The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-12
Great Secrecy Around Elk.
ecution at Early Hour
Wednesday Morning.
HAD BEEN MEMBERS
oath u. S. INFANTRY
Convicted by Courtpartial
Shooting Houston Resi-
dents During Riot.

San Antonio, Texas, Dec. ll.-Thir-
teen negroes, soldiers of the Twenty,
fourth United States infantry, We're
hanged to death simultaneously at
dawn today i'm expiation of their muir
der OF Houston citizens last August,
when members of that regiment en-
gagged in mutinous rioting in the city's
streets. In the dark Of the night army
motor trucks conveyed the lumber for
the sea Gold to the little clearing i'm a
lonely mesquite thicket on the big
government reservation, where the ne
eroes, convicted by courtmartiai, were
to die.
Matter Kept Under Cover.
And there by the light of bonfires,
army engineers erected the death traps
to which at S o'clock in the morning
other motor trucks hurried the con-
demned negroes and the officers and
men Of the military guards. 1t was
the army motor truck, the only incl
dent which made this military eNecu-
ton different from previous ones that
enabled the officers in charge to keep
secret the time and the place Of the
hanging.
The following men paid the ultimate
penalty:
Some Were Officers.
Sergeant William c. Nesbitt
Corporal Larnon j. Brown.
Corporal James Wheatley.
Corporal Jesse Moore.
Corporal Charles w. Baltimore.
Privates William Breckenridge,
Thomas c. Hawkins, Carlos Snod-'
grass, Ira b. Davis. James Divins.
Frank johnson, Risley w. Young, Pat
MacWhorter.
The condemned negroes had known
of their fate since Sunday. Twelve of
them sought spiritual consolation Of
army Y. NJ. c. A. workers. The thir-
teenth gave no inkling that he knew.
stoical.
Dress as for Parade.
Aside from less than d dozen officers
of the southern department and the
| sheriff of Bexar county, no one in the
city or the army camps knew of the
execution, date or place. The other
negro defendants were ignorant Of the
1
formal announcement had been made
The Condemned men were aroused thi:
morning a few minutes before regular
army reveille. $3.50 O'Clock. The,
dressed in their regular uniforms a!
carefully as for inspection.
|. Sing Hymn on Way. Il
The negroes executed displayet
| 0if fhnr vNSpp Hn fna Hhnvp rNd
to the execution singing q hymn, bu
the singing was as that of soldiers ol
the march. Arrived at the clearing
the singing stopped. the men shackled
were helped from the trucks to tn
scaffolds and seated on chairs. A loy
goodbye, boys" addressed to member
Of their military guards, who had bee
in charge of the negroes since the
were brought here from Fort Bliss, wa
the only expression from any of them
The mems feet We're shackled. A
army chaplain offered prayer. An Off
Ger called attention." and as on pa
rade, the negroes stood erect The
stood quietly while caps and moose
were adjusted. ana then stepped on tn
traps. The major in charge of the exc
cution gave signal and soldier
sprung the traps.
Tho negroes plunged nine feet to a
instant death.
Churches in Mourning.
Even after the execution and the re
turn Of the guard to camp. news {
) what had occurred did not sprea
through the camp or through the cit
until announced by newspapers.
, created some demonstration anon
negroes who had followed the progres
OF the trial In the maturing OF mourn
lings" at a few negro churches. Grove
at these. however. We're small.
: No announcement has been mac
whep the Al negro defendants, give
life sentences by the courtmartial, wi
be taken to Fort Leavenworth.
In spite of the executions and al
nouncement Of the other sentences tn
morning, the riot at Houston is not
. closed incident. Investigation is ST
in progress and it is expected addition