The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-11-18
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER IS. 1909.
WHAT


asks the San Antonio Light apropo.
of the new investigation of the out
rage committed upon the town OF
Brownsville on the night of Aug. -
1906, by the negro soldiers Of the
Infamous Twenty-fifth" which is
being conducted by the military board
Of inquiry appointed in accordance
with the senate resolution authoriz-
eng a rehearing of the case, in order
to give the discharged soldiers a
chance to prove their innocence. The
Light comments pithily upon this new
exhibition of congressional lenience
towards the uniformed criminals who
committed the grossest outrage that
ever bIackened the annals of the
United States army, as follows:
We are about to be treated to a
fine exhibition of how to indecenJly
exhume a decently buried corpse. We
are to be treated to d revival of the
Brownsville affair OF 1906, statements
by the noble band that poured shots
into homes of that city. buckets OF
WhiteWaSh and a REPETITION of how
Bill Mcdonald would charge hell with
a half pint of sulpher water.
Despite the mountains OF testimony
this affair and the fact that it has
been shown beyond a doubt that the
negroes shot up the town. there Will
be during the next few days dragged
from the grave ali the testimony that
was so conclusive before and an at
tempt to prove mucn of il false pos
sible The people OF Brownsville. who
are 10 greater liars than the people
of any other city, and whose word Is
Is good as that of Senator Foraker
or any other champion Oh The murder
srs. viii be pilliored il the reports
emanating from Washington are true.
The negro soldiers are to be given
fe1aother chance" after having been
giren some ten previous chances. The
case has been thrashed out in
Brownsville before. it was rehearsed
III San Antonio, it was ground over,
ssstec and spiced and served third
time IN Washington, and now there IS
to be a regular Saturday morning
breakfast of Sunday boarding house
turkey at Brownsville again Have
not TIE people OF Brownsville been
punished enough for being fired in
theif own homes? Or are they to re-
ceiyc further chastisement from the
Investigating committee.
The negroes who committed the
murders that night in Brownsville
have mad chance enough. They had
If Vhar President Roosevelt gave
them Ar opportunity to point out the
sHfity men: they had it during the
trial OF Major Penrose here, and If
they never had chance before 1t
carte In Washington when Senator
Eoraile- rent his clothes in an at
tempt 10 prove that the people of the
CITY icy 5hc Rio Grande fired upon
tbeir aeighbors and outraged their
avn city to bring discredit upon
f6N black soldiers.
president Roosevelt : verdict IN the
matter xas one that met with the ap-
prQaai Of the majority Of the people
OF m United States. and it should
nave teen allowed to stand 1t offered
lustiCe tempered with mercy. but the
merty Nas thrust aside.
The proceedings of the army board
IN Br...Hsv.He the coming Week VIII
he Sa1c~ed with interest and some
little .osity What do they expect
"a Nr1Ta2
Tba question is not easily answer
Sd. Il Is quite probable, judging by
he personnel of the board, that a
fair Investigation viii be made, and
the officers composing ii will doubt
taas -e;-,rn a verdict conforming to
that rendered by Major Blocksom,
Genera Darlington, Assistant Attor-
pev General Purdy, the court mar
Hsl tbat conducted the Penrose and
N,c,-lie hearings at Fort Sam HOus-
TON 7pd the senate committee on mill
tarv affairs. as well as by former
President Roosevelt. all of whom
declared. after the most thorough in
vestigation. that the crime was COM
nj+ted by the negro soldiers They
can hardly expect to prove which
of the soldiers were directly implica-
4ed in the crime. and. vice versa, can
no more expect 10 PlN'S
any. were innocent.
Indeed. the resolution was one OF
rho most Illogical pieces OF legisla-
ton ever perpetrated by congress
The law regards a man innocent, IN
fl, he IS proven guilty The Foraker
resolution requires the negro sold
iers to prove themselves innocent
uhan there is no prosecution against
orv Of them individually This whole