| Show TAFTS LETTER the letter of the secretary of war to the president transmitting additional testimony in the brownsville Browns ville case is as follows war department washington jan uary ary 1907 my aly dear president on the day of december 1906 you directed me to send major block bom sorn to brownsville Browns ville and neighboring places to procure sworn testimony reduced to writing and signed by the witnesses with reference to the persons sons who were the perpetrators ot of the outrage committed at brownsville Browns ville on the night of oc the of august and ordered the assistant to the attorney general mr jair purdy to accompany pany major to assist him in the examination by examining the witnesses accordingly according 1 I 1 wrote thy following letters to an fn inspector general Garling garlington tori and mr aunly december 22 1805 1905 sir acting upon tho the official reports of major BI blocksom oe k ajo m lieutenant colonel lovering and yourself all of the inspector generals department the president made an order discharging without honor about men of company li C and D of the twenty fifth infantry the re reasons for hig his doing go so are set pet forth in his message mosi jage to congress on the subject the president deemed the report of the inspecting officer ofil cera to be he entirely sufficient upon which to base the executive action which was taken the reports of the inspecting officers were made in tho the usual form in such uch reports and do not set sat out ai at length the evi evidence denee upon which they basci their conclusions conclusion a the matter has now become a subject of 1 t resolution in con congress gresa and in con consideration li in jr lio huse of by reason of the introduction etlo n of a bill intended to aftel t tho status of or tho cho b ni evv with reference I 1 I 1 nw m rier lier if tf the man who were discharged have applied for leave to re the ac v jj s ui y reported by major has been questioned oi i because of 0 ai an L absence of the evidence in f till upon his report j I 1 A as Is to whom whon committed the OIL crime charged all these matters ra require quire tiiu setting out of the th evid evidence enca in I 1 greater detail than Is contained in major Block sonis report the president li ft of the opinion in III view of the new now phases which the matter has tal ta ken cen that major blocksom blocki should bo be d directed I 1 acted to return to brownsville Browns ville and top ther places khero evidence upon the subject matter is available to have the evidence re deuced to writing and taken under the sanctity of 0 an in oath to assist him in this matter he has directed that assistant attorney 11 0 aney general shall accompany him and arid shall coir duct a careful thorough and arid impartial examination of the witnesses tho evidence will be taken by era transcribed and submitted to the witnesses for signatures the president wishes me to say that major Blocks brocksom grm does not go as a prosecuting officer in the trial ot of an bilt only as an examiner to elicit the truth and the evidence in respect to the matter in permanent form the president dei t has reached a conclusion as to what the facts arc are but this should not Jn influence mience major blocksom som in his examination tor for it if the presidents conclusion in the matter is 19 wrong he earnestly wishes to be set right very respectfully signed WM H TAFT 1 secretary ol 01 war the inspector general of the army december 1908 1906 my dear purdy As the dent has liaa directed your digit to browns ville to ac accompany companS maor major blocksom of the inspector gen generals brals department io to conduct a thorough careful and impartial examination of the witnesses as t to the issue who were the gerpe of the crime committed on the eight night of the th irth of august in tho the town of brownsville Browns ville texas by shooting into the various houses and killing one man and wounding the lieutenant of police I 1 enclose a letter which by direction of the president I 1 have sent to the inspector general as instructed to major blocksom very sincerely youra youre signed WM H TAFT I 1 secretary of war wa r hon INI D purdy assistant attorney general 1 I have the honor now ito to transmit to you a copy of all the testimony taken and reduced to writing by major brocksom under mr purdys examination in pursuance of the directions contained in the letters I 1 aiters set forth above except the statement i of onis one witness which had little or no bearing or weight U upon pon the issues raised upon the present evidence but did have if inist trustworthy worthy a very ven direct bearing beating upon the issue to bu bt raised in the court martial proceedings pending against i captain mack macx hn which ibave therefore transmitted to br 0 benor al mccaskey commanding the department ot of tex texas to be delivered to the adge advocate in the court martial proceedings I 1 also alsor enclose a sworn statement of one witness a hospital steward named francois taken by inspector general garlington by my direction I 1 also enc enclose lost a report from general crozier chief of tho the ordnance and captain rice with respect to the springfield rifle model of 93 in use by the soldier of the infantry its operation its calibre and its rifling the