Arizona republican., 1917-12-12
RIOTIN( NEGROES
 HANGED
Republican A. p. Leased WIre1


 SAN ANTONIO, Tex. Dec. 1f.-I Thirteen negroes soldiers of the 24th tnited States Infantry. were hanged 70 death simultaneously at dawn today in eNpiation Of their murder of Houston cltllens last August when members of that regiment engaged in mutnous ri otlng in the city's streets. In the dark of the night. army motor trucks con- Neyed the lumber for the scaffold to little clearing in a. lonely mesquite ,hicket on the big government reserva- Ion where the negroes. convicted by court martial, were to die.
 And there, by the light of bonfires. army engineers erected the death traps 10 which at five o'clock in the morn inS, other motor trucks hurried the condemned negroes and the officers and men of the military guard
 lt was me army motor truck. the only incident made this military exc cution different from previous ones. that enabled the officers in charge to Keep secret the time and the place of the hanging. It was the army truck that so quickly obliterated all traces of tho execution and carried the dead bodies to a place nearby which is as iudistinguishable as the execution site. before official announcement had been made as to how the order of the court martial had been carried out and that the following men had paid the ulti- mate penalty: Sergeant William C. Nesbitt Corporal Larnon J. Brown. Corporal James WheatleV COrporal Jesse Moore. Corporal Charles w. Bal tnore, Private William Breckenridge, Private Thomas C. Hawkins. Private Carlos Snodgrass, Private Ira E. Davis Private James D'vins. Private Frank Johnson, Private Risley w. Young. Private Pat MacWhorter.
 The bonfire illumination for the hanging just as the sky was streaking with grey through the morning clouds the bleak landscape of dull grey and bronze against wAich the new timbers of the rough scSffold stood out. the khaki-clad military guards officers with coat collars upturned against the cold, made an unforgettable picture. But now one might tramp for hours over the sh-covered acres of the military reservation without finding either execution site or burial place though the hanging occurred not more than a hundred wards from bath houses which have been built near a swim ming pool in the Salado creek for men of the national army cantonment at Camp Travis.
 The condemned negroes had known of their fate since Sunday Twelve of them sought spiritual consolation of nrmy y. M. C. A. workers. Outwardly all of the negroes were stOicaI They Gid not know the date of the execution but last night they were taken from the cavalry guard house where they have been prisoners more than a month, and placed in separate bar racks.
 Aside from a dozen officers of the southern department and the sheriff of BeXar county, nc. one in the city or ar my camps knew of the execution date pr place. The other negro defendants were ignorant of the fate of their com panions until after the formal an nouncement had been made.
 The condemned men were aroused this morning a few minutes before regular army reVeille, T: 90 o'clock The military guard had been sum moned silently and no sound was heard in the camp where nearly 4O,00C men were sleeping, except the pur- ring of the army truck motOrs awaiting their loads. The negroes were dressed in their regular uni forms as carefully as for inspection
 The negroes executed displayed neither bravo nor fear They rode to the execution singing a hymn out the singing was as that cf sol diers on the march Arriving at tho clearing. the singing stopped, tho men, shackled, were helped from thC trucks to the scaffords and seated or chairs. A low good bye, boys" ad dressed to members of their military guard who had been in charge O the negroes since they were brough Vhere from Fort Bliss, was the onll oppression from any of the negroes The mems feet were shackled. Al army chaplain offered prayer Al officer called attention" and as ol parade, the negroes stood erect. The. stood quietly while caps and moose were adjusted and then stepped o the traps. The major in charge O the execution gave a signal and sol diers sprung the traps. The negroe plunged nine feet to instant deatt
 Even after the execution and afte the return of the guard to the camp news of what had happened did no spread through the camp or throug the city until announced by the news papers. 1t created some demonstra uons among negroes who had fol lowed the progress 0 le trial in tn nature of 'mourninf a few ne gro churches. Grow, these how ever. were small.
 No announcement has been mad when the Al negro defendants give life sentences by the court martis will be taken to Fort Leaven worth.
 Of the others. four were sentence to dishonorable discharge from tn army. forfeiture of all pay and al
 
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