Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-15
CALLS NEGRO TROOPS
MIDNIGHT ASSASS|NS
President Roosevelt Sends TO the
Senate a Special Message on
Brownsville Affair.
NO DOUBT ASouT THEIR GUILT
Offers in Evidence 1andoleer SO
Empty Shells. Ball Cartridges and
Other discriminating Exhlbits-Men
Discharged Can be Employed by the
Government in Civic Positions.
my Associated Press,

| Wy AhSDClulcu
WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. ID
| President Roosevelt today sent to the
Senate II special message regarding
tho Brownsville incident. which gives
the additional evidence collected by
Assistant Attorney General Purdy
and Major Blocksom. who were sent
to Texas by the President to investi-
gate the affair. The President sub
mittcd with his message various OK
hibits, including maps of Brownsville
and Fort Brown, n bando!eer. 33 emp
ty shells. seven ball cartridges, picked
| up in tho streets Il few hours after
the shooting: three steel packetcd
bullets and some scraps of castings
of other bullets picked out of tho
houses into which they had been fir.
| cd.
The President declares that the
evidence Is positive that the outrage
OF August 10 was committed by some
OF the cclcred troops that have been
| dismissed and that some or all Of the
| individuals of the three companies of
the Twcnty-fifth Infantry had know.
ledge of the deed and have shielded
the guilty ones. Tho negro troops
are referred to by the President IN
his message as midnight assassins"
! and he declares that very few, If
any. of the soldiers dismissed with
out honor" could have been ignorant
of what occurred.
That part Of tho order which bars
tho soldiers from all civil employ
ment under the government Is revok
cd by the President This clause the
President says was lacking in valid.
ity Tho discharged troops. however
Will he forever barred from cnlisting
In the army or navy and rs to this
the President says that there Is no
doubt about the legal power" Secre
tary Tafts report, giving the sworn
Testimony of witnesses Is also sub
mitted. The testimony of fourteen
eye witnesses is given and the Pres.
ident declares that the evidence is
conclusive. that the weapons used
were Springfield rifles now used by
the United States troops. including
the negro troops who were In the
Brownsville affair.
The Presidents Message.
The Presidents message follows:
In my message to the Senate treat.
ing of the dismissal. without honor,
OF certain named members OF the
three companies OF the Twenty-fifth
Infantry, I gave the reports of the
Officers upon which the dismissal
was based. These reports were made
| such cases; for it would, of course,
be Impossible to preserve discipline
In the Army save by pursuing
precisely the course that In
this case was pursued. Inasmuch
however. as in the Senate question
was raised as to the surficiency of
the evidence, deemed 1t wise to
send Major Blocksom. and Assistant
! to the Acknowledgement Purdy, TO
Brownsville to make n thorough in
vestigation on the ground in reference
to the matter herewith transmit
| Secretary Tafts report. and the tes-
timony taken under oath of tho va
rious witnesses examined in the
course of the investigation. also
submit various exhibits, including
maps of Brownsville and Fort Brown,
photographs of various buildings, a
letter from Judge Parks to his wife,
together with bandolecr, SO empty
| shells. ball cartridges. and 4 clips
picked up In the streets of Browns
Vile within a few hours after the
shooting; 3 steel-iackctcd bullets and
some scraps of the castings of other
bullets picked out of the houses into
which they had been fired a telegram
| from United States Commissioners r,
y. Creager, Mt Brownsville. announces
that additional bmllets-like the
others, from Springfield rif!es-taken
from buildings in Brownsville, with
supporting affidavits. have since been
sent to the Secretary of War
AS to tho motive for the commits
sion OF the crimes. it appears tina.
trouble OF more or less serious kind
had occurred between individual