The Fort Worth Record and Register (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 61, Ed. 1 Tuesday, December 15, 1908 Page: 2 of 12
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1
■
PADEREWSKI
four) other men
the leaders
This Information
TO THE WEBER PIANO CO
9
I
4
W
I
stateemnts
to a detective, . declaring
the other negroes would kill him
n it
Senator
ar
S and PIANOLA-PI-
PIANOLAS, PIANOLA PIANOS
%
has already been es-
AND INNER PLAYERS
all
a
G
with the belie that by
would aid in
legislation now ponding in
of this age.
DO NOT CONFOUND THE PIANOLA PIANO
H
A
MAXIMUM QUALITY.
MINIMUM PRICE.
CHRISTOPHER PIANO CO
1009 Houston Street
Phone 752
Phone 752
were called. Some cartridi
Pretense
ardhouse, situated in the cen-
e parade
He further said that they had
pri-
vate Carolina de Saussure was
ter the alarm and gi
poral Wheeler and
uard call wi
Privates Mitchell
(Seal.)
ion. Dec.
vethe honor to submit the
AT ALL MEALS
and Between Meals
)
Post
Brown.
of Raiders.
Toasties
Ara a Delight
brown, crisp flakes, made of corn,
(Continued on Page 5)
!
food for old and young.
(
ihe Taste Lingers'
$OLD BY GROCERS
pubtim CEREAL C0. IAd.,
VatUa Caash,
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GEORGE W. MADERT.
Notary Public.
possibility of
i has rot gone
store. What better indorsement could you ask? We cordially invite the public to call and investigate our stock, which is
the most attractive ever exhibited in this state. A beautiful display of the highest grade PIA ‘ ‘
ANOS in all the late designs. Great bargains for the holidays. Easy terms. '
no further talk with Conyers, becaus
I saw that I was being suspected by
the negroes around Monroe, Ga.
WILLIAM (his X mark) LAWSON.
Witnesses:
H. J Browne. George W. Madert.
District of Columbia.
Subscribed and sworh to before me,
notary public in and for said district,
this, the 16th day of October, A. D.,
1908.
that they
house, but
that
whe:
slightest chance of bringing the of-
fenders to justice or of separating not
the innocent, for there were doubtless
hardly any innocent but the less guilty
from those whose ruilt was helnous.
THWODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House. Dec. 14. 1908.
W right Submits Report.
ence they
the relief
were
raid.
preserving sli-
the passage of
1
1
»
r
Pianola and Metrostyle Music
New Stock
Well selected stock of PIANOLA MUSIC, including all the
late selections. Operas and vocal numbers. Large stock
on exhibit, with expert demonstrator to play them over.
Columbia Phonographs—Columbia double disks and
Indestructible Cylinders.
AN ATTRACTIVE PROPOSITION.
Anyone who purchases a Phonograph from us now can re-
turn it in ONE YEAR from date, and receive full credit for
it on any Piano or Pianola-Piano in our stock.
the other men of the relief.
Conflleting Tenttmony.
Private Johnson first testified that
charge of the keys to the gun racks
of company B; was accused of open.
Ing the racks for the raiders and of
again opening them subsequent to the
raid in order that ths guns might be
removed and cleaned.
Foraker’a EyI Innuence.
"I found Boyd Conyers in a very
N
got out. He finally wrote to
Foraker and received a reply.
If something pure-and nice is wanted to flavor
cakes, pies or puddings get
9wces Batdimns
wotweExwacs
Vanilla, Lemon ofOrange. ’
scut af-
ith Cor-
at different dates during
June, 1908. (See Exhibit
pany B.
Private
ny B.
