Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-14
mUT|NEERS
Excel D
SUMMARILY
Court Martial, Following In
vestigation of Fatal Hous-
ton, Rioting, Sentences
Forty-One To Life Irnpris-
onment; Five Acquitted.

0nment; Five Acquitted.
ARMY OFFICERS KEEP
THEIR PLANS SECRET
San Antonio Tex, Dec. 11.-Thir-
teen of the negroes of the Twenty
fourth infantry, U. S. A., found guilty
OF completely in the riot and mutiny
at Houston on August 20, were hanged
on the military reservation at Fort
Sam Houston at TIT O'Clock this
morning. Announcement Of the car
rying ont of the sentence was made
1T headquarters of the southern de-
partment at 8 a. m.
Only army officers and Sheriff John
Goblin Of Bexar county were present
when the sentence was carried out by
soldiers from the post. No newspaper
men or civilian spectators were al
lowed, the time and place of execu-
ton having been kept a secret.
scAFFoLD BUILT IN NIGHT.
Goodbye, boys of Company c.
were the last words uttered by the
condemned men as the traps were
sprung and they dropped to their
death.
Men Of Company c, 18th infantry,
have been guarding the negro prison
ers since they were brought to San,
Antonio.
The execution took place in an ar
royo about two miles east of Camp
Travis on great scaffold which had
been erected during the night by en-
gineers from the post
soLpiERs SEE EXECUTION.
A column consisting of approx
mately 125 cavalrymen and 100 in
fantry soldiers assembled at the cav
airy guard house where the negroes
were confined, at $50 a. m. today.
Trucks were provided to convey the
prisoners to the scene Of the execu-
ton.
Col. M. r. Waltz, post commander,
was in command of the column and
led the way to the scaffold.
The column arrived at the scaffold
at 6:20 a. M. A food light had been
arranged to give light for those in
charge of the work of preparing the
nooses and adjusting them to the
necks of the condemned men.
HYMN WELCOMES DEATH.
The cavalry and infantry guard as
sembled in hollow square formation
around the scaffold and the prisoners
were given the order to march upon
the death traps. Without a tremor
they stepped out with soldierly tread
and singing hymn they walked to
their places. Prayers were said by a
negro minister and by two army chap
lains and then the men were ordered
to stand on the traps. Resuming
their song they stood erect and dis
played the greatest fortitude while
the ropes were adjusted.
NO CIVILIANS PRESENT.
At TIT the major in charge of the
execution gave the order to spring |
the traps. The triggers had been ar
ranged, one for each drop, and six !
men were assigned to each one. At !
the word Of command they pulled on
the triggers and the thirteen negroes
dropped. Eleven of them died almost |
Instantly, the other two quivering
moment or two.
No civilian spectators were allowed !
1t the execution. Sheriff John Tobin
and several Of his deputies helped to
adjust the nooses, after having pre-
Jared the hangman knots for the
Amy men.
ONLY FIVE ACQUITTED.
OF the sixty-three men tried by the
GAe court martial forty-one were
Sentenced to life imprisonment. One
man was sentenced to dishonorable
discharge from the army, forfeiture of
all pay and allowances and to be con-
fined at hard labor for two and half
years. Three were sentenced to be
dishonorably discharged from the
army, forfeit all pay and allowances
and be confined at hard labor for two
years. Five were acquitted.
The negro soldiers who received the
death penalty were:
Sergeant William c. Nesbitt, Cor
porah L. j. Brown, James Wheatly,
J. N. Moore and G. w. Baltimore:
Privates, first class, William Brock.
inridge. T. C.. Hawkins and Carlos
Snodgrass Of Company I; Privates l.
B. Davis, James Divins, Frank John
son, r. w. Young. al! of Company |;
and Pat MacWhorter of Company NJ.
IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE.
In the cases OF Cook William
Frazier, Cook Nathan HUMPHREYS, Jr.;
Privates, first class, J. M. Hudson. .Ir.,
T. R. Johnson, Ben McDaniels and S.
". Phillips, all OF Company I; Pri-
Yates d. L. Bolden, Fred Brown, Rob
ert Brownfield, Harrison Capers, Ben
Cecil. Gerald Dixon, Henry Green, j.
r. Hawkins, George Hobb, N. Il.
Holland, Richard Lewis, Leroy Pin
kett, J. Wardlow. w. s. Kane, Harry
O. Richardson, Luther Rucker, Roy
Tyler, Jos. Williams, Jr., all of Com.
pany /; Private Ernest Adams, John
Adams. Wash Adams, Douglas X.
Lumpkins. Richard Brown, all OF
Company K; Privates A. C. Butler,
Abner Davis and G. II. Parham of
Company l.; BugIer r. W. Baxter,
Company NJ; Privates Walter Bur
kett. James Cocker, CalIie Glenn