Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-05-13
HEAD HEARING AN
INVESTIGATION
INTO THE TING.
FORMER CAPTAIN IN GUARD Is
CHARGED WITH ENLIGHTENMENT
OF MILITIA EQUIPMENT.
TESTIMONY OF CAPTAIN COLLIN N.
BALL ALLEGES SHORTAGE IN
STATE ABOUT $4,000.

That there J. shortage IN national
guard property ia Texas amounting Ia
value from 900 10 SlOO. 600 and that
upon hi Inspection he found the condition
of national guard affairs IN Texas Ia b. IN
4 dcplorabe condition, was the substance
ot testimony offered by Captain Collin II.
Ball. United States army. inspector III
~iructor III the Texas national guard te--
Itiiying III the preliminary hearing uf former
Captain George j. Head Of the former
Brownsville militia. Head was arrested
last midnight by Deputy United States
Marshal \. 7. Herring. charged with en-
bezzlement 10 the amount oi about 800
and charged also with conspiracy 10 de
fraud the government.
The hearing i being conducted thi, att =
ernoon before United States Commissioner
r. X Goodrich.
The government l. represented by Major
Blanion Nin~hip. Judge advocate general
IN the southern department of the United
States army. The defendant j. represent
cd bv Attorney r. H. Green of Brownsville.
Captain Ball occupied the stand during
the hearing this afternoon. IIc testified
that he made trip Of Inspection Of ma ~
tinnal guard companies covering about
"a 900 miles. and that al the store hou-.,
of the Texas national guard IN Austin H.
found the conditions ~ the guard property
III i deplorable state. especially a. "a the
system Nj accounting. lie stated that
while Henry Ilutching> was adiutant gen
erul ot Texas and Colonel Emmett n.
Walker wa~ assistant and quartcrma ~ter
general there was created a shortage Of
national guard property in Austin amount
ing 10 from 100000 to SlOO.OuO. Thi-
property he said. was Inspected by Colonel
Walker and condemned. according to the
required procedure.
The reports of condemnation. the wit o.
ness testified. were submitted Ia the war
department and seeming to be regular
were accepted and the property ordered To
be destroyed. Instead of destroying thl~
property the witness charged that Walker
and hi> associates sold the condemned
goods after making ailidavitS that it had
been destroyed
The property in question consisted oi
Gun tents. 1000 blankets. many articles ut
uniforms, arms, ammunition. spare parts
NJ rifles. canteenS. haverSack~. and ia fact
almost every variety Of equipment issued
by the United States government u the
national guard Of Texas.
Captain Ball testified that the state had
received during Walker term ot office
~ 600 garments of cotton khaki uniforms.
Two thousand ninety Of these were actually
DESTROYED after condemnation. IL te~tI-
fled that the governor was induced,
through the representations of Walker. to
make fraudulent certificates that l3,00O
of thes uniforms had been worn out IN the
service. leaving over 10000 unaccounted
for. Investigation by the witness showed
hat Sl4,59s.15 worth of property wa~
surveyed and condemned by Colone
/ Walker. and that Second Lieutenant l.. ID
Houston was directed To witness the de
~truction OF this property. The witne>,
said that Houston made affidavit that h,
witnessed this destruction on December 81
1914 lie has since admitted. according
to Captain Balls testimony. that the ai
hdavit was false This property. the gov
ernmcnt alleges. was sold a. a ~. Loui'
concern hy Walker.
Further than this 10000 cotton KHAKI
uniforms turned IN when the olive dral
uniforms superseded them. Ball testified
we're sold by Walker and hi associates 4
Mexicans and were shipped through
Brownsville On March ,. 1915. a cal
labeled second hand clothing was shIppe,
out of Austin by Emmett George" i
Judge J. Head" at Brownsville. Captain
Ball went on To testify that Captain Hea'
received the ear of uniforms on March IL
land that they were hauled 10 Matamoro
hv the Mason Transfer company o
Brownsville. Fifteen days later Colone
Walker was either IN or near Brownsville
and VISA informed by the adiutant genera
of the Texas national guard by long dis
tance telephone that grave charges ha'
been preferred against him. lie imme
diately disappeared and J. supposed I
have gone to Mexico
Asked whether he knew ~ any conncc
tion existing between Captain Head I'm
Colonel Walker, Captain Ball said that >
March Is or l9, in the Gunter hotel al Sa