The Washington times., 1908-12-14

Tried to End Life.
Conyers tried to commit suicide after
he found that he had made bis state
ments 10 a detective. declaring that the
other negroes would kin MIN when II
got out. He finally wrote TO Senator
Foraker and received a reply. a CODY
Of which is annexed That reply he
construed 70 mean that he should stick
20 his original story told before the
Senate Committee at all hazards and
there he stands. I have every. reason
TO believe that his confession is genuine
ana gives Tor the first time the true
secret history Of the Brownsville raid.
me list Of participants given in this
report report Conyers furnished me person
any believe IL is substantially cor
rect, but with the influences shown to
De packing COnyers TO adhere 10 his
lalse testimony given before the Senate
committee stu being eXerted he can
not De relied on to support his own
confessions until IL Is thoroughly sus-
tanned from other sources.
ENluenHes OF similar announcement
10 Suck 10 the lies told at Brownsville
ana DeLOre the Senate committee were
round IN. many places and subsequent
10 the date OF the Foraker. letter they
became stronger and more obstructive
than ever.
The Investigation has been conducted
win strict recognition Of the advisable
liy OF preserving secrecy, and with
discretion. No promises OF immunity
were made. The knowledge on the
part OF the eN-sOldiers that the Govern
hienI could not punish them after their
separation from the service. cOuDIed
with the belief that by preserving ST.
leaee they would aid IN the passage OF
me relief legislation now pending in
congress, has added to the difficulty
OF securing information
me ne issue has evidently become racial
me coiored detectives would be con-
IToAIeo frequently in the smaller towns
where these men are living with a de
Inand from COlOred men for Information
as 20 their business.
Locate sso.
We have located over 80 OF these e,-
soldiers, and have been IN thirty
States in quest Of Information. The
appendices give statements as to the
results obtained They Indicate a gen
eraI knowledge on the part Of the ex-
soldiers that the raid came from inside
the Tort, and that the soldiers Of Com
pany were the guilty parties
We earnestly urge that we be hermit
tea 10 continue the investigation Sey-
eral detectives are stiu In the field, and
within the coming week a number Of
aILldaVlts Will be forthcoming
With some repetition OF matter an
ptdTihg later In the report. Boyd Con
yers' story is given here in narrative
form:
The rumors OF trouble over tho se.
Slgnment OF cOlOred troops to Browns
vile were circulated before the troops
ie4I sort NlODrara, and preDarHtions
were made among the men to s'get even
Win the crackers SO the whites We're
called. Some cartridges were held O1Ir
at range practice, but more en- route
70 Brownsville. Pretense VAS made
I1at they were given away at stations
-
number We're seCreted.
Al inspection in Brownsville, LIeuten- !
ant LawraSon, Company 3, threatened
punishment 70 the men who were short
about II. and the deficiency was sup |
piled.
Friction Begins at Once.
Tile friction with citizens Of Browns !
vile began at once. In~lsoyd Conyer5' !
language, Whisky made all the trou- |
bic If We hadn't been drinking We |
wouldn't have had the nerve to shoot /
up the town"
It was agreed, at a gathering OF a |
few men in the saloon Of Allison, the ]
colored eX-sOldier, on the afternoon OF I
August Il. 1906. that the raid should 1
take place that night at Z O'Clock. 1t
seems 70 have been delayed a few min !
enger, get away from the Is barracks.
John HOlIOman, the money lender OF 4
company B, was the chief conspirator l
ana leader OF the raid and custodian (
and distributor OF the cartridges. but his 4
plans could not have been carried ont ]
had not Ser6t. George Jackson, of Com /
pany 3, in charge of the KEYS to the
gun racks in b barracks, and Sergeant /
Reid. IN command OF the guards. CO. |
operated both before and after the raid /
ne lOuT men who led the raid were
John Holloman, John Brown. Boyd \
Conyers, and Carolina de SauSsure all \
Of Company 3 tand probably +. L Col /
Ter, OF Company @. HOlIoman was in |
barracks, Brown in the bake shoD Con- ]
yers and De SauSsUre in the guard 1
mousse Ihe Two latter were in the same I
lelall ana had been relieved at abOut I
II o'clock, De SauSSure on the DOst at
the guardhouse, and COnvers on No. 2,
around the barracks and facina, the
own HollomaD got the party together
Jonyers and De Saussure slept on the
nat Jifey wanted to get under the mos
quito net and they had the trick of
aFdng their guns into the bunk instead
ot placing them in the open rack, on
The excuse that they didn't rust so
BADLY under cover, but really so tho ab-
;ence Of the guns from the omen r-,Iard-
house rack would not attract attention.
tnd their own absence would be
lScrlbed TO a visit to the closet. which |
vas back Of the guardhouse. These two
men slipped out the rear door of tina
Suardhouse, passed through the sally
'ort, and Joined HOllOman aud Brown.
Cross the Wall.
The party crossed the wall OF the
ort down near the end OF A barracks.
vent up the roadway to the entrance to
he Cowen alley, where the signal shots
we're fired These shots were immedi-
-tely tailed onto by the alarm shots OF
Joseph b. Howard. guard on No. ,, and
ormed the series testified to by Mrs.
Katie r. I,eahv, OF Brownsville Her
estimOny is further borne out by the
tatemcnt that not over thirty seconds
lapsed before a number of the men cf
3 swarmed out on the upper
,allery and opened a fusillade on the
OWn-
1t is m absolute certainty that it
would have been impossible for Ser
cant Jackson to have opened the gun ,
acks, for the men to have assembled.
ecured their guns, loaded them, gone
mt 10 the gallery, and f.ta-ted firing. |
III after the first shot vas fred. all |
reused, as they testified unan .mousIy
rom sound slumber, in less than two d
llnutes, IL the confusion Of a dark bar
ack room. Beyond the possibility OF a
oubt, the racks had been opened and ;
a do