Show j JY GALVESTON YARN t I DECLARED DEMS A FAKE t t No r o Confession Made Mad by Dis Discharged Discharged DisI I charged Negro Soldier of the ti Infantry II li i fl I SENATE INQUIRY SESSION ORDNANCE BUREAU BURgAU EXPERTS 1 Ai i l SUBMIT REPORT REPORTS S 1 j t i Washington I reh IS Chairman j I wt Warren of ot the senate enate committee on mil mu military 4 Hary affairs investigating the Browns Rif I viII affair today received from Secre Secretary tary Taft Tart a copy cop of a dispatch from fromI u I r j f Sn Antonio Antonk as follows d k Th The Adjutant General U IT S Army f I i r i Washington Chief of ot police Galveston r s J j has just wired me confession of Gray cli I it supposed discharged soldier appearing rI If i t in papers pa ers today in Is s a R fake f Signed BLOCKSOM Major 7 4 wi The dispatch relates to an alleged iJ r confession printed in a Galveston news newspaper newspaper in r paper and sent broadcast throughout a i rt Vii n the country i i iq 1 i Reports of Experts q I 1 R of ot expert of or the tile ordnance bur u of the army who ho examined the i P it I thirty dl shells picked up in inthe Inthe Int t I the streets of ot Brownsville on the morn morning Ir j 1 1 ing log following the were laid ald be before bel beI I l W fore fora the senate committee on military 1 JW i tc JE H jl affairs s today by the tile officers who exam examined q I p t ined med the shells shelli The conclusion of the ther r 11 war department t expressed in a letter Jetter A q I 1 I to Chairman Warren arren from Secretary d fr I t Tuft TAlL which was presented pre by Lieuten Lieutenant ant an Hawkins of ot the ordnance depart department 1 ment mont is that the shells were dis discharged I J J I r rI L charged from Springfield rifles In the ther I u r p hands bands of members of or company B one gi I f l f y of the discharged companies of ot the f r i infantry t i 4 J f Secretary Tafts letter says that the I Ji r shells were Wore examined by Lieutenant J Hawkins and G A Spooner expert in inspector f of ot gauges used in the manufacture f I i if ture turo ure of muskets at the Springfield ar arsenal arI senal All Il the rifles in the possession I A 4 of ot the three companies of ot the Twenty I i aI fifth infantry on Aug 13 were in the ther 1 r I i hands of ot these experts and two reg regular regI I 4 ular cartridges were discharged dl from fromI I It j men ch rifle rUle and the tile discharged shells sub subjected subi i to full tull examination j 51 l 1 f f Results of Examination I I It t tv t The results were given hen by Secretary Fi Taft Tart In part as follows v i I 1 i That the marks on all the shells It J picked up UI at Brownsville correspond I I if 1 t exactly with the marks on the car cartridges carl l l 1 i discharged d by them from one of I 41 H i the guns of company B D Dr r 4 tM il That the marks on all of the shells if i I f r 1 correspond exactly with the marks on onI I i the cartridges discharged by them from 4 ii r of company Bs guns 1 j I i i I That the marks mInks on eight more of the tho qi shells correspond exactly with the 1 marks on the discharged by I t I I them from a third gun of company B BI BI I H i C t I That tho the marks on the remaining I I 4 lb three of ot the shells correspond corr spond with the tho ther r 1 iii i i marks on the cartridges discharged by byLi Li f r them from a fourth gun of ot company l t i B but that in this fourth case they tho bore II t 4 double marks and so made the identification iJ III cation with fourth rifle shell less j 1 certain and complete than in the tile first I r II fi fiS k 1 three cases S i t k 1 i i Lieutenant Hawkins and Inspector rv 1 l p rt 11 i state that their examinations 1 tl 5 U 4 prove beyond reasonable doubt that the thet t w three groups of or shells were discharged fi j J i I from Crom three specifically numbered guns f u h of ot company B and that in all probability ity the fourth group was discharged I i from another numbered gun of the i dr i sam same company f 1 I it i Guns From Storehouse I fi I I Secretary Tafts letter further sta stai i 1 4 ed eti that from an official list of compa companies T t 1 I 1 p nice nies B n C and D and the number of ot oti i j 11 l guns assigned to them thorn on Aug 13 It ItI I J i appears that two of the guns one from 1 J t which eight and the oth from which k r i eleven of the shells were discharged i t I were guns in the storehouse of company I C q t B which had not been Issued to en enlisted 1 i listed men but were in charge of ot the fr I i r ii quartermaster sergeant and that the theT T 1 third gun from which eleven of the i shells were discharged was a gun as assigned asi i Ix r i signed to Thomas Taylor Ta or a private of i f 1 P company B and that the fourth gun sn I t t from which three shells were dish dIs dIscharged S i r w f t 1 charged was a gun assigned to Joseph JosephL Josephm m L 1 Wilson a private of ot company B Bj i j l Concerning the evidence the secreta secretary 1 fl ry says J 1 Of course the very Yer reasonable hy by hypothesis I P t is that the men who did the c tt shooting used such guns as they could I J i t t fl P get on the night of Aug 13 And nd would I r not necessarily have bars used the guns bUns of officially I I t assigned to them makes milk mk s this i I Ji q I 3 J evidence weighty in showing rather A i that some members of the battalion did I f if it rather than that the individuals I r above named were guilty guilt I 11 r t M Marks Were Identical iII o I 1 Jj i The final report of ot Lieutenant Hawk HawkIns HawkIns i t l i Ins shows that the cartridge shells dis I I 1 ili r I charged in the guns gu s of or the Twenty I sixth infantry had no marks which identified them with the shells under examination The lieutenant also ex examined examined examined the question as to the marks of ot the grooves and land which would be made in the thc discharged from the guns of ot the infantry and he has samples sampes of two bullets dis discharged discharged I charged into sawdust or water from each gun of ot the three companies of ot the infantry The bullets discharged d by Lieutenant Hawkins from all ill of ot the tue rifles of ot the infantry had the impression of ot the lands ot the rifling riding quite quito as plainly marked tark d as 1111 the tho bullets taken from the house Secretary Tafts letter stated that he had directed ted the th foreman of the gun cleaning squad at the arsenal to be present at the disposition of ot the com corn committee committee to testify as to the time Ume re required required for cleaning a sun gun |