The Washington times., 1907-01-14

cowen and her fve children were In
the house, they at once threw them
selves prone on the noor and zee not
hit. They nred into the Starok ilcuses
the bullets going through the mos
quito bar OF a bed from eighte an 20
twenty inches above where little call
drsn were sleeping. There WAS light
in the children's room
The shooting took place near midnight.
! The panic caused by the utterly uneS-
pected attack was great. The darkness
( Of course. increased the confusion
\ There is conflict OF testimony on some
( OF the minor points. but every essen
tial point is established beyond posi-
/ bility Of honest question. The careful
examination of Mr. Purdy, assistant 70
the Attorney General, resulted merely
IN strengthening the reports already
made by the regular army authorized
The shooting, IL appears, occupied about
ten minutes. although IL may have been
some minutes more or less. Ii is out
Of the question that the fifteen or TWEEN
y men engaged In the assault could
have gathered behind the wall OF tbs
fort. begun firing, some of them on ghe
porches OF the barracks. gone cut into
the town, fired in the neighbOrlOOd OF
200 shots IN the town. and then returned
the total time occupied from the time
or tire nrSt shot 10 the time of their re-
turn being somewhere in the neighbor-
hood Of ten minutes-without many OF
their comrades knowing what they had
done. Indeed. the fuller details as ts-
tabHshed by the additional evidence
taken since / last communicated with
the Senate make Il likely that there
were very few. If "uy OF the soldiers
dismissed who could have been ignorant
or what occurred II is weIl-nigh i'm
Possible that any or the nOncommis-
stoned officers who were at the bar
racks should not have known what oc-
CURED
The additional evidence thus taken
renders II IN my opinion impossible 10
question the conclusions upon which my
order was based. / have gone most care
fully over every issue OF law and fact
that has been raised. / am now salts
fed that the effect OF my order dismiss
ing these men without honor was not 70
bar them from all civil employment I'M
der the Government, and therefore that
the part or the order which consisted OF
a declaration 10 this effect was lacking
IN validity. and / have directed that
such portion be revoked. AS 10 the rest
OF the order. dismissing the individuals
in question without honor. aud declar-
ing the effect of such discharge under
the law and regulations 10 be a bar 10
their future re-enlistment either IN the
Army or the Navy there is no doubt OF
my constitutional and legal power. The
order was within my discretion. under
the Constitution and the laws. and can
not be reviewed or reversed save nY an
ether Executive order. The facts did
not merely warrant the action I took
they rendered such action Imperative
unless was to prove false 10 my swo-n
duty
II any one OF the men discharged
hereafter shows 20 my satisfaction that
he Is clear OF guilt, OF or shielding the
guilty. 7 will take what action Is war
Tanted. hut the circumstances ! have
above detailed most certainly put upon
anv such man the burden Of thus clear
ing himself. -
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, January "a. 1907.