Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-13
OFFICERS ARE QUESTIONED
RESUMPTION OF THE BROWNS.
VILE INVESTIGATION.
Capts. Macklin and Lyon and Lieut..
Lawrason Examined by tho
Senate Committee.

The Senate committee on military affairs
today questioned Capt. Macklin, Capt. Lyon
and Lieut.. Lawrason, officers of the bat
talon Of the 25th Infantry stationed at
Brownsville on August Is. when that town
was shot up, concerning testimony of other
witnesses who have recently appeared be-
fore the committee.
Each of these officers denied the state
ment that Capt. Macklin had on the morn
ing of August IL in saloon said that If
the people there did not look out negro
soldiers would jump over the wall some
night and shoot the town up.
They also denied the testimony of Mrs.
Leahy, who said that she had seen Eve or
six colored soldiers on the upper porch
Of the barracks at $50 on the morning
after the shooting. Capt. Lyon and Capt.
Macklin both said they saw nothing of that
sort.
Capt. Macklin. when questioned. said that
he did not believe that the attempt to as
sassinate him at Fort Reno by colored
member of the 25th Infantry was In any
way connected with the shooting UP Of
Brownsville.
He was questioned at considerable length
as to his reason on the morning after the
shooting for putting his foot on cartridge
shell and pressing 1t into the sand when
he found 1t at the mouth Of the alley lead
ing to the barracks. At first he said that
he did so because there was great excite
ment among citizens. and some citizens
were watching him at the time. When he
crushed that shell into the sand he had
already gathered up quite a number of
shells, which he thought were sufficient for
his purpose.
Being closely examined as to the motive
for hiding the shell, he said he did not know
why he did it, but it was not to protect the
guilty people who had shot up the town.
He finally said that he believed now, more
than ever, that the soldiers did not do the
shooting.
Lieut. Lawrason was questioned at great
length concerning the darkness of the night
of the shooting.
He stated that at a distance of from five
to seven feet on such a night he could not
have told whether sunburned white man
was colored man, or whether light col
feet he could not have told that soldier
had on a uniform.
When Capt. Lyon was examined he was
shown the two guns sent to the committee
by Gen. Crozier, one of which had been
cleaned In one minute by running thong
through the bore, the other being uncleaned
About one week ago both of these guns
were fired five times at Fort Myer and taken
to the War Department, where the cleaning
of one Of them in one minute took place by
direction of Gen. Crozier.
The witness looked at each gun carefully
and picked the one he thought was the
most foul. That gun proved to be the
one that had been cleaned Considera BILE
amusement followed this statement, and the
witness was asked many questions to bring
out the fact whether the gun stated to have
been cleaned might not have been cleaned
at the time and had become foul since.
Gen. CroZier's statement before the COM
mittee was read to him.
so far as appearance is concerned" said
Gen. Crozier, Il would not be able to say
it had been fired"
That statement referred to the gun that
than the gun that had not been cleaned
at all after being fired five times.