Private
Iges were held
but more en
grounds, had a west
ith rooms) for the
IGNACE JAN PADEREWSh..
were asleep in the guard -
it made no statement as to
Habitual
Constipation
May bepermanelly oleycomeby prope
Kme,,Sy rg fhge -diireSea,
which enables •Mio farm reguler
habifs daily Sot koi sislance f ng-
lure may be radually dispensed-ah
when nolomer needed aS the best of
remedies,when required, areto assist
nature and not to supplan the nafun
aluntions,-hich must depend ulti-
mEtely upon propel- nourishment,
buy the genuine
Syrup’FigsEjxirbSenna
California
Fig Syrup Co. only
SOLD BY ALL LEADING DRUGCISTS
oesze only, regular pne W Hr Satti •
of the 25th infantry
in the Brownsville
was fbtained
the month of
A.)
They all stated
tract ice
er the
n’pFivate R. I. Collier, Company C.
FvaAndew"SICehei,P"Cmda-
n’Ffivate S. M. Battle. Company D. on
P°N. 1. Private B. F. Johnson, Com-
Prvate B L Collier in the raid and
qeeeececeeseeeeteeeemeeee2
? i oxc-Losr DAUGHITER s
* 10 adsTORED Fo MOTHER :
all agreed before they went out that
they would keep their mouths shut and
that he would have told them at te
investigation at Washington all about
the shooting but he was afraid. I had
furnish an irresistibly delicious
Washingt
dent: I hat
to replace the ones he
I. B. D. 403, page 145;SL page 547) by
Sergeant Reid and Corporal Wheeler
and told to souna the alarm. Went back
into the guard room before doing so to
see the time by the clock; found it was
12 o'clock. Saw Privates Johnson and
Battle, but does not remember any
others. (Johnson was sentinel in front
of the guardhouse (S. L No. 18). Pri-
vates Lawrence. Daniel, Boundler, Bat-
tle and Mitchell gave very brief testi-
mony at Brownsville and were not ex-
amined thereafter.
vestigaton made by
who was employed by this department
in conjunction with Captain W. G.
Baldwin to investigate as far as possi-
ble the occurrence at Brownsville, Aug.
11 and 14, 1904. Sincerely yours,
LUKE E. WRIGHT.
raid.
The guz
ter of the
front entrance w
supports this assertion and it is
Improbable that he was in line when
the first call was made. He could not
doubt The investigation
fallowing report relative to the inves-
I tigation of the Brownsville riot: EX-
Private Boyd Conyers, Company B.
i 28th infantry, now at Monroe, Ga., told
1 William Iawson, a detective in the
employ of Captain W. G. Baldwin of
Roanoke, Va- that he and three (of
War Department, Dec. 10.—My Dear
Mr. President: I have the honor to
send you herewith a report of the in-
Aug. 13 1906, that the raid should take
place that night at 12 o’clock. It seems
tn have been delayed a few minutes to
let Tamayo, the Mexican scavenger, 8et
away from the barracks.
John Holloman, the money lender of 1
Company B. was the chief conspirator j
and leader in the raid and custodian and (
distributer of the cartridges, but his
plans could not have been carried out
had not Sergeant George Jackson of
Company B. in charge of the keys to
the gun racks in B barracks, and Ser-
grant Reid. in command of the guards,
co-operated, both before and after the
raid.
did the shooring I
mb! I shed beyond
continuously employed in this work
since its inception May 9. the facts set (
forth in my report addressed to Gen-
eral George B. Davis, judge advocate
general, war department, under date
tell who was in the guard house.
Had Gau la Bank.
Senate document 402, page 158:
He also believed, agreeing with Coa-
irs that Sergeant George Jackson
ew all about and opened the gun
racks for the raiders before the shoot-
Ing and again after the guns had been
returned to th* racks at 2 o’clock in
the morning that they might be
cleaned. Boyd Conyers made the same
statement as a part of the history of
the raid.
I submit the affidavit as presented.
There are certain discrepancies of a
minor character, due to the fact that
Iaawson is illiterate and had to depend
on his memory for details. But it
should be borne in mind that Lawson
was acquainted with the details of the
Brownsville raid and was given infor-
mation which could have come only
from one familiar with the secret his-
tory of the affair. Lawson's first re-
port included the names of Conyers.
