Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-05-09
the following morning.
- CLEANING oF RIFLEs-

Y .
This testimony as to the cleaning
of these guns and the time required
therefor was given not alone by the
Colored soldiers of the Twonty-hfth
United states Infantry, but also by
a large number of white soldiers
who were called as witnesses.
10 has been suggested that tho men
probably used surplus ammunition.
but the testimony is uucOutradictod
that they had no surplus ammuui-
ton. All the ammunition in the pos
session of the men when they left
Fort Niobrara was taken away from
them, except only twenty rounds OF
ball cartridges for each man. and
every man I'm the battalion had his
twenty rounds when inspected the
morning aftcr the ARRAY. and an the
surplus ammunition with which each
company was charged was found 90
Doe on hand i'm the stororoons en-
barge of the Quartermaster-sergcants
OF the respective companies without
the shortage of a single cartridge
That is not the testimony OF the
black soldiers, but of the white OIL
GERS. men who were graduates OF
West Point Military Academy. and
mon who stand as nigh in point oil
integrity ass any men who could he
called as witnesses.
Tho testimony further shows they
! had mo- opportunity 90 get surplus
ammunition either at Fort Niobrara
or 40 Fort Brown.
A QUESTION OF AMMUNITION.
The testimony further shows that
during the stay at Fort Brown the
three companies of white soldiers OF
the Twenty-siNth United States In
tantry were engaged i'm target prac-
| tice and that generous supplies OF
/ their ammunition I'm some manner
| found it's way into the hands OF
citizens of Brownsville. There r.
testimony 90 the effect that whole
clips of Springfield cartridges could
| be seen i'm barrooms, standing on side
/ boards, where they were used for
decorative purposes. and that when
| these companies of the Twenty-siNth
United States Infantry left Browns
/ vile they carelcssly left ammunition
behind them i'm the barracks. which
was gathered up Immediately after
their departure 10y MeNicans and
scavengers VINO visited the barracks
| for the purpose of supplying them
selves with whatever had been east
away.
7 have here a clip Texhibitingl.
IL is a facility for putting FIVE car
tridges together in a bunch. IL is
that little fastener or holder that is
called the clip. Cau attention to il
now because I shall have 10 refer to
10 again presently.
In other words. the testimony
shows that the citizens of Browns
Vile had opportunity 10 procure. and
that they did have in their posses
sion, an abundance of the kind OF
ammunition with which the soldiers
had been supplied, and that the col
ored soldiers had no ammunition
whatever and no opportunity to pro-
cure any except only that which had
been distributed 10 them, every car
fridge Of which they had when in
spected the morning after the shoot
ing occurred.
\ STRAIGHTFORWARD STATE
MENT.
The foregoing statements as to the
ammunition should be modified as
TO c Company.
Each man OF this company carried
with him TO Brownsville from Fort
Niobrara twenty rounds Of ball car
tridges, but few days after arrival
at Brownsville Captain Macklin or
uered that all the ball ammunition
should be returned to the quarter
~ = ~ al -esfar.cr