New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-25
Death Toll in Clash Begun
by Vengeful Soldiers
Reaches Seventeen
Black Regiment
Sent to Columbus
Blanket Charge of Murder
Filed Against Thirty-four
Mutineers
rsyeeih Correspondence


DEPUTIES and police tonight are pa,
,rolline the streets Of Houston ana
rounding up the last of. the negro
soldiers Of the oath Infantry who last
night "shOt up" the city.
The riot fatalities so far nufnOe'
seventeen. There may be more
TWENTY of the 125 soldiers who began
the riot are still at large in the heids
sbop. the city. They are armed with
ssrviee rifles and probably will hght %
~. last rather than face court martial
More than a score of persons were
wounded.
The negro soldiers of the 24th IN
fantry were being entrained to-nigh'
a., be ranoved TO Columbus, n. NJ, as
ordersd BY Major General Parker at
San Antonio. The news Of the order
co,med even the wilder spirits. Inc
proclamation of martial law by Gov
error Ferguson and the overwhelming
rrnber of soldiers guarding the city
probably will prevent any further OUT
break. c,
blanket charges of murder were hled
tonight by District Attorney Johh
Croker against thirty-four OF 'he
r.oro soldiers now held in the county
iaI This was the first move indicative
Of an attempt by the state to retain
custody Of the soldiers rather than
tprn them over to the army for punish
ment. o,o &c
tho TEXAS of old. Men with the VIDE
hats of the plains, flowing neckerchleis'
,idine breeches. boots and spiked spurs
netro1 the streets. True to the pictures
IF the plains in the 70's and SOS, these
men have revolvers stuck in their belts
some have only one, but the majority
have two or three. Each carries
shotgun. To-day the men are deputies
of the government. In the ola DAYS
thew would have been deputy sherltfs or
merely members of posse.
Soldiers Guard Corners
Soldiers-men of Uncle Sans coast
artillery-are on almost every corner
i'm the downtown districts. Every street
car carries two guards, one in the
front and one in the rear. The town
is full of officers of the militia and
the regulars. II is the first time for many
wears that all of them have had their
service revolvers at their sides, ready
for action. There are now three bat
teries of coast artillery on the scene
and a battalion Of the 18th In
fantry, L. s. A., arrived this after
noon from Fort Sam Houston, at San
Antonio. Major General George Bell,
commander of the camp, will arrive
tomorrow morning early and take con-
troll. The county is now under the
command of Brigadier General John
A. Hulen, of the Texas Guard.
Real Facts Come Out
Now that the excitement has aimed
down somewhat, the real facts OF the
affair are coming out. Details that
were not known last night and which
are vitality important are being brought
10 light continually. The facts Of the
beginning Of the trouble indicate
that the white officers did every
thing in their power to nip the affair in
the bud, but were not successful
The riot was a climax TO minor
troubles between the negro military
police who were guarding Camp Logan,
the mobilization camp for the Illinois
National Guard, and local police Off
GERS. The rioting started about 9
o'clock. Stealing company ammunition,
the 125 negroes seized their rifles and
started toward the city, shooting indis-
crimnately Warning Immediately was
given and mounted police officers
sought 10 halt the mob, surrendering
their lives in vain efforts 20 drive the
soldiers back.
Illinois guardsmen encamped at Camp
Logan soon arrived on the scene, but
only in time TO throw Z Gordon between
the negroes and crowds of Houston
citizens, who had armed themselves and
quietly gathered 10 oppose the raiders.
The negroes then took TO the open
country in flight, some returning 10
camp, where they were placed under
guard. Others hid in buildings and
bitches in nearby roads.
The confession Of one Of the privates
o. the oath Infantry, who has been
captured, explains how Captain Snow
OF the regiment, saw what was about 20
happen and tried 70 stop il.
Pinkett's Confession
The confession reads in part:
My name is Leroy Pinkett.
Yesterday afternoon. about o'clock
we heard that Corporal Baltimore had
been shot by special police officers
white mounted officers they were). All
the boys said was, Let's 20 get the
man that got BALTIMORE II was get
ting late then, and we stood at retreat
az 8 o'clock, and then our men began
changing by talking, and then / heard
Sergeant Henry say, Well, don't stand
around like that. IL you are going 70
90 something 20 ahead and do it,
After that ! saw some Of the boys
slip over 70 Company X, and ! heard
them say that they had stolen the am
munition. Then Captain Snow called
the men out into line. lie asked them
what they were doing and asked a
search be made for the ammunition and
also ordered that our rifles be taken up
Another sergeant II forgot his name
took up our rifles. A big fellow in our
company, named Frank Johnson, then
came running down the company street
hollering, Get your rifles, boysn We
made a rush for the supply camp and
got our rifles, and then we went 20 a
large ammunition box and got our am
munltion. Sergeant Henry was the
leader. Corporal Wheatley, Corporal
Brown, Corporal Moore, Corporal Snod-
grass and Corporal Tillman and abou,
100 priyates were in the crowd and
started of toward town. ! was In the
crowd. / had ny gun and ammunition.
We did some shooting as We left camp.
! shot about FIVE times.
we went up Washington Avenue
and met a white man IN an automo-
bile. They stopped him and Sergeant
Henry told the man 20 get out Of his