Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-01
CLEARS THE SOLDIERS
Capt. MackIin Defends CoIored
Infantrymen.
THINKS THEY'RE INNOCENT
Doesn't Believe That They "Shot Up"
Brownsville.
FINDING SPRINGFIELD LIPS
Too Many for the Number of Cartridge
Shells - Testimony Before
Senate Committee.
THINKS THEY'RE INNOCENT
SPRINGFIELD LIP
FINDING

| Capt. Edgar A. Macklin. comma nding
Company c. 18th Infantry. on the night Of
August 49, when Brownsville, Tex. was
| shot up, was the principal witness today
before the Senate committee on military
/ affairs at the Capitol Capt. Macklin gave
| very important testimony, and toward the
| end OF his statement this morning declared
1 that he was satisfied that the colored SOL
| diers Of the 18th Infantry did not shoot up
Brownsville. He had just arrived in Wash
! ington from San Antonio, Tex, where he
was in attendance at the Penrose court
martial. and where he will be court-mar-
| tailed also. on charges growing out of the
| shooting ARRAY.
| After being closely questioned by Sem
| akOr Foraker as to the means he had taken
| to ascertain who did the shooting, Capt
| Macklin said he did not know who did It,
| but he did not think that the soldiers did
! it. He declared that from the time he
| took charge of his company, about O'Clock
on the night of August 13, to the present
power to ascertain who did that shooting.
| 1t was he who went out at dawn of Au-
gust IA to look for evidences of the guilty
men, He had found outside the barracks
gate. in his walk up the road and into an
alley, six clips such as are used with
Springfield ammunition, and seven empty
shells that had been fired from Springfield
guns. or at least shells of springfield am
munition. He found this at the mouth OF
the alley in circular space about ten
inches in diameter. and the finding OF those
shells constituted very important, II not
the most important, feature of the circum-
stantial evidence that brought the shooting
up Of Brownsville to the door of the col
ored soldiers of the 25th Infantry.
Too Many Clips for the Shells.
eli o.
dates how many cartridges?
Five cartridges to each clip
Then the number of clips you found
were hardly in proportion to the number Of
cartridges found?'
NO. sir they were not
Senator Foraker's questions then devel-
oped. the fact that had man stood IN
the alley there and had fired rifle. eject
ing the empty cartridge shells. they would
not be found cluttered together in so
close space. The witness said that the
shells would be thrown a distance OF SIX
or eight feet. and they would not at all
be likely to fall within a circular space
ten inches in diameter. They would
be scattered over distance of three or
four feet. The presence. Of six Clips
enough to accommodate thirty cartridges.
was also a matter of suspicion, but the
witness statements were only to the eff
feet that the number of clips was out or
proportion to the number OF cartridges.
He had visited that alley very early on
the morning Of the 18th, and he did not
believe that any one had preceded him
there He went out at dawn and looked
around and found these shells and clips.
These shells were among those that were
identified by experts at the Springfield ar
senal as having been fired from four par
ticular rifles belonging to Company B.
Testimony previously given has been 10
locked in an arm chest. had not been issued
to men at Fort Brown. but had been IN the
arm chest from the time they were packed
there at Fort Niobrara, Neb.
Believes the Men Innocent.
Senator Foraker-"Can you tel who did
that shooting?"
well, sir: do not think the men did it,"
You are satisfied of that"
II am satisfied about it, I have studied
this subject in every phase In which it has
been presented. and the longer have stud
led it the more feel satisfied that the men
did not do the shooting. 1t is possible a
few guns were fired from these quarters on
that night by men in their fright
But you have no knowledge that any
body connected with the battalion fired
| shots?'
Speaking Of the conduct of the soldiers
generally Capt Macklin said that he had
found that drunkenness is much less among
colored soldiers than among white soldiers.
AS an evidence of the good conduct of the
colored soldiers. he said that after the pay
day. August II. Immediately before the
shooting up of Brownsville. there was but
one arrest of a soldier in town.
Capt. Macklin gave testimony to show
that all ball cartridges were taken away
from the men of Company a few days
after their arrival at Brownsville.
After that the men were issued ten rounds
apiece of reduced range cartridges and he
was satisfied that they had no other am
munition on August ID.
Prepared for an Attack.
His statement that they prepared to re-
sist an attack at Fort Brown was quickly
taken up by Senator Overman, who wanted
to know why they expected an attack, but
he would not say that he himself expected
an attack on the fort or that any of the
men made statements that they expected
an attack and the men acted as If they
feared one.
did they expect an attack as a result of
their shooting up of BrownsviIle?" asked
Senator Overman.
The witness did not state why the attack
was expected. He said that when the Ar
ing occurred on the night of August IL he
was in bed in his quarters having retired
at about 11:J0 and was not awakened until
II 80. some time after the firing had ceased
charge of the guard for the balance of the
night.
Sergt. McMurray of Company c was also
on the stand for some time. Identifying
guns he had issued to various men of the
company.
After a recess of one hour Can't. Mack,;r
again went on the stand at O'Clock and
his cross-examination was continued.
Findings in Penrose's Case.
oto