John Holloman. John Brown and "an-
THE FORT WORTH RECORD: TUESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 15, 1908.
with other player pianos or so-called inner players. Insist
on the name, PIANOLA-PIANO. Call for our list of those
who own THE PIANOLA-PIANO. Nearly 100 of these
in the best homes in Fort Worth.
* ----------------------------—.
Our Instruments in Fort Worth Homes
We Have sold $125,000 worth of instruments to the best homes in thi city. A list of these customers can be obtained at our
lampaa
X canere? Oklahoma City. after a .
. Reparation of twenty-two yeara. 2
. Mother and daughter became es- •
T Mangea through outside parties «
. overa atviston of property almost 9
n Quarter of a century ago They «
. arirta apart and were as com- •
X ortel lost. the one to the other. •
Y . <t the ocean had swanowed •
T them. The daughter sought to find
• her mother a few yeara after they •
oarted. she was gons, none knew •
‘-here and all efforts proved •
* MnHse in the meantime the •
daughter became more bountifully 5
Applied with the good things of 4
Me and the mother less so. The •
x mor old woman lived in a very
2 PDII-i dwelling and was mins-
A tired to by schooi children and
2 church %ocletses, while the daugh-
: courprayea fer her .rentoratkon. -
* Recently by chance the daughter •
2 learned of her mothers presence A
2 in Amarillo and is with her today A
2 etuX Tattef celebrating her ;
"otn birthday. She will Eo to Z
Oklahoma City tomorrow and live •
. with her daughter, who is her A
w only chua. 2
We have just received three carloads of the finest Pianos ever shipped to
Texas. These instruments have been selected by experts and from the
Art Departments of the Weber factory, and among them are many ex-
quisite designs in PERIOD, ART and COLONIAL effects. They are
the creations of the world’s masters, and are indorsed by the greatest
living artists. Every make of piano on our flor has been known to the
public for half a century. Notwithstanding the above facts, we guaran-
tee to sell you at a saving of from $50.00 to $75.00. We invite compari-
son of goods and prices. Our terms: Cash or easy payments. Old in-
struments taken in exchange.
THE ORCHESTRELLE
This marvelous instrument stands without agompetitor in
the world of music. With no knowledge of music, the op-
erator can produce all the parts of the most intricate orches-
tration with thrilling effect. These are in/the RENAIS-
SANCE STYLE. Call and hear them.
Lawrence Daniels, Comp*-
guilty knowledge of raid on the part
of several of the gard relief.
Offleers Also Guilty.
Of the relief guard, non-commis-
sioned officers and commissioned alike,
none could have escaped knowledge of
the more or less incriminating evi-
dence against the guardsmen now di-
rectly charged with participation in the
he was asleep (S. I. document 402, page
130) but at the Macklin trial, (Macklin,
KM’,, page 153) and at the senate (S. 1., pages
5fi 984, 984) claims that he was awake
8.2 reading a novel; does not remember
what novel was or what It was about.
The exquisite, thin, golden
was sent to awaken Captain Macklin,
but told several conflicting stories of
what he did, and is discredited by the
officers of the battalion. He did not
know how many men or who were pres-
ent. but said, "they were supposed to
be there." He admitted at the Mack-
lin trial he had been court-martialed
at least five times, yet was discharged
with "character good" at each of his
two first enlistments.
Summarizing the testimony as to the
presence of the privates on the relief
guard in the guard room, it is ex-
tremely noncommittal and uncertain as
t who were there and who were ab-
Ent when the alarm was sounded. In
justice to the commander in chief, it
should be stated that for weeks he con-
ucted a painstaking, searching investi-
gation and examination of soldiers in,
their endeavor to ferret out the guilty
parties, but the seal of secrecy had
been put on the month of the men. The
few soldiers who conscientiously tried
to. Rid the officers were called "dog
gobber" and made to feel the dis-
pleasure of their fellows.
Private Elmer Brown, Company B,
who slept in the corral the night of- the
raid, testifies to this:
Bayd Conyers furnished the fellow-
ing list of seven men, all of Company
B, who took part in the said beside
John Holloman. John Brown, Carolina
de Saussure and himself:
William Anderson, James Bailey.