existence of other guns using the same cartridges or cartridges of the same size etc the map and photograph exhibits have been reproduced and are included in the prin printed teil copy of the evidence the shells shelle clips ball cartridges and ban dolier doller referred to in the oe evidence aro are in the custody of this department and would be produced when called tor for brownsville Browns ville in order to understand the testimony it should bo said that fort brown reservation Is south of the city of brownsville Browns Drowns ville and immediately adjoins it the rio grande river runs by the city on ita its west and then circles around the reservation in the minds of the witnesses witness oa therefore the river lies iles to the west of th tha city while the reservation lies lles to its south in order to prevent private buildings close up to the reservation the garrison wall IB le constructed 30 feet within the reservation line leaving a narrow road of about 30 feet in width between th garrison n wall and the houses that front the garrison road on the city side the reservation line la Is not parallel to the east and anti west streets street of the city nor Is it at right angles to tho th north and south streets but at tho the points of importance in this controversy it runs in a general direct direction lon east and west the streets and places here involved wore were f first the three barracks of D company B company and 0 company they stood about fifty feet ff et inside of the garrison wall between D and B P companies was a road leading to the tile garrison gate gute which kd led immediately into elizabeth street running north from the garrison through the town tho the D company barracks was wu on the west side of this guto B company barracks was on the east side and next beyond aras the 0 companas comp compa anys nylo barrack barracks and beyond that a barracks do not t occupied the barracks were two stories and aud bad had porches abobo and below the passageway between B and C behind the garrison was juett ja opposite the mouth af f an alloy alley in the north side of the garrison road thin was the alley upon which shiell most odthe shooting wan was done the alley was feet cast from JF elizabeth lizabeth street on the west and the gamo same distance from washington lew hington street arc et on the east and this alloy and tho the two streets run nor north th from the fort into tho town intersecting first farat 14 th street then street and then street on the garri garrison Foit rond road immediately opposite B company barracks barrac kii waa a ho baui uv containing the union unton telegraph station known as tho thi ron rend doll 0 I 1 1 house next to that was the houfe occupied by joae jose Martl immediately upon the corner comer of the alloy alley and tho garrison road next beyond was the tho yturria place the tile house of which fronted rn washington street bu bp ran back on the garrison road to inq fah alley these three houses were shot into proceeding north on the alley from the garrison road the next intersecting street ia 1 fth street oil on the southwest corner or the valle valley and street ie Is the cowan luniw A I 1 I 1 I 1 11 1 which was riddled with bullets 1 on the southeast corner of 0 tho the alle alley v and street is the graza house wb which i oh was shot into across acoss street nuj and on tho the northwest corner of the alloy alley and street was tho the rear of the leahy hotel which was shot into proceeding up the alley beyond street on the southwest corner ol 01 the alley and street stands the miller hotel which was riddled by bullets the miller hotel extending west from the alley to tg its front from elizabeth street crossing street proceeding up the alley and passing by houses on the alie north side of that street which r shot into notably the king block we reach on ori the alley the rear of the ruby saloon owned by tillman co called callei sometimes sometime the ruby saloon and the tillman saloon this saloon fronts on the elizabeth street and runs back through a considerable courtyard with one or of more tables and chairs in it to a broad gate or door opening on to the alley ulley this alloy alley of course intersects street at the next corner going back to and the alley the events of the night carry us on street having a block of feet to washington street toward to i a house houge standing on the east side of washington street and occupied by I 1 ar mr this house was ridd riddled ledI with bullets Proc proceeding ding up washington streets to and west on twelfth brings us again to the alley along which as already stated most of the shooting was done the volley was fired at the corner of twelfth and the alley west toward the tho river with this geographic explanation which it is necessary to keep in mind in order to follow the evidence clearly we come now to the events of the fight the shooting occurred about midnight jose martinez was a drug clerk who lived in a house fronting on the north side of the garrison road immediately opposite tho the garrison wall and B barracks and next to the alley he wae wag sitting inside his front door with the door open reading by A light when he lie heard from four to six shots in front of 0 his door fired as he thinks inside the garrison wall he went to the door to see what was