The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-02-01
BROWNSVILLE INVESTIGATION.
Outcome a Matter of Doubt-Facts to
be Sought After.


Concerning the Brownsville invest-
cation, a Washington report says:
The investigation, however, will be of
the most sweeping character witness
es will be examined in Washington and
elsewhere, and the long debate has
been concluded in way which is en-
tirely satisfactory not only to the pres
ident but to Senator Foraker and 9th
ers who have criticised his action.
Just what will come of this investi-
CATION no one knows. 1t is long time
since the outrage, more than five
months having elapsed since the fight
at Brownsville. The colored soldiers
are scattered all over the country.
Many of them have actually sunk their
identity. The chances are that the
really guilty ones, who do not number
more than dozen or score, are now
safely submerged in the black belt of
the south, where they are practically
safe. The other colored soldiers in
the colored regiments, owing to the
unwise action of the war department.
which is greatly deprecated by many
of the senators, are under marching
orders for the Philippines.
All the long term men of all the
colored regiments in the United States
are looking forward to tour Of duty
across the sea. Some OF them are as
likely to know of the occurrences at
Brownsville as any one else. After
the shooting up of the town three com
panies who were stationed at Fort
Brown joined the regiment at Fort
Reno. If there is any freemasOnry
among the soldiers the comrades in
the other companies were just as like
ly to know the facts as some of those
in the battalion which was punished
by discharge without honor.
This source of information is taken
away from the senate committee, much
who are beginning to whisper strange
stories regarding what seems to be a
desire on the part of some persons in
the war department to prevent a COM
plete investigation of the Brownsville
affair Just who is being shielded is
not known but there is a strong sus-
piciOn that one or more of the white
officers of the regiment were involved
in the affair in some way which their
comrades are DESTROYS of concealing.
1t is said on behalf of the military
affairs committee that Maj. Penrose
and every other officer of the Twenty
fifth regiment who was at Browns
vii will hn tN 70 oh In crtf
and required to appear before the COM
mittee. Each officer will be subjected
to a rigid cross examination and will
be asked to locate the time as nearly
as he can do so when he joined his
own company, and he will be required
to tell, if he can do so, the names of
the noncommissioned officers or men
he first saw in or around the barracks.
Every sergeant and corporal of three
companies will be subpoenaed if he
can be found. Every private whose
residence is known is to be brought
before the committee in turn. In ad-
dition to that, all of the residents of
Brownsville who have personal knowl-
edge of the ARRAY will be called before
the committee.
The resolution providing for an in
quiry grants power to administer oaths
and to send for persons and papers.
This power is extremely broad. 1t
cannot be reviewed or questioned by
any court in the country, and writ of
the United States senate runs from
ocean to ocean. If there is a posi-
bility of eliciting any information as
to who committed the crime at
Brownsville, the senate committee will
get at it, because Senator Foraker be-
sides being a constitutional authority
is one of the greatest trial lawyers in
the world, and it will be a remarkable
thing if he does not succeed in break
ing down some of the witnesses on
one side or the other.
Nothing but facts will be brought
out before the committee. That is as
sured by the form of resolution itself,
authorizes the committee to make it's
inquiry without questioning" either
the legality or justice of the presi-