Charles R. Cooper. William Lemons,
Henry Jimerson, James "Rastus" John-
son, Henry "Sonny" Jones. Elmer
Brown, Company B. who slept in the
corral, furnished the following list of
suspects:
James Bailey, Carolina de Saussure,
C E. Cooper. John Holloman. Jamel
"Rastus’’ Johnson. Henry Jimerson,
William Lemons and J. L. Wiison,
few cartridges when at target p:
and that before inspection aft
shooting Reid gave him some
You will also find on our floor the largest stock of Pianola
Pianos ever exhibited in this city. These world renowned
instruments, with Metrostyle and Themodists attachments,
'in all designs. No home is complete without THE PIAN-
OLA PIANO. Its interpretation of all music is the marvel
10—The Presi-
Browvpe’s Affidavit.
This day personally appeared before
me Herbert J. Browne, of Wash!ngton,
D. C.; who being duly sworn, deposes
and says:
I was employed by the war depart-
ment in Maj. 1908, in company with
Captain William G. Baldwin of Roan-
oke, Va., chief of the Baldwin detec-
tive agency, to investigate the conduct
of the battalion of the Twenty-fifth
Infantry, stationed at Brownsville
Texas. In the Brownsville raid, so-
called, om the night "of 13-14, 1906.
wherein one Frank Natus was killed.
Lieutenant of Police Domingues badly
wounded and the houses of several cit-
zens were shot into. Captain Baldwin
has charge of the secret work for the
Norfolk & Western railway, the Chesa-
peake & Ohio railway and the Southern
railway and the Atlantic Coast Une
and is one of the best known and most
responsible detectives in the country.
"In conjunction with him I have been
The four men who led the raid were
John Holloman, John Brown. Boyd Con-
yers and Carolina de Saussure, all of
Company IT (and probably R. L. Collier
of Company C). Holloman was in bar-
racks, Brown in the bakeshop. Conyers
, - - - — — and de Saussure in the guardhouse. The
Herbert J. Browne. two latter were in the same detail and
sv thie denentmem* had been relieved at about 11 o’clock,
de Saussure on the post at the guard-
house and Conyers on No. 2 around the
barracks and facing the town. Hollo-
man got the party together. Cony era
and de Saussure slept Tn the same bunk
in the guardhouse, claiming that they
wanted to get under the mosquito net
and they had the trick of taking their
guns into the bunk instead of placing
them in the open rack on the excuse
that they Ki not rust so badly under
cover, but really the absence from the
open guardhouse rack would not at-
tract attention and their absence would
be ascribed to a vKt to the Sloset
which was back of the Kuardhouse.
These two men slipped out the rear
door of the guardhguse, passed through
the sally port and joined Holloman and
Frank Boundsler, Compa-
Extract from Paderewski’s letter to the Weber Piano Co.:
I find in your Pianos a perfect medium for my art. The supreme . I
qualities of your instrument, its positive perfection of mechanism, its
beautiful singing quality and in spite of it, its marvelous clearness, can-
not fail to appeal to all artists.
at the corner of Elizabeth street shone
on them
Less than five minutes elapsed from
the time the first shot was fired until
these men were all inside the fort.
Conyers stated that Reid was told .
that they were going to shoot up thu
town and he had laughed and said: |
"Don't go out there and let the crack- i
era get the best of you."
When Conyers and De Saussure I
reached the guardhouse they ran in f
the back way and got into thejr bunks
Sergeant Reid came In and swore at
them, but Conyers was so excited and
out of breath that he could hardly t
stand, so Reid stationed him at the I
rear of the guardhouse in the dark,
where he could not be recognized so 1
closely. Holloman came around with
extra cartridges about daybreak and
Reid passed them out. The guns were?
all cleaned before daybreak.
Lawson’s affidavit. T
This day personally appeared before
me, William Iawson, who, being duly I
house and that he lay down on th*:
ground to avoid the bullets, although
he does not claim to have heard any
coming that way; had been off post
about half an hour. Daniels testfie
that he was posted at the guard house,
but does not say whether front or the
rear.
