The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-15
BROWNSVILLE
MATTER AGAIN
IN LIMELIGHT
Continued from PAGE 1.

eravated by their testifying before the
senate committee that they were igno-
rant Of what they must have known.
Ne> ertheiess, II is to be said in partial
eytenuatiOn that they were probably
coWed by threats made by the more
desperate OF the men who had actually
been engaged In the shooting, as 10
what would happen to any man who
JAILED 10 protect the wronsdoers. More
over. there are circumstances tending
10 show that these misguided men were
encouraged by outsiders TO persist In
their course of conCealmenJ and denial
l feel therefore. thai the guilt of the
men who after the event, thus shielded
the perpetrators OF the wrong by re-
fusing to tell the truth about them,
though serious, was in part due 10 the
unwise and improper attitude OF others.
and that some measure OF allowance
should be made for the misconduct
Sufficient Punishment for Some.
In other words. 1 believe we can af-
ford to reinstate any of these men who
now truthfully tell what has happened
give all the aid they can 10 fix the re-
sponsibility upon those who are really
guilty. and show that they themselves
had no guilty knowledge beforehand
and were in no way implicated in the
affair save by having knowledge of II
afterwards and failing and refusing 20
divulge it, Under the circumstances.
and in view of the length of time they
have been out of the service and their
loss of the benefit that would have ac-
crued to them by continuous longtime
sei vice. we can afford TO treat the NEIL
who meet the requirements given above
as having been sufficiently punished by
the consequences they brought upon
themselves when they rendered neces-
sarv the exercise of the disciplinary
mower. L recommend that a law be
passed allowing the secretary of war.
within a fixed period of time, say
wear. to reinstate any of these soldiers
whom he. after careful examination,
finds to have been innocent and whom
he finds to have done all I'm his power
10 help bring to justice the guilty.
Investigation to Go On.
Meanwhile. the investigation will b.
continued The results have made il
obvious that only by carrying on the
investigation as the war department
has actually carried it on, is there the
slightest chance of bringing the Of
tenders to justice or of separating not
the innocent for there were doubtless
hardly any innocent. but the less guilty
from those whose guilt was heinous
CsigneO
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, Dec. a. 1905"
Secretary Wright's Report
Secretary Wright simply submits the
report of Herbert J. Browne to the
president without comment Mr.
Browne makes a general report of the
ease and then follows with detailed
sta tements of those who aided in the
Investigation of the raid.
Mr.. Brownies general report is dated
Washington, j, c.. Dee. ,. and is as
follows:
SRI ira ve-fhe honor 10 submit 70 you'i
the following repoTt relative TO the in
vestigation of the Brownsville raid:
Ex-Private Boyd COnyers of COM
pany 3, Twenty-fifth infantry. now at
Monroe, Ga, told William Lawson. a
detective III the employ Of Captain Will
ham G. Baldwin OF Roanoke. Va. that
he and three Tor four other men of the
Twenty-fifth infantry We're the leaders
in the Brownsville raid. This informa-
ton was obtained at different dates
during The month Of June. 1908.
Some Discrepancies.
Il submit the affidavit as presented.
There are certain discrepancies of a
minor character. due 10 the fact that
Lawson is illiterate and had to depend
on his memory for the details But it
should be borne In mind that Lawson
was unacquainted with the details of
the Brownsville raid. and was given in
formation which could only come from
one familiar with the secret history of
the affair. LawsOn's first report in
cluded the names of Conyers. John Hol-
iOman. John Brown and another man.
subsequently he supplied the name of