The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1907-02-01
PRESIDENT so REFERS TO NEGRO
TROOPS ACCUSED OF OUT.
/ RACES IN TEXAS.
ANOTHER MESSAGE on THE SUBJECT
;nEcLAREs FORMER ACTION LE'
! GAL AND CAN BE REVERSED
! ONLY BY HIMSELF.

Washington, Jan. v.-Presiden'
Roosevelt has sent to the senate {
special message regarding the Browns
willie incident, which gives the add
tional evidence collected by Assistan,
1Attorney General Purdy and Major
lRlocksom. who were sent to Texas by
3the president to investigate the affair
tthe president submitted with his mes
tea9e various exhibits, including maps
lQf Brownsville and Fort Brown, g
|bandoleer, fifty-three empty shells
heven ball cartridges picked up in the
Mtreets a few hours after the shoot
ling. three steel jacketed bullets and
some scraps of the castings of other
Ihullets picked out of the houses into
(which they had been fired.
The president declares that the evil
idence is positive that the outrages OF
lAug. IL were committed by some OF
1.-THE colored troops that have been
dismissed and that some or all Of the
members of the three companies OF
1.-THE Twenty-ffth infantry had knOwl-
ledge of the deed and have shielded
THE guilty ones. The negro troops are
referred to by the president in his
message as midnight assassins" and
he declares that very few, if any. of
the soldiers dismissed without
honor" could have been ignorant of
twhat occurred. That part of the order
(which Jars the soldiers from all civil
employment under the government is
{revoked by the president. This
clause, the president says. was lack
Ing in validity. The discharged troops,
However, will be forever barred from
're-enlisting in the army or navy and
as to this the president says that
there is no doubt of my constitu'
tional and legal power"
Details List Of Crimes.
| The crimes committed at Browns
trille on the night of Aug. -, accord
ting to the investigation ordered by
the president, are as follows:
! Murder of Frank Natus; assault
upon Lieutenant of Police Dominguez;
assault upon MIR. and Mrs. Hale Odin
and son; shooting into houses con-
tanning women and children; wound
ing of %preciado. ~.
MY evidence" says the message,
.,aproves beyond the possibility of a
doubt that some individuals among
the colored troops | have dismissed
Committed these outrages and that
others had knowledge of the deed and
hielded the guilty from the law"
The president dismisses as ridic-
,ulous the charge that Brownsville citi-
'zens committed the outrages with a
view to throwing odium on the negro
troops and obtaining their dismissal.
That the criminals were soldiers is
shown by the fact that reputable wit
hesses saw their uniforms, heard their
voices, recognizing them as negroes;
Che fact that Springfield rifles were
used, no weapons of That kind being in
the hands of civilians, and an exam
!ination of the shells and cartridges
showing that they could not have
been fired from Krag-Jorgensen or
Winchester rifles.
1.-THE finding of this ammunition in
.fself," says the message, establishes
the guilt of the soldiers and would be
Conclusive If no soldiers were either
,Aeen or heard by Brownsville resi-
dents on the night in question"
The evidence of fourteen reputable
witnesses is submitted. These saw
the attack in it's various features and
laubmitted sworn statements to the
presidents investigators. Twenty-Five
other witnesses saw minor phases of
the affair and made statements &C.
0rdingly.
Score Of Soldiers Implicated.
From all this the president gathers
that from fifteen to twenty negro SOL
i'diers committed the outrage and that
@me of the numerous shots were fired
Into the town from the fort.
1.-The shooting" the president finds.
Twas done at midnight. After the
hrst volley the soldiers advanced on
The town. firing into residences and
two hotels, with the results above
mentioned. Few of the soldiers in the
KA kl.-1e-.- 1o,,ll hn,vo .l>1s~ ir-