Senate document 402. page 152: Pri-
vate R. L. Collier of Company C testi-
fied that he had just come off post and
was in the closet when the firing be-
gan.S. 1. 1,260-1,263.
His statement is confused as to when
and the inside conspirators were ready
to pour out on the signal shots. The
testimony is ample that there were
scarcely twenty seconds between the
last of the signal shots and the first
general volley from the barrack*..
The number firing from the barracks
is unknown, but perhaps twenty men
were involved. A smaller number went
’ to the ground and followed the leaders
! : p the alley. It will be remembered
That one of the witnesses testified to
' earing some one of the troop of sol-
iers exclaim "There they go," where-
upon these men leaped over ths wall
anA ran up the alley.
Bbyd Conyers is the man whose gun
jammed at the exit of the alloy by the
i Colver- house, testifle to by Herbert
| EIkfns. end it was taken from him
i by De Saussure and fixed in the street,
I whore the light from the street lamp
commissioned officers to the right and
left of the entrance, a general bunk
room for the privates, a rear door
leading into a sallyport which crossed
the building entirely from north to
south, open at each end, and separating
the front portion from the prison cells
in the rear. This rear door of the
front portion furnished an easy and
safe exit and entrance for the con-
spirators without passing the sentinel
in front. The closest was at the rear
of the building separated therefrom
and the men customarily went out of
the rear door and through the sally-
port to reach it. An absence of ten or
fifteen minutes would not attract at-
tention.
‘There was a bright light from a
lamp in the guard room, according to
the testimony of Private Joseph Rog-
ers. who claims to have been reading
a novel when the firing began. His
original statement was bat he was
asleep in his bunk when the firing be-
gan and that he was awakened by
Sergeant Reid. His various statements
are confused and contradictory—he is
evidently lying—but as to there being
a light in the guardhouse, there has
been no denial. Rogers had been
court-martialed five times. The ex-
istence of the light is also proved by
the statement of Private Johnson. At-
tention is directed to the singular fact
that no statement under oath was
taken from Sergeant J. R. Reid, al-
though a vitally important witness.
On page 75, senate document No. 402.
appears a brief sumnary of his state
ment. not under oath, to Major A P
Blocksom, to the effect that he did
not have the call to arms sounded
until the-shots came so fast that he
thought the post was attacked He
statea also that he formed the guard
before havine the call sounded.
Dinnppenrance of Reid.
"From this point Reid disappears R8
a witness. He was serving his fourth
enlistment. He was discharged with-
out honor Nov. 16, 1906, with the rest
of the battalion. His testimony was
not taken at any subsequent court:
martial or investigation.-.Ie s!mply
isappeared from view. Efforts to 19-
cate him have been unsuccessful. He
I, constantly on the move and acts
like a fugitive from Justice. We bavo
followed him Into seven states and
spent more time and money in the
search than on any other man For
zome months after his discharEe he
was"traveline with a negro minstrel
troupe in the South. In company with
Joaoyaonmen declared that Reid was
informed that they were «oln« to shoot
up the town that night. Reid is re-
ported to have said:
"Boys if you are not satisfied, you
will have to go and get satisfied,” and
later when Reid posted the guards,
"bovs. don't you go down there and
let the 'crackers’ get the best of you.
Reid seems to have understood that
the raid was to have been started by
these men while on sentry guard and
not while on relief for Conyers de-
clares that after he returned and
threw himself, out of breath, on his
bunk Reid came In and dragged him
out, declaring with an oa.n that he
would have to stand for it or be court-
martialed. . .
conyers declared that when John
Holloman brought around the extra
cartridges before inspection next morn-
ing to avoid detection, Reid attended
to their distribution. ... . , .
It in obvious that if Reid Intended
to protect the raiders he would post
the men away from the front of the
guardhouse, where they could recover
breath and clean their guns without
being under observatton. The printed
testimony bears thja out. ,
Senate document No. 401. page 156:
"Boyd Conyers testifies that he was
posted in the rear of the guardhouse
after the guard was formed. Does
not remember who or how many were
in H V when 'h* guard Was formed."
