Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-05-02

/ cAaS, on the night of the 18th of
August, 1906. report TO YOU such
facts and all other circumstances
within their knowledge which will
assist I'm apprehending the guilty par
ties, orders will be Immediately is
sued from the War Department dis
charging every man In Companies B.
c, and ID OF the Twenty-Rfth Infan-
try, without honor, and forever De
barring them from re-enlisting in tne
Army or Navy Of the United States.
as well as from employment in any
civil capacity under the Government.
A MOST REMARKABLE ULTIMA
TON.
The time 20 be given to the enlist
cd men of Companies B, c and ID,
Twenty-ffth Infantry. for considera-
ton Of this ultimatum will be deter
mined by you. II, at the end OF the
time designated the facts and cir
lcumstances of the occurrence in ques
tion have not been established sufh-
GENTLY clearly 20 indicate n reasona-
bic certainty OF securing a convic-
ton OF the guilty parties by evidence
obtained from enlisted men Of the
first battalion. Twenty-ffth Infantry.
you will report the condition by wire
TO The Military Secretary"
General Darlington made his inves-
tigauon, therefore, with this thought
before him. but made no further pro-
eress than 20 suggest In a vague sort
or a way that the men had posi-
bly," come TO a common understand
ing that they would not give any
information of which they might be
possessed that would lead to the l.
Identification Of any OF the raiders.
On this point he said in HIS report
that all the men denied guilt. or gull
~ knowledge, but that these de-
malls
indicated n possible general under
standing among the enlisted men Of
this battalion Of the position they
would take In the premises"
NO EVIDENCE OF A CONSPIRACY.
And I call the attention Of Sena-
tors particularly TO this
but could find no evidence OF
such understanding"
No evidence that there was any
conspiracy of silence. / emphasize
that, because that, you will discover
as we proceed, is an important part
or this case in so far as there Is any
case left.
Upon this report, without an iota
Iof additional testimony-in other
words, upon the mere suggestion Of
General Darlington and others that
an agreement to withhold testimony
had been entered into among the
men. Of which General Darlington was
careful to say he had found no EVIL
.dence-the President ordered all the
men discharged.
THE PRESIDENT EMBARRASSED
OF that which was only possible"
in the opinion OF General Darlington.
and of which he could find no evil
dence." the President, without any
additional testimony, because so thor
.oughiy convinced by the time he felt
1T necessary TO defend his action
that in his message to the Senate
of December 10, 1906, he said:
"A blacker crime never stained the
annals of the Army. tt has been
supplemented by another, only less
black, in the shape OF a successful
conspiracy Of silence for the purpose
of shielding those who took part In
the original conspiracy OF murder"
At another point in that same
message he said:
yet some of the noncommissioned
officers and many of the men of the
three companies in question have
banded together in a conspiracy to
protect the assassins and would-be
assassins who have disgraced their
uniforms by the conduct above re-
lated. Many of these noncommis-
stoned officers and men must have
known, and all OF them may have
known, circumstances which would
have led to the conviction OF those
engaged in the murderous assault
They have stolidly, and as one man.
broken their oaths Of enlistment and
refused to help discover the Grimm
nails"
PRESIDENTIAL ARGUMENT.
A charge az IN which NV ts,a 1.t