The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-11
IS NEGROES
ARE HANGED
FOR MUT|NY
Those Guilty of Recent Riot Ex-
ecuted Upon Fl. Houston
Reservation l.
F0RTY-0NE SENTENCED
TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
---.- - g'-
Only Army Officers Present
When Men Answer Courts
Sentence

San Antonio, Tex, Dec. 1f.-rhfr-
teen of the negroes Of the 24th In.
fantry, U. S. A.. found guilty of com
plicity in the riot and mutiny a:
Houston on August %, were hanged
on the military reservation at FIT. SAL:
Houston at TIT o'clock this morning.
Announcement of the carrying out OF
the sentence was, made at .hea1quar-
ters of the Southern Department al
9 a. m. Only army officers and Sher.
iff Tobin, of Bexar county, were pres
ent when the sentence was carried out
by soldiers from the post. No news
papermen or spectators were allowed,
the time and place of execution hav-
ing been kept secret.
~ Get Life Sentence.
OF the sixty-three men tried by the
same court martial forty-one were sen
fenced to life Imprisonment. One
man was sentenced to dishonora0le
discharge from the army, forfeiture OF
all pay, and allowances and to be con
fined at hard labor for two and q half
years.. Three were sentenced 10 be
dishonorablyS discharged from the
army, forfeit all pay and allowances
and confined at hard labor for two
.years. Five were acquitted.
Following the hanging c. the thir.
teen men, the chief OF staff OF the
southern department gave out writ
ten statement, at tAe same time refus-
ing to; answer any questions.
The hanging of IL negro troopers
for completely in the Houston riot was
unknown to practically all the officials
Of the war department until it was an
nounce dat Ft. Sam Houston Doub:-
less death sentence of the court mar
tial and preparations for the execu-
tion were known to a few officials,
but SO far as can be learned, the de-
partment commander carrie dout THE
execution ASA routine affair as he is,
only madeleine usua, formal report
which wa9o feteived here after the
news dispatches.
We're the country at peace, the exc
cutions would have required the ap-
proval OF the president. In time OF
war, however, all such authority is
decentralized and placed with re-
SpOnSlDle commanders.
No such wholesale execution in the
army has occurred within the mem
Ory of the present generation. The
last of its kind was the execution OF
members of the so-called "St. Pat
rick's Battalion" by General Scott,
during the Mexican war.
Members of this battalian deserted,
;oio oI tho Movioou fnrcoc later made
their homes in Mexico, marrying Mex
ican women, and many of their decend-
ants are now found there, natives of
that country in all respects, but bear
ing names quite foreign to the lang'
uage they speak.
"Good.eye Boys"
Goodbye, boys OF company G.
were the last words uttered by the
condemned men of the cath United
States infantry as the traps were
sprung and they dropped to their
death. e..
The execution took place in an ar
royo about two .lniles east of Camp
Travis, on a great scaffold which had
been erected during the night by en-
gineers from the post.
A column, consisting of approxl'
mately 125 cavalrymen and 100 In
fs.ntry, assembled at the cavalry guard
house, where the negroes were con-
fined, at $3.50 a. III. today. Colonel
NJ. F. Waltz, post commander, was in
command of the column, and led the
way. Without tremor, they stepped
out in soldierly tread and singing a
hymn they walked to their places.
Prayers were said by negro minis
ter, 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 fortitude while the ropes
were adjusted.
The major in charge OF the execu'
tion gave the order and the traps
were sprung At the word OF com
r1and, the 13 negroes dropped to their
death. Eleven Of them died almost
instantly, the other two qulverlng a
moment or two after the rope became
taut.
No civilian spectators were allowed