Senate inyestigation, page 70. Con-
yere says he and Lawrence Daniels
were posted at the rear of the guard
' sworn, deposes and says:
, "June 5, 1908. I was sent to Monroe.
Ga., to interview Boyd Conyers, one
1 of the soldiers who was stationed at
’ Brownsville, Texas, in August. 1906.
I was sent by Mr. Baldwin to get in i
with Conyers and ascertain if he knew i
who did the shooting at that point
J was not given the pame of any of I
the members of eitner company ata- j
tioned at that point, nor was I given
any other information except the fact '
that a shooting occurred at the time I
and place above mentioned and thatj
Boyd Conyers was suspected of know-
ing who did same. .
I arrived at Monroe. Ga . June 5 and 1
stopped at the home of Esther Crews. I
colored. I met Boyd Conyers, who is
known as "Buddle Conyers," on the I
morning of June 6, but ha* very little
conversation with him, but was in-
troduced to him as an old soldier. On |
the morning of June 8, between 8 and
9 o’clock, I met Conyers about half-
way between the station house and
Main street We talked some twenty
or twenty-five minutes. I broached
the Brownsville case and mentioned
the fact that the soldiers had shown |
their good sense by keeping their
mouths shut while nt Washington. 1
then asked him what the motive was |
for the shooting He told me that the
"crackers" at Brownsville had made
threats that they would have no negro 1
soldiers at Brownsville and that the I
soldiers made up their minds that If;
they bothered them that they would go!
in and clean up the ground. He also i
said that they mentioned this to Ser- ’
geant Reid, who was commander of the [
guards, and that Reid said. "All that I i
have to say is to take care of your-1
self and the boys when you go down
there." S. H. Parkers, whose home isj
at Charleston, S. C-. was present and
heard the same conversation. About
then a gentleman called Conyers to
come and clean some clothes and Con-
yers left and nothing further was said
about the matter at this time. I was •
The party crossed ths wall of the
fort now near the end of a barracks,
zenthpPetw nozyzaghterethehensner
shots wore fired. These shots were
immediately tallied onto by the alarm
Shota of Joseph B. Howard, guard on
No 2 and formed the series testified
to by Mrs. Katie Ieahey of Browne-
villa Her testimony is further borne
out by the statement that not over
thirty seconds elapsed before a number
of the men of Company B swarmed out
on the upper gallery and opened a fu-
sillade on the town.
T is an absolute certainty that it
would have been impossible for Ser-
geant Jackson to have opened the gun
racks, for the men to have assembled,
secured their guns, loaded them, gone
out to the gallery and started firing
all after the first shot win fired; all
aroused, as they testified unanimously,
from sound slumber, in less than two
minutes in the non fusion of a dark
barrack room. Beyond the possibility
of a doubt the racks had been opened
letter from the secretary of war trans-
mitting a report of the investigation
made by Herbert J Browne, employed
by the department in conjunction with
Captain W. G. Baldwin, to Investigate
sa far as possible what happened at
Brownsville, Texas, Aug. 13 and 14.
1906 The report and the documents
contain some information of great
value and some statements that are
obviously worthless, but I submit them
in their entirety.
This report enables us to fix, with
tolerable definiteness at least some
of the criminals who took the lead
in the murderous shooting of private
citizens at Brownsville. It establishes
clearly the fact that the colored sol-
diers did the shooting, but upon this
point further record was unnecessary,
as the fact that the colored soldiers
PanV. 2, private Joseph Howard, Com-
PNV C». Private Charley Hairston,
Como.a Private Alexander ash. Com-
pao/ the men Implicated Private con-
verg statements directly affect him-
eelf end Private de saussers as two
of the principal participants, and
ringieaders and Sergeant J. R R"ld az
hang full knowledge, both before and
after the raid, usinK his position to
aid in covering and protectins the
other man.’ Subsequently he supplied
the name of James Powell, but I think
the original name given was that of
Robert I- Collier. Company C, one of
the relief guard. This information was
corroborated in the presence of wit-
nesses. but before Lawson could finish
his work Conyers became suspicious
and would give no further evidence
incriminating himself. From then on
he furnished to A. H. Baldwin, Captain
W. G. Baldwin and myself Information
piecemeal and reluctantly. The name
of Carolina de Saussere, his bunk-
mate, was the last one obtained.
