Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-05-23

Lieutenant Lawrason, who testified,
at pages 1879 and 1880 as follows:
%. Did you learn before your
company was dismissed that night
that it had been charged by Mayor
Combe that the soldiers OF the garri-
son had fired on the town2-A. Yes,
sir. / was near the main gate into
the town when Mayor Combe came
up. and l heard part OF the conver-
satiOn with Major Penrose, in which
Mayor Combe accused the soldiers OF
having done the shooting
%. Until that time had you any
thought of that kind with respect 10
the matter?-A. No. sir: I ara not:
I did not believe FOR an instant that
the men mad done IT,
@. That was the first intimation
you had that anybody made any such
claim?-Yes. sir; IL was.
@. And then IL was after that
that Major Penrosc dismissed you
and told YOU 10 make these eNamina-
tions, was it2-A. Yes. sir.
"Q.-You took your company back.
as | understand you, TO the barracks
and dismissed the company Tncn
what did YOU 30 In execution of the
Majors orders?-A. ! saw the arms
AN'N'fN AtA ANt AdiAS ana lNNeF-
@. / viii ask you. before you
left the racks, whether or not you
counted the guns after they were
put into the racks?-A. Yes. sir:
counted them.
q How many were there. or
were they all there?-A. I don't re-
member the exact number. but re-
member adding to the exact number
the number OF men on guard and the
number of rifles that should be I'm the
storehouse, and the first sergeant's
rifle. and adding up seventy.
@. That is to say YOU accounted
for seventy rifles, did you?-A. Yes.
sir.
%. Was that the full number
that had been issued 20 that compa-
nyY-A. That was all that we had
all the Springfield rifles we had.
q. And you remember. do YOU.
positively that at that time you knew
that you had in the gun racks tho
tull number of rifles that should be
there after deducting the other rifles
that you accounted for as being else
where "A. Yes. sir.
@. If there had been three ri
Hes missing from the racks. would
you or not have detected it,
A II there had been what?
q. II there had been three ri
ties missing, would you have detected
it?-A. l believe 1 would have de-
tected one short
q. You would have detected one
short. Now, do you remember Thos
Iayior OF your company? A. Yes,
20. Do you remember seeing hin.
that night?-A. know That he was
presept that night, though I don't
remember seeing his face in the
ranks
20. How do you know that he
was present. mean present with
your company. and I suppose Won
mean that?-A. Yes, sir; because I
know that ne was carried on the
rolls of the company at this time.
and / checked up the whereabouts of
every man in the company that night.
%. And you know that he an
swered to his name at the roll call.
do IA. Yes, sir.
@. Or if not that, you found him
elsewhere?-A. Yes. sir; / know he
was accounted for at that roll cali
q. You have told us of all who
were absent from the ranks when the
ioii was called, and he was not one
OF them; so therefore it follows that
ne was in ranks does il not?-Yes.
sir.
q. Now, is that true also of Jo-
seph L. Wllson?-A. Yes, sir: that
is true OF Joseph L. Wilson also.
q. Do you remember seeing him
IN ranks that night?-A. No. sir. 7
90 NOT. he is ON one end of the
company, and l believe in the reor
rank, or at any rate not directly IN
front OF me in the company. He -
smaller than most OF the men IN the
company.
q But IL ne had been absent
when his name was called, you would
have detected his absence, you would
have observed it?--A. Yes, SIR.
q. You were paying particular