The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-07-10
NEGRO TROOPS
Who Were Dismissed Entered q
Compact to Preserve Secrecy,
AND IN CONSPIRACY
Great Pressure Brought to Bear to Have
q Rehearing Ia the Case. War
Department Issues q Statement
In Reference to the Dis.

Department Issues q Statement
Ia Reference to the Dis
missal.
The war department issued the fol
lowing statement Thursday concern
ing tho negro troops ordered dismissed
al Fort Rsno: -
In the matter Of the order dis.
charging the enlisted men Of three
companies of tho Twenty fifth infan.
try issued by the president application
was presented to the secretary Of val
by q number of persons. Of standing
a'klng a rehearilig by the ptestdont
on the ground on whtct the action
was taken. The secretary telegraph.
ed the president Of the application and
delayed the prooeed!n:s OF tho dis
charge until the president could indt.
cate his wishes. Tho secretary was
meantime called ont of town. No an
swer was received from tho president
The secretary on his return did no
feel lstifed in further delaying the
execution of the or Ter Cf discharge
especially in view OF the fact that the
secretary then learned thas tho rresi
dent had fully and extensively con!
s!dsred the argument against the or.
dsr, of the persons who now applied
for q rehearing. Accordingly, the sec
Rotary directed that the proceedings
for discharge be continued without
delay .
The investigation of the conduct Of
negro troops Of companies B. O. and
D, Twenty. fifth infantry, IS reported
upon by Msj. Blocksom, inspector gen.
erals department., Lieut.. Col. Lover
ing, Fourth infantry, acting inspec
tor general, and Brig. Gen. CARING
ton, inspector general OF the army
was made public at tho war depart.
mont Wednesday in q volume entitled
The ARRAY at Brownsville, Tex"
Nj B!ccksom declares that the at.
fair was preconcerted and both he and
Con. Darlington exonerated the off.
GERS from blame. Gsn. DARLINGTON
saysit was evident from the first that
the three companies had entered into
4 compact to give no information
about the affair. Secretary Taft SAID
Wednesday that no steps will be taken
to make q further investigation OF the
cnnduet of thA of1oAra.
In bis summary Of the reports made
by the other officers and Of hif own ef-
forts to discover the guilty soldiers,
Brig. Gen. Darlington declares that
every means Of getting evidence COD
corning the shsoting was exhausted:
All the men Of the three companies
were talked with individually on dif.
ferent occasions, he says, and the dire
consequence Of their failure to give up
tho guilty soldiers were pointed out.
All the soldiers avoided questions and
even refused to discuss the events 1T
Brownsville, which were known to
have enraged'th the negroes before the
riot Tho secretive nature OF tn race
where crimes are charged to members
OF their color, IL we'll KNOWN"
GEN. DARLINGTON 8 REPORT,
Gen. Darlington says: Under .suoh
circumstances self protection OF self-
interest is tho only lever by which the
oaaket Of their minds can be pried
open Acting upon this principle, the
history and record Of the regiment to
which they belong, the part played by
these old soldiers IN this record, ware
pointed out and enlarged upon. Inc
odiuu of disgrace to the battalion and
it's individual members by this crime
wore ind!csted. The future efsst upon
the battalion IS q whole Was reierred
to; and, finally, the concern OF the
United States in the matter, bis de-
sire and the disire Of the war depart
meut to: seperate the innocent from
the guilty we're explained, bus with
out effect" Continuing Gen. CARING
on's report SAYS:
mo absolutely accurate veri1ca'
ton of the rifles and the men OF the
blttalion was made on the night OF
Aug. I3 in time to account for the n
lss and men at the beginning OF tito
firing or Immediately on It's conolu
sion. The failure Is '%1plat7ed as fol-
lows: Tue comma, di xsl thc'r and his
associates, when th Glsru way Souno'
cd and they heard the firing assumed
that 1t ca ne from De city OF Browns.
vile and that tte gucs were IN the
hands of civilians; 10, 9th words that
the garrison was being fred into from
the outside civilians. 1t DOS not ap
pear to have occurred to any OF them
that cartain enlisted man OF the Twsn'
ty, fifth infantry had POSSESSION Ct
their arms and wore committing the
crime Of firing into the houses acd
UPON the citizens Of Brownsville, until
the mayor Of the city came to the gar
rison and informed the commanding
ofdosr, Mai. Penrose, that ono man
had been killed and another wounded
by bis soldiers"
MAJ. BLoCksOh's REPORT.
Mai. Blocksom, in his report, re-
commended that If satisfactory evi.
dence conc-rning the Identify OF the
criminals who ''sho5 up" Brownsville.
did not c0me from members OF the
battalion all enlist d men Of the three
companies present on the night OF
Aug. 13 be discharged from service
and debarred from reenlistmens In the
army, navy or marine corps. MAJ.
Blocksom regards 1t particularly un'
fortunate for the reputation OF the
battalion that tho officers did not dis