Tried to Commit Suleide.
Conyers tried to commit suicide af-
ter he found that he had made his
"Following are the men: William 1
Anderson. James Bailey, Charles F.
Cooper, William Lemons. Henrv Jimer.
son, James ‘Rastus' Johnson and Henry
'Sonny* Jones Sergeant ' Reid, in
charge of the guard, was accused by
Conyers of knowing before and after
the raid He said Guard Jackson, in
I I
congress, has added to the difficulty of
securing information.
Has Become Ince Issue.
The issue has evidently become ra-
cial. The colored detectives would be
confronted frequently in the smaller
towns where these men are living with
a demand from colored men for infor-
mation as to their business.
We have located over 130 of these
ex-soldiers and have been tn thirty
state* in quest of information. The
appendices give statements as to the
results obtained. They indicate a gen-
eral knowledge on the part of the ex-
soldiers that the raid came from inside
the fort and that the soldiers of com-
pany B were the guilty parties.
We earnestly urge that we be per-
mitted to continue the investigation.
Several detectives are still in the field
and within the coming week a number
of affidavits will be forthcoming.
With om repetition of matter ap-
pearing later in the report. Boyd Con-
yers story is given here in narrative
form:
The rumors of trouble over the as-
signment of colored troops to Browns-
ville were circulated before the troops
left Fort Niobrara and preparations
were made among the men to "get
even with the crackers," as the whites
Corporal Franklin testified (B I s.
D. 402. page 192). that he thought all
his relief was present, but was not
certain whether they were present or
absent. He had dozed off when the
firing began. The relief was formed
double rank in front and held for
fifteen or twenty minutes, he testified,
before being thrown into skirmish
line, lying down.
Corporal Burdette testifies (S. I doc-
ument 402, page 121) that he was
asleep but does not remember how
many privates were In the guardhouse.
Musician Hoyt Robinson is uncommu-
nicative. He was asleep in the enhance
of the Euard-ouse Was awakened (8 ।
he came off post or how long he. was
in the closet, or who was in the guard
house. He was cut off from sight for
an indefinite period and was likewise
posted at the rear of the guard houe.
He testifies that Sergeant Reid in call-
ing the roll called up to thirteen, in-
stead of calling by fours. No oni
The two list of raiders agreed with
the addition by Brown, of the name of
J. T. Wilson, though furnished inde-
pendently. Wilson's gun was one la
which shells picked up in the city were
found to fit.
. It is noted that Cooper. Holloman,
Lemmons, Jimerson- Johnson and Wile
son all belonged to company B baseMA*
team and ran together.
Before proceeding to examine the
testimony relative to the raiders, the
testimony of First Sergeant Mingo
of Dec. 5. 1908. are true to the best of
my knowledge and belief.
"In particular I visited Monroe, Ga.,
to corroborate the Investigation at that
point of William Lawson, a colored de-
tective in the employ of Captain Bald-
win. whose affidavit and reports are
annexed to and made a part of my re-
port of Dec. 5, 1908, above referred to.
"I had several interviews at Monroe
with Boyd Conyers, ex-private of com-
pany B. Twenty-fifth infantry, one of
the guard on the night of the Browns-
ville raid, and foundThat William Law-
son's statements regarding Conyers
were substantially and essentially cor-
rect. I personally obtained from Con-
yers further information detailing now
the cartridges used in the raid were
illeg«lly obtained and dlstributed; how
♦he prrncpal raiders proceeded; when
and by whom the gnracks in com-
pany B were unlawfully and secretlv
opened: how the raiders were protected
during and subsequent to the raid and
given opportunity to clean their guns
and in particular was furnished by
Conyers with the names of eight par-
ticipants in the raid, and other than
the three named by him in his state-
ments to William Lawson a total ot
eleven, including himself, the said Con-
yers, all members of company B, Twen-
ty-fifth tafantry. The leaders of the
raid as named by Boyd Conyers were
John Holloman, John Brown, Carolina
de Saussure and himself.
made that they were given away at
stations along the road. Some were,
but a large number were secreted.
