Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-12-11
Negro Soldiers Who Shot
Up City of Houston
Pay Penalty.
MILITARY COURT
HANGS THIRTEEN
Mutinous Blacks Who Participated in
Uprising in Which Citizens and Sol
diers Were Killed Legally Executed
List includes One Sergeant, Four
Corporals and Eight Privates-Exe-
eution Takes Place at Fort.

; San Antonio, Tex, Dec. 1.-Thirteen
negroes were hanged at Fort Sam
Houston at 7:17 a m. today for com
plicity in the riot at Houston on Aug.
i23.
The announcement Of action on the
court martiars verdict was made at
southern department headquarters at
3 clock by the chief Of staff, who also
gave out a formal statement in which
the names Of men sentenced to life
Imprisonment were given.
Those hanged included a sergeant
four corporals and eight privates, as
follows:
Sergeant William C. Nesbitt.
Corporal Larnon J. Brown.
Corporal James Wheatley.
Corporal Jesse Moore.
Corporal Charles w. Baltimore.
Private William Breckenridge.
Private Thomas C. Hawkins.
Private Carlos Snodgrass.
Private Ira B. Davis.
Private James Divins.
| Private Frank Johnson.
Private Risley w. Young.
Private Pat MacWorter.
Spectators Few.
The thirteen men were members OF
the TwentyFourth infantry, u. s. A
Announcement of the carrying out OF
the sentence was made at 9 o'clock.
Only army officers and Sheriff Eaton
Iof Beaxaro county, were present when
the sentence was carried out by. sol
diers from the post. No newspaper
men nor civilian spectators were al
lowed and the time and place Of exc
cution had been kept secret.
OF the stxty-th men tried by the
same court martial, forty-one were
sentenced to life imprisonment One
man was sentenced to dishonorable
discharge from the army and to serve
at hard labor for two and half years
two were sentenced to dis4lonorable
discharge and serve two years at hard
labor. Five were acquitted.
Following the hanging the chief of
|staff Of the southern department gave
out a written statement covering the
court martial and at the same time re-
fused to answer any questions.
Farewell TO Death Guard.
the last words uttered by the con-
demned men of the Twenty Fourth
United States infantry as the traps
were sprung and they dropped to their
death.
Men OF Company c, Ninteenth infan-
try, have been guarding the negro pri-
|soners since they were brought to San
Antonio.
The execution took place in an ar
royo about two miles east of Camp
Travis on great scafford which had
been erected during the night by en-
'gineers from the post.
A column, consisting of approxi-,
mately LIS cavalrymen and 100 in
fantry soldiers, assembled at the cav
airy guardhouse where the negroes
were confined at $3.50 a. m. today.
Trucks were provided to convey the
prisoners to the scene of the execu-
ton.
Col NJ. F. Waltz, post commandr.
was In command of the column and
led. the way to the scaffold.
The column arrived at the scaffold
at 500 a. m. A flood light had been
arranged to give light for those in
charge Of the active work Of prepar-
ing the nooses and adjusting them to
the necks of the condemned men.
Condemned Men Sing Hymns.
Without tremor the men stepped
out with soldierly tread and singing a
hymn they walked to their places
Prayers were said by negro minister
and by two army chaplains and then
the men were ordered to stand on the
traps. Resuming their song they stood
erect and displayed the greatest forth
tude as the ropes were adjusted.
At 7:17 the major in charge of the
execution gave the order to spring the
traps. The triggers had been arranged,
one for each drop aud six srnen ge-cc
IMpORTAN