editor of The Galveston News was made before he had seen the dispatch from Major Blocksom.
 After the dispatch had been shown to him Senator Foraker said 1t prob- ably would not be necessary to call the editor of the Galveston paper in view of the admission that the. story of Gray's confession is fake.
 Reports of experts of the ordnance department of the army, who examined the thirty-three discharged shells picked up in the streets of Brownsville on the morning following the affray, were laid before the committee by the officers who examined the shells at the Springfield arsenal under glass and microscope.
 The conclusion of the war depart ment, expressed in a letter to Chair man Warren from Secretary Taft. which was presented by Lieutenant Hawkins. of the ordnance department. ts that the shells were discharged from Springfield rifles which were in the hands of members of Company B, one oS the discharged companies of the s5th infantry.
 Secretary Tafts letter says the shells were examined by Lieutenant Hawkins and G. A. Spooner. expert inspector of gauges used in the manufacture of muskets at the Springfield arsenal The results were given by Secretary in part as follows;
 'sThat the marks on elevan of the