The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-18
Story of Confession of a Dis
charged Soldier
That the Negroes Shot Browns
vile Declared Untrue.
MAI. BLOCKSOM WIRES
On Authority of Galveston Chief
of Police.
A Galveston Newspaper Is Re-
spOnsible for Story.

Washington, March 1S.-Chairman
Warren of the senate committee on
military affairs, which is investigating
the Brownsville affair. today received
from Secretary Taft a copy of q dis
patch from San Antonio, Tex, as fol-
| lows:
''The Adjutant General, U. S. Army,
Washington:
| "Chief of police, Galveston, has just
wired me confession of Gray, supposed
discharged soldier, appearing in pa
pers today is a fake.
(Signed) "BLOCKSOM, Major"
The dispatch relates to an alleged
confession printed in a Galveston
newspaper and sent broadcast
| throughout the country.
Senator Foraker, who was taking
the leading role for the defense of the
negro soldiers, said today that he will
order the subpoena of the editor of
the Galveston News in order to secure
statement from him concerning the
story.
The statement of Senator Foraker.
that he would subpoena the editor Of
the Galveston News was made before
he had seen the dispatch from Major
BlOckSOm. After the dispatch had
been shown to him Senator Foraker
said it probably would not be neces-
sary to call the editor of the Calves
ton paper in view of the admission
fake.
The. Galveston newspaper story is
as follows:
Story of the Confession.
Galveston, March 1S.-The mystery
surrounding the alleged raid of the
negro soldiers from the Twenty-ffth
infantry upon the people of Browns
Vile, Texas, on August last year has
been cleared up, according to a story
printed by the Galveston News. After
seven months of investigation by fed
eraI authorities, what appears to be
the true version of the crime has been
secured from d. c. Gray, one of the
discharged soldiers, who admits that
he participated.
The man has been living in Calves
ton a large portion of the time since he
aeass tEs outrage. According *o his
staten sft, the attack was not pre-
meditatod. but was the result of an al
legged injury done one of the soldiers
by a white man in Brownsville half an
hour before the raid. The negro, re-
turning to the barracks, seized his rife
and announced that he was going to
kill the white man. Several other
negro soldiers volunteered to go along
and see the work well done and to
wipe out other scores which they had
against the citizens. on account of the
injuries which they claimed to have
suffered.
The negros returned to the barracks
after committing the assault on the
town ana many SOlQlGTS dSSlSl6Q lliu
hurried cleaning of the guns for the
inspection which followed soon after
the shooting in the town ceased. APP
parently the soldiers from only one
company participated in the raid. al
though practically the entire battalion
knew soldiers had done the sh ooting.
Many of the negroes belonging to this
battalion enlisted in Galveston during
the summer of 1865 and returned to the
city after being discharged from the
army.
Gray says he was formerly a private
in company b OF the Twenty-fifth in
fantry.
Senate Committee Knew.
Washington March Ex-senator OT-
erman of North Carolina, who is 81
member of the senate committee on
military affairs which is investigating
the shooting up of Brownsville. Tex..{
when shown the dispatch from Calves
ton telling of the alleged confession OF
a discharged negro soldier. said the
Committee received information two
weeks ago that a former member of the
infantry had expressed
willingness to make a full confession.
If he could receive assurance from the
that he would be protected.
Senator OVerman says this information
was forwarded to Secretary Taft with
the suggestion that 1t be Investigated
by the war department. "All the dis
charged troops who tell the truth about
the affair" said the senator, will cer-
tainly be projected by the govern
ment.
Neither the senate committee on mill
tarv affairs nor the war department
has received any official report regal
ing the alleged confession OF the dis
charged negro soldier.