the trouble and he heard some one say hurry up and jump and he said saw negro soldiers first in a group of five and then some twenty or more jump the garrison wall they were fifteen paces from him when he saw them thorn jump he ile then put out his light closed the door and laid down on the floor to avoid injury fifteen or twenty shots had been bein alred when he be closed the door he heard their voices and some seemed to be going toward elizabeth street veat while others moved toward the alley to the east he ile heard shooting in the alley back of his house and arid looked out his back window and saw men id inthe the alley aller back of his house some ten or fifteen he ile said sald they were 01 ol deers the witness mcdonald in an elderly man a carpenter by trade living half a bidock block from the garrison wall on adams street to the east of washington was awakened by the firing came down to the garrison road saw shots fred from the inside of the garrison one from the he gallery of the barracks and another from the ground he then saw twenty or more men assemble in lit front of the garrison wall on the garrison road near the garrison gate under the lights lightf of that gate nearly opposite elizabeth street he saw them divide into two squads one going west toward elzabeth street and the telegraph sti station tion and the other squad going to the alley around Martl neza house he lost loat sight of the one going toward the gate and telegraph station band and retreated from the squad advancing up toward the alloy he lie then heard a lot of shooting up the alley toward the cowan and the miller house he recognized them as united states colored r tr troops 0 0 p s there wore two lights j colo ithe on c cither r s side 1 d e 0 of f the of the gate opposite the tube foot of elizabeth street s 1 G I W rondall rendall who with his wife occupied a room in the second story I 1 of the telegraph station was awakened e by two shots he looked out of the idohl I 1 window toward the garrison wall and I 1 saw from fifteen to twenty men moving in around between the barracks and the wall they were negro soldiers and were shown to be such in the light of the lamps of the garrison gate he could not toll tell that they were armed except that he saw th the flashes from discharged guns genii there vere were five shots fired within the garrison wall he ile saw them hakea break for the wall vall and go over tho the wall he thinks eight or ten in number but he could not tell where they went shortly after the firing began in tho alley and continued for ten minutes he ile heard the word of command one shot struck the house and room in which he was and threw throw dust on himself mrs rendall says sho bho was frightened and anti ran to the window when the firing began thought the shots choti camo came just inside the post they were in rapid succession and she thought ten or twelve in number she thought she saw figures of men running up inside the wall in the direction of their cottage she could not tell whether they were soldiers or not mr sanborn the telegraph operator a union soldier and who had been in brownsville Browns ville thirty years was wag sleeping in a room back of the telegraph office on the ground floor helas awakened by bv the firing said the firing seemed to 6 be right in front of the garrison gate just outside the wall very near the window after the first firing he looked through the s shades s of the blinds and saw one colored soldier cocq com from tho the alley between washington and 0 elizabeth lizabeth streets along the garrison gar rleon wall about the time he lie looked through the blinds the firing had ceased in front of him and he heard epard firing in the alley back of him I 1 the witness lober a boy 20 years old living on the garrison road oagot eastok of tho ho alloy alley perhaps abo feet was in bed when the first shot was fired got up and ald came out onto he the sidewalk and saw a couple of volleys fired from inside the tho garrison he ile heard the men walking an the barracks porches and anti heard somo some one say kay where is tho damned stuff got ingoing It going theodore martinez Martl nez the caret caretaker alcor of the Ye tirria house on an the corner of 0 washington street and the garrison was awakened by the tho shooting could not nut toll tell whether the shooting I 1 I 1 1 l t continued on page alvo I 1 MIDNIGHT ASSASSINS SHOT UP THE TOWN OF brownsville BROWNS VILLE continued from page one came from the inside of the garrison or from the edge of the wall he found bullet tides holes in the yturria house ho the next day having an alignment from the barracks tamayo scavenger of 0 13 company te testified stilled that he be was near the garrison gate he heard a shot shok toward the garrison wall but thinks it was outside the wall proceeding north now to fourteenth and the cowan house on the southwest cormeir corner of the alley alloy and fourteenth street it appears that there had been a chil childrens dreWs party at the cowan bouso at the time of the shooting there were in the house only mrs cowan the six children and the e maid amada martinez mrs cowan and her daughter were in the dining room there were lights in the house As the firing approached pro ached mrs cowan called all her children and rushed to her room and put them |
