Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-03-22
MICROSCOPE IS
AGAINST NEGROES.
Secretary Taft Stands Pat" After Min,
ute Search Into Evidence
of Case

WASHINGTON, d. c., March IS
Secretary Taft i'll his report to the Sen
ate Brownsville investigation committee,
Stands pat in charges under which
the negro troopers We're ousted.
The report concerns the microscopic
examination made by the war depart
ment among evidence collected to sub
stantiate the case of the President
against the colored troopers. The re
port says i'll part:
shells picked up at Brownsville CORE
spond exactly with the marks on the
cartridges discharged by them from one
of the guns of B company.
Correspond Exactly.
THAT the marks on eleven of the
shells correspond exactly with the marks
on the cartridges discharged by them
| from another of b company's guns.
That the marks on eight more of the
shells correspond exactly with the marks
| on the cartridges discharged by them
from Il third gun of Co. i.
THAT the marks Of the remaining
three Of the shells correspond with the
marks on the cartridges discharged by
them from fourth gun of i company,
but that in this fourth case, due prob
ably to the fact that the cartridge had
J
bore double marks and so made the
Identification with the fourth rifle shell
less certain and complete than III the
first three cases.
Beyond Reasonable Doubt.
Lieut. Hawkins and Inspector Spoon
or state that their examinations prove
beyond reasonable doubt that the three
groups of shells-eIeyen, eleven and eight
were discharged from three specifically
numbered guns of Go. b, and that III an
probability that the fourth gun she'll
was discharged from another number
gun Of the same company.
Secretary Yaft's letter stated further
that from an official list of Cos. Il, Z and
u and the number of guns assigned TO
them on August Is. it appears that two
of the guns, one from which eight OF
these shells We're discharged, and one
from which eleven of the shells were
discharged were guns in the store
house Of Co. Il. which had not been is
sued to enlisted men. but We're i'll charge
OF the quartermaSter sergeant. Inc
third gun from which eleven of the shells
were discharged. was assigned to Thorn
as TAYLOR q private of Co. 3. and the
fourth gun from which three shells were
discharged was u gun assigned to Joseph
l.. Wilson, private OF Co. d.
Hard to Get Actual Perpetrators.
Concerning this evidence the secretary
says: "Of course the very reasonable
hypothesis that the men who did the
shooting used such guns as they could
get on August Il, and would not neces-
sarily have used the guns officially as
signed them makes this evidence WelShtE
in showing rather that some members OF
the battalion did it than the individuals
/ above mentioned are guilty.
The final report of Lieut.. hawkins
shows that the cartridge shells discharged
in the guns of the Twenty-slXth infantry
which preceded the negro soldiers at
Brownsville had no marks which iden-
titled them with the shells under eyami-
nation Tho lieutenant also examined
the question as to the marks of the
grooves and lands which would be made
in the bullets discharged from the guns
of the Twcmty-ffth infantry. and he
has samples of two bullets discharged
into sawdust OF water from each gun
of the three companies of the Twenty
fftk infantry Bullets discharged by
Lieut.. Hawkins from all of the rifles Of
the Twenty infantry. according TO
the report: had the impression of the
lands Of the rihing quite as plainly
marked as the bullets taken from the
Brownsville houses.
Can Clean Guns Quick.
Regarding this, Secretary Taft'S letter
says:
Lieut.. Hawkins had advised me that
in his Judgment Il reasonable time for
cleaning Il gun Is from three to five
minutes as shown hy the experience AT