Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-12-14
He WOULD RE-|NSTATE
SOME DISCHARGED
SOLDIERS
President In Message to Con.
gresS Advocates LenienCy
TO Innocent
Negroes.
BROWNSVILLE AFFAIR
IS AGAIN REVIVED
Investigation viii Continue Says
Roosevelt. II Having Been
Proven That Negroes
Shot up the
Town.


Washington, Dec. 14.--President
Roosevelt today sent a message to
Congress, inclosing a letter from the
secretary of war In transmitting
rercrt of the Investigation made by
Herbert ]. Browns, employed 10y the
department in conjunction with Cap
tain w. G.. Baldwin of the Browns
vile shooting affair of August 13 and
IA, 1905. The message in part is as
follows:
This report enables us to fix with
tolerable definiteness, at least, the
identification of some of the crim-
inals who took the lead in the mur-
derous shooting of private citizens
at Brownsville. 1t establishes clearly
the fact that colored soldiers did the
shooting. The investigation, how
ever, has not gone far enough to en-
we will proceed with 1t.
at appears that almost all the
members Of B company must have
teen actively concerned in the shoot
ing. either to the extent OF being par
ticipants. or to the extent of virtually
encouraging those who were partici-
pants.
"As &c companies = and d, there
can be no question that practically
every man In them must have had
knowledge that the shooting was
done by some members of B troop,
and possibly by one or two Others
in one Of the other troops. This con-
cealment was grave offense OF
itself and was greatly aggravated by
their testifying before the Senate
committee that they were Ignorant
OF what they must have known.
Nevertheless, II Is to be said in
partial exoneration that they were
probably cowed by threats made by
the more desperate men who had
sctually been engaged In shooting, as
to what would happen to any man
who failed to protect the wrong-do'
ers. Moreover, there are circum'
stances tending to show that these
misguided men were encouraged by
outsiders to persist in their course oi
concealment and denial.
: 'I feel, therefore, that some meas
ure of allowance should be made fol
the misconduct OF those men. Ir
otner words, / believe we can AFFORD
to reinstate any of those men whC
now truthfully tell what happened
gve all the aid they can to fix the
responsibility upon those who are
really guilty. and show that they
tlienIselves, had no guilty knowledge
beforehand and were in no way i'm
plicated in the affair, save by having
knowledge of II afterwards and fail
ing and refusing to diyulge 1t.
81 recommend that a law be pass
ed. allowing the secretary of war
within a fixed period of time. say &
year. to reinstate any OF those sol
diers whom he, after a careful ex
amina tion, finds have been innocen
and whom he finds to have done al
in their power to help bring to JUS
tice the guilty. Meanwhile the inves
tigation will be continued.
The report submitted by Browne
says: "Ex-Private Boyd Conyers o.
company B. Twenty-fifth infantry
now at Monroe, Ca, told William
Lawson, a detective, that he anC
three or four others. all men of th'
Twenty-fifth infantry. were leader
Ia the Brownsville raid. Conyeri
tried to commit suicide after he founC
out that he had made his statement
/ 10 d utlcCllNS, Saying lHdb the Olucl
rceroes would kill him when he go
cut.
!! "TIe finally wrote to Senator For
aker and received reply. That re-
Ply ne construed 10 mean that HI
should stica 90 his original story told
b.fsre the Senate committee, at al
| hazards, AM there he stands"
The report is accompanied by affi'
davits in support of the statements
made Oy Browne.
According TO Conyer's alleged con
fession John Holleman, money
lender of Company b, was the chic
conspirator and leader in the raid
and the custodian and distributor OF
cartridges, but his plans could no
have been carried out had not Ser
geant George Jackson. OF Company
B, In charge OF the keys to the CUR
racks. and Sergeant Reid, in com
mand of the guards, co-operatet
both before and after the raid. Tn,
four men who are alleged TO have lee
the raid were John Holleman, JohT
Brown, Boyd conyers and Carolin'
de Saussere. The motive for tn
shooting. according TO Conyers. wa
retaliation for threats said TO hav
been made by the CRACKERS" (whites.
that they would have no negro sol
diers at Brownsville.