The Washington herald., 1907-05-18
ARE IDENTIFIED By UNIFORMS
Witnesses Declare Brownsville Riot.
ers Were Troops from Barracks,
senate InvestiEation Committee
Hears Testimony of Nan from
six Shooter Junction.

The witnesses I'm the Brownsville iuves-
tigation before the Senate Military Affairs
Committee yesterday were George r. Por-
ter. near whose house. ON Washington
street. occurred some of the shooting
with which the negro soldiers are
charged. and four guests 10 the Miller
Hotel on the night Of the shooting Mr.
Porter testimony was important only as
fixing the limits of The damage inflicted.
as he neither Sfw nor heard the offenders
Charles l.. Hammond. "a san Antonio
real estate agent. was sitting in front Of
the Miller House when the firing began.
which, apparently. came from the bar
racks The bullets whizzinE over his head
drove him inside. He took refuge I'm the
sample ROOM near a window. and as the
lieutenant of police rode by DE heard
one of the rioters yell.
There goes the -- Let him have
H." and the lieutenant fell. his horse
being killed and he himself wounded.
From the voice me- was sure the man
vas a negro. and coupled with the crack
Of the high-p0wer guns and the direction
from which they came, ne had no doubt
the offenders were negro soldiers from
Fort Brown.
Charles u. Chase an engineer, who
slept on the third floor of the Miller
Hotel. identified the uniforms of tw0 Of
the shooters as those worn by the regu-
lal soldiers. but could not see their
faces. Their bullets struck either side OF
the window out Of which he was looking,
and he quickly withdrew to a safer place.
In reply 20 Senator Foraker, chase said
he supposed the shots had come IN his
direction because of the lights in a near
by room. and 10 Mr. FOraEer's query
whether il was not a regular thing for
cowboys to shoot out the lights. Chase
said IL was not so I'm Brownsville Pressed
/ further. I'm Six Shooter Junction. where
I he formerly lived, he said it was a regu-
lar thing when the cowboys went on a
/ tear. but they did not shoot a town an
/ to pieces, as in this case. Senator For
aker tnen inquired where Six Shooter
Junction was Chase told him and raised
a laugh by adding that it was the home
/ of Representative Pincknoy, Of Texas.
Joseph Bodin, railroad fireman. who
/ occupied a room adjoining that Of Chase,
/ also recognized the army uniform OF the
two men before he was driven from his
/ window by bullets.
Arthur NJ. Mckay. a Baporte banker.
| who occupied a room on the second floor.
/ facing Elizabeth street, told how the fir
/ ing apparently began at the fort and
/ came down the alley back Of the Miller
/ Hotel and on its Thirteenth street front.
/ but saw none Of the rioters. He was sure
/ high-power guns were used. like those in
/ the army.
During the examination Of Hammond
/ the witness referred TO the fact that he
/ had taken refuge in the sample room"
by sample room. you refer TO wet
|.goods?" inquired Senator Warner.
! "Oh. no. " replied Hammond. amid an
outbUrst of merriment 1T is the room
/ where the drummers show their samples.
A few minutes later the laugh was
| turned on Senator Foraker, when in reply
/ 70 a question as to what became of a man
who had come into Hammond's room dur
| ing the fring-whether or not he had gone
/ to bed-Hammond replied;
/ Yes He was from Ohio, and had not
beer there long
/ few moments later Hammond, i'm re-
/ plying to question, said he did not again
/ see the hotel clerk. who had gone into tho
sample room with him. and the laugh was
renewed when some Senator inquired:
WAS he (the clerk from Ohio, too?'