The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-04-02
CAPTAIN MACKL|N
ON WITNESS STAND
Does Not Believe Negro Sol
dierS Are Guilty
WAS SHOT AT FORT RENO
The Testimony Is Interesting From
the Fact That the Captain is Him.
self to Be Tried BY
Courtmartiab

Washington, April 1.-The testimony Of
Capt. Edgar A. Mackln, of Company C.
Twenty-fifth infantry, was taken by the
senate committee on military affairs to-
day in the Brownsville Investigation.
1t proved interesting, particularly for
the reason that Maclllin is to be tried by
courtmartial after his return to Texas,
and for the further reason that he was
shot by an unidentified negro at Fort
Reno after the negro soldiers were taken
away from Fort Brown. Although there
is no evidence to show that the Browns
vile affray was responsible for the at
tack upon him, many persons have ex-
pressed the opinion that the two incidents
are connected, particularly as he was the
first of the white officers to produce dam
aging evidence against the former sol
diers. He does not now believe the ne
groes were guilty of shooting up Browns.
Vile. according to his story told on the
stand today.
Mackln Testfies.
He said that when the firing occurred
on the night of August IS he was in bed
in his quarters, having retired about IL 80,
and was notawakeued until 1856, some
time after the firing had ceased. He
then Joined his company and had charge
of the guard for the balance of the night
Early the next morning he made an ex-
animation of the garrison and, finding no
damage, went outside the gate and at the
mouth of an alley not far from the garri-
son wall he found six cartridge clips and
seven cartridges of the type used by the
Springfield rifle. These shells were found
in a circular space about ten inches in
diameter which, In reply to a question
from Senator Foraker, he declared to
have been impossible unless they had
been placed there by some one. After
testifying at length concerning the Incl
dents of the night of August 49, Senator
Foraker asked Captain Macklin If he had
taken steps to discover who did the
shooting The witness replied that he
had done everything possible, declaring
the close questioning of his company.
Senator Foraker then asked the witness
to give his opinion as to who did the
shooting. Hesitating a moment, Captain
Macklin said:
"Well, l don't think the men did it,"
Afterward he said that in their excite
ment and confusion the men might have
fired a few shots from the barracks, but
that he had seen nothing to Indicate they
had done so and he could not believe it
possible.
Is Cross-Examined.
At the afternoon session the witness
was cross-examined principally as to his
whereabouts when the shooting occurred
and the evidence given by former negro
soldiers that they had been unable to find
the captain in his quarters when Major
Penrose sent tfiern arouse him. Cap
tain MaclSlin said that he did not believe
the soldiers had come to his quarters.
He said he had theory as to where
the men went to find him, and his attor-
neys had talked to them about 1t, and
their statement would probably come out
when he is tried by courtmartial. He
was not pressed further on this point.
The shells which Captain Macklin picked
up outside the garrison wall were put in
his desk, he said, and were forgotten I'M
til after the battalion left Fort Brown.
Search for them later had been I'M
availing. He testified that he had told all
of the facts connected with the finding
of these shells to Major Penrose, Mayor
Combe of Brownsville and to Major
Blocksom inspector, but that he had not
told Colonel Lowering of them because
the colonel asked that witnesses ans wer
only questions as were put to them in
their examination.