Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-13
Still Talking Of the
Brownsville Affair,
Negro Witnesses Are Having
Time Of Their Lives.
Maine Members Interested in Ser.
vice Pension Law.

Washington, D. c., Feb. 12.-(SpeciaD
But for q group Of negroes herded
daily in one end of a Senate corridor
and watched over by deputies of the
sergcant-at- arrnS office almost as close
ly as though they were prisoners, there
would be little at the Capitol in the
rush of the closing of Congress to re-
mind one that the Brownsville incident
is a live topic. They are there as
witnesses and the Senate Military At
fairs Committee is sitting at an oval
shaped table a few doors away trying
to ascertain to the satisfaction of ell
its members whether these negroes.
once soldiers of the 25th Infantry, are
guilty Of the conspiracy of silence" TO
protect the men who shot up the town
OF Brownsville almost six months ago.
Nominally the former soldiers are
kept out Of the committee room be-
cause there is no place for them to be
seated there. but there is a more CO.
gent reason in that the delicate nostrils
Of Senators do not wish to be offended.
They sit drcarily about-these negroes
from many states-waiting their turn
to be called and generally glad when
the ordeal is over. Nearly all of them
make good witnesses. That is they
stick closely to their story that they
knew nothing about the shooting. The
newspaper reports of the testimony
have been gradually curtailed, because
there seemed little of great public in
terest III what they testify and also for
the reason that there are other matters
of moro pressing news intere st-s,lch
as, for instance. the Thaw trial in New
York. The newspaper wires have been
crowded in recent days carrying the
story Of the witnesses who are to show
whether the rich young man from
Pittsburg should be sent Oh to Sing
Sing and the electric chair
But Senators are struggling very
fiercely for advantage in the commit
tee room as the brownsville hearing
progresses Senator Foraker of Ohio,
sits to the right of the oval table as
one enters the committee room, with
walls and ceiling brilliantly decorated
by historical war scenes. Mr.. Foraker
is without doubt the most capable law
yer of the committee. He is the special
champion of the negroes at the hearing
and has gradually come to dominate
the proceedings. Thus far ne has not
been able to bring out much testimony
that confirmed his side of the case, but
the hearing is by no means over. The
soldiers examined thus far have been
those who were CT Company d and it
has been generally understood that
thew had the least to do with the af-
FRAY of any of the three companies or
battalion that President Roosevelt
col
COMPANY C are brought on there may
be developments. They are the men
supposed to have participated in thf
shooting.
Sneatnr Lodge Of Massachusetts,. who
Is looked upon as the champion IN the
committee of the Presidents contention
that there was Il Conspiracy OF Sill
ence" follows the proceedings step py
step and participates in the eXamlha-
ton and cross examination OF VII
nesses. He broke in uron the t2stl-
mony Of first witness-SerSeant lSrael
Harris. now porter in Boston pahk
and showed that Harris had made an
imrossible statement that it was dark
when he arose the morning Of August
A. after the shooting and that 1t was
o'clock. The Senator telephoned the
Naval observatory and found that the
sun rose at brownsville that morning
at 5.27 A. NJ. He has also been abe 10
contradict other witnesses VINO ues-
cribed that morning as foGgy, DE con-
sulting the records CT the Weather l'u-
rcau.
But on the whole the witnesses have
said little that added to the aVaiiable
Information about those who did shoot
up the Texas town. whose inhabitants.
by the way are mostly northern peo-
pie who went there and settled. Sena-
tor Foraker, however. is more deter
mined than ever and he is taking hold
of the witnesses with great viSor.
In one way the hearing is boon To
the negro witnesses. Many of them
probably were never earning so much
money in all their lives. The Senate
allows a per diem of So to witnesses
called before any committee. The pay
begins with the time they start for
Washington and ends when they are
back home again. In addition they are
paid their actual travelling expenses III
coming to and going from Washington.
While they are hcre--t,le witnesses are
in Washinton-thcy must find them
selves" OF course S. a day would not
pay hotel bills for lot of people VINO
stay in Washington. Some visitors
here pay SO or SIS day and even
more. but not so the engroes who were
once soldiers in the 18th Infantry.
They can get boarded in Washington
Tor 81 day and have at least 8 Gay
y or about $50 a month left for wages.
Some of them are kept here week or
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