Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-04-15
DEFENDS NEGRO
SOLDIERS
FOnAkER'S SPEECH ATTRACTS
LARGE CROWD OF CoLoRED
PEOPLE-PREDICTS COMPLETE
NINDICATIoN OF DISCHARGED
SOLDIERS.

Washington. April 15.-Applause
that smotherel the oft-repeated
poundings of the vice president S
gayel. attested the warmth OF the
reception given by the crowded gal
ierlcs OF the Fenate TO the speech OF
Senator Foraker made yesterday in
defense OF the colored soldiers OF the
25th Infantry discharged without
honor by che president because of
their supposed connection with the
Brownsville affair.
Never in the history OF the sen
ate have the galleries been so fully
surrendered to representatives of
the negro race. more than half of
the crowds that filled every available
seat and standing room being Occu-
pied by them.
Not n Denunciation.
TIL senator began his remarks by
saying there was evidently a misap-
prohensicn concerning his speech.
and read from newspaper clipping
TO the effect that he was to deliver
a three days dcnunciation OF the
president ana the secretary OF war
He laughingly disavowed his inten-
tion TO do either OF the things
charged against him.
The purpose OF this investiga-
tlon has not been TO embarass the
president or anybody else" said Mr.
Foraker. nor has IL been TO make
any capital of any kind. political or
otherwise. against anybody or for
anybody
He continued to say that the In
vestigation was 20 hnd the facts I'm
the case as guide to intelligent ac-
ticn. He reviewed the incidents
preceding the senate investigation
and said the soldiers gave their
evidence with such Straightforward
frankness and with such manifest
truthtulness that, In his opinion,
nothing remains 10 show their com.
plete vindication except only the dis
covery of the real culprits. which
time will surely make unless the
adage that murder will out" has
ceased TO be a truth.
He reviewed the various incl.
dents and orders that led up to the
discharge or the men without honor.
Most OF the witnesses against the
soldiers he said. testified four diff
ferent times concerning the ARRAY.
Their. testimony so given Ifs suf.
fciently eontradicted to show that
it is unreliable" he said, but. aside
from the contradictions on account
ot the darkness of the night. many
things that were testified to by
these witnesses could not possibly
have been observed bv them
whole Affair FIimsy.
1T is unnecessary to 20 over this
evidence I'm p detailed way, for con
ceding for the sake OF argument
that the Witnesses undertook to tes-
tifv trUthfullv. the Himsy and un-
reliable character OF the whole ar
fair. is fairly indicated by the testl-
many Of the fonr principal so-called
"eve Witnesses"
without their testimony there is
no credible evidence whatever to
srpport the charge that the first
shots were fired from the barracks
or from any place In the reservation
tion or that there was any jumping
over the wall by anybody
Without the testimony of these
fonr witnesses the testimony of the
officers and men of the battalion
that the shooting commenced al
some point outside the reservation
stands practically uncontradicted.
The circumstantial evidence
against the soldiers concerning the
shells and bullets found after the
shooting. he declared turned out TO
he favorable 10 them because of the
impossibility for them to have had
such ammunition without that fact
being developed i'm the examinations
that were made "The case against
tho soldiers" he said. fails I'm an
other important particular No ade-
uuate motive-in fact. no motive
whatever-is shown for such an
assoult upon the town"
The character OF the soldiers. was
good. They had never given their
officers any trouble. This good rec
ord ne said should greatly strength