Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-11-17
UNJUST CHARGE
DETROIT PAPER
INVESTIGATED
SENSATIONAL STORY IN NORTHERN
PAPER DECLARED UNTRUE AND
TO BE WITHOUT FOUNDATION
BODY OF SOLDIER KILLED AT OJO
DE Aqua COULD NOT HAVE BEEN
IN ALLEGED CONDITION.

United States army officers doing du
on the lower border are investigating I
rhar.e~ in Detroit. Mich. new span
the condition on arrival III Il
iroit. of the body of Private Herbert VI
Conncll. killed bv Mexican bandits in I
lighting M Oio ~ Aqua, near Mission. NJ
whose body was shipped To hi relativ
n Detroit for burial The complete i
ye~tIgation covering the preparation al
shipment Of McConncll'> body l. to
made public in statement to he furnish
he press ~ soon ~ II j. completed. whi
Nill ~ III the next two ~ three days.
The article III the Detroit News was +
printed in the army and Navy Journal. ai
d that way reached the United Stat
army doing duty on the lower border.
follows:
The Detroit News comments in
dlenantlv on the manner of the
homecoming oi the body of Private
Herbert Mcconnell. United States
army. who was killed hv a Mexican
bullet II say: '.IIc came i'll a pine
box with bullet hole In hi- breast
and the dusty STAIN ot long day~
on the Texas border. covered over
with wild flowers that hi~ soldier
comrades had gathered Il- man
nrr OF comm. - one that lu~tilic~
\ proud and very rich government
III bowing it~ head in shame and
ca~t~ stain on Haunted glorie> Of
the recruiting no~ter~ Private
Nee onnell had been \ soldier ot the
United States and he had served W.
soldier should and he died n a
soldier should with hi face To the
enemy, even If that enemy wa~
bandit and the shot unofficial III the
history oi nations. Now iu~t what
happened after the death j. not
known III Detroit The hodv may
have been turned over Ia \ Texas
undertaken on contract or an army
order may have been carele--lv ear
rcd out. Whatever II was the boy
wa~ lifted IN hi old and dust
grimed uniform of yellow gray. h-
shoes slipped of and the body
dumped into 4 pine coffin. There
was no flag 10 glorify his death.
no new uniform To earb the soldier
that wa. only the ilowcr~ that had
been gathered bv his comrades. He
wa~ not even embalmed. And when
the coffin wa~ opened III Detroit. the
undertaken and hi- assistants
started back in horror. Ills father
and hi~ mother came 10 view the
boy they had given 10 hi- country
and theirs and they saw him not.
There came to the Mcconnell home
the mother of Private Anthony
Kraft. who had died ~ Private
Mcconnell had died Her ~on. too.
had come home. horror. and she
wondered ii all mothers sons who
had died ~ the Texas border were
treated a. her had been treated.
she found that it was -"
The statement. il j. said. will show tn
instead Of being killed bv bullet in Il
leart. Mcconnell had sixteen bullet hol,
every one of which was anywhere in 1
body except in the heart The ~tatrmc
4, I'M -.,- ,l.. NJ mill knl,. n, ,l
being shipped in the uniform in which
was killed was dressed IN an entirely n.
uniform. The body wa~ embal lined III 4
rordancc with rules of the interstate coi
merce commission. q violation of viii
grave offen~e Instead
wild flowers covering the ca~kct the mt
beautiful floral wrcath~ of roses and 9th
flowers grown IN this section were cont
buted in large number. IN thi- particul
ease II was recalled that there were
many wreaths the top of the casket wor
not hold them. and they had to he piled
The cai~~on alongside the ca~ket. Fla
covered the ca~kct Ia the depot.
At the Wells Fargo express Office he
the point of origin Of the shipment. il
.tated that had there been any compla
IA regard a. the condition Of the body
shipment this office would have learned
ii. and no complaint has been made.
he requirements were adhered Ia i'll III
ping the casket
The body could not he reached bv
undertaken until twelve hours after n
"onnell had been killed. which fact ma
mhalming all the more difficult. The bo