Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-12-26
President Roosevelt
AND THE
Brownsville Message.
CONTINUED From First Page.)

CONTINUED From First Page.)
August. 1906. I was sent by Mr..
Baldwin 20 get in with Conyers and
ascertain II be knew who did the
shooting at that point. / was not
given the names OF any Of the mem
bers Of either OF the companies sta
toned at that point. nor was l given
any other Information, except the
fact that a shooting occurred at the
time and place above mentioned, and
~ that Boyd Conyers was suspected OF
knowing who did same.
90 arrived at Monroe, Ga. on June
5, and stopped at the home OF Esther
Crews. colored. I met Boyd Con
yers, who is known as "Buddie" Con
yers. on the morning OF June s. but
had very little conversation with him,
but was introduced TO him as an old
soldier. On the morning OF June s,
between and Q O'Clock. I met Con-
yers about half way between the sta
ton house and Main street. We talk
ed some twenty or twenty-five min
utes. preached the Brownsville
case. and mentioned the fact that
the soldiers had shown their good
sense by keeping their mouths while
at Washington. ! then asked him
what the motive was for the shoot
ing. He told me that the crackers
at Brownsville had made threats that
they would have no Negro soldiers at
Brownsville. and the soldiers had
made it up in their minds that n they
bothered them that they would go
ia and clean up the ground He also
said that they mentioned this 90 Ser
geant Reid, who was commander of
the guards and that Reid said, "All
that I have 20 say is to take care OF
yourself and the boys when you go
down there" S III. Parker. whose
home is at Charleston. S. c.. was
present and heard the same converse
ton.
HARD TO SECURE EVIDENCE.
About then a gentleman called
Conyers TO come and clean some
clothes, and Conyers left. and moth
ing further was said about the mat
ter at this time. ! was with Conyers
nearly every day, and went 90 Gaines
Vile. Ca. on an excursion with him
on the 18th Of June. did not men
ton the Brownsville matter TO Con
yers again until on the 29th OF June,
when I returned from Atlanta, hav-
ing gone there on June 27th on
this date I met him at Joe Blasting
ame's. and had a pint bottle Of liquor
offered him n drink-he would not
drink in the house, but we went up
the street and we stopped under a
storehouse porch. near Main street.
We took "a drink or two and I started
the Brownsville case again. He told
me that he was doing guard duty at
the time of the shooting at Browns
vile. and was stationed at the out
let toward the town. He said that
when the guard was called the night
Of the shooting they mentioned to
Sergeant Reid what had occurred
downtown. and he said Boys. II you
are not satisfied you viii have 90 go
and get satisfied" and they remark
ed that they were going 20 get sat
isfaction that night. Reid then
laughed and said, Boys, don't YOU
go down there and let them get the
best OF YOU" He then assigned the
guard and went away.
In this conversation Conyers
told me that John Brown. ]. II. Hol-
loman and a man named Powell. and
several others came down where ne
MAAE WI EAAtAA Va anu NLAA NAtN went
downtown and just gave them hell,
and after they shot out all OF their
cartridges they ran back 20 the bar
racks and when they got back TO
the barracks they found that the a.
larm had been sounded and the off,
GERS were calling the roll. Holloman
Brown and himself were late for roll
call. but that some one answered for
Brown and Holloman, but that he was
late, and that Reid told him that they
had gotten themselves and himself
In hell Of a hole and told him 10
90 TO the guardhouse and pretend TO
be asleep. which he did.
He told me that they had slipped
few cartridges when at target prac-
uce, and that before inspection, after
the shooting, Reid gave him some
cartridges TO replace the ones he had
used. He further said that they
had all agreed before they went out
that they would keep their mouths.
and that he would have told them at
the investigation at Washington all
about the shooting but that he was
afraid. i had no further talk with
Conyers, because / saw that I was
being suspected by the Negroes a
round Monroe, Ca.
WILLIAM (his mark LAWSON
POWELL DENIES COMPLETELY. IN
THE BROWNSVILLE RAID.
Il jes' played the part Of fool
niger. l was talkfn' though my
hat"
This was the explanation made by
James Powell janitor at the Atlanta
Dental College, when asked yester-
day about his boasts that he helped
TO shoot up the town of Brownsville.
Texas, on August 18th and I4th,
1906.
Powell insists that he was only
making up Wild story to impress
Negro from the north. He admits
no rrfr "a 4