At Inspection in Brownsville Lieu-
tenant Lawrason, company B, threat-
ened punishment to the men who were
short of ammunition, but nothing Waa
done about Ut and the deficiency was
supplied.
Whisky Caused the Trouble.
The friction with the citizens of
Brownsville began at nce. In Boyd
Conyers' language "whisky made all
the trouble. If we had not been drink-
ing we wouldn't have had the nerve to
shoot up the town.”
It was agreed at a meeting of a few
of the men in the saloon of Allison, the
colored ex-soldier, the afternoon of
The published testimony of the non-
commissioned officers on post bears
evidence of conflicting purposes to
show that inquiries are being made
and yet not betray the guilty men. The
guardhouse was well lighted and its
Inmate* easily to be seen and identi-
fied. As stated, there is no testimony
from Sergeant Reid in charge of
charge of the guard. Corporal Wheeler ,
on post testified (Macklin trial, page ver
67) that Sergeant Reid was asleep in kn<
the noncommissioned officers' room, rac
that he himself was in the guardhouse
awake, but that (B. I. document 403
he did not know who was
in the guardroein.
with Conyers nearly every day and j
went to Gainesville, Ga., on an excur-
sion with him the 15th of June. I did]
not mention the Brownsville matter J
to Conyers again until June 29,1
when I returned fAom Atlanta, 11
having gone there June 27 ■1
"On this date I met him at Joe i
Blassingame's and ha.i a pint bottle I
of liquor; offered him a drink. -He
would not drink In the house, but we
went up the street and we stopped |
under a storehuse porch near Main »
street. We took a drink or two and
I started the Brownsville case again.
He told me that he was doing guard
duty at the time of the shooting at
Brownsville and was stationed at the
outlet toward the town. He said that
when the guard waa called the night
of the shooting they mentioned to
Sergeant Reid what had occurred down
town, and he said: ’Boys, If you are
not satisfied, you will have to go and
get satisfied,’ and they said they were
going to get satisfaction that night He
then laughed and said: "Boys, don’t you I
go down there and let them get the best ,
of you.’ He then assigned the guard r
and went away.
Just Gave 'Them Hell.
"In this conversation Conyers told I
me that John Brown, J. II. Holloman
and a man named Powell and several
others came down where he was on
guard and that they went down town
and just gave them hell, and after
they shot out all their cartridges they
ran back to the barracks and when
they got back to the barracks they
i found that the alarm had been sounded
' and the officers were calling the roll.
Holloman. Brown and himself were late
for roil call, but that some answered
for Brown and Holloman, but that
he was late and that Reid told him
they.had gotten themselves and himself
in a hell of a hole, and told him. to
go to the guardhouse and pretend tc
be asleep, which he did.
He told me that they had slipped a
and Battle toward quarters and he was
later stationed over near the officers’
quarters, where he had ample opportu-
nity to clean his gun. 8. page 676,
de Saussure is very uncertain about
whom he saw in the guard house. The
time that he was sent toward quarters
was later than he claimed. He ad-
mits that he had his gun and mpunir
tion in bed with him, but says it was
not in the same bunk with Boyd Con-
yers. There was a rack for guns in
the guard house. Conyers declares not
and lie and de Saussure were in the
same bunk and both had their guns in
bed and their ammunition belts on
though this Important fact was not
brought out in the testimony. He says
his gun got jammed in Fourteenth
street by the Cowen house as he came
out of the alley and that de Saussure
fixed it for him. This testimony cor-
roborates that 9f Herbert Elkins, clerk
of the Leahy house. See senate docu-
ment 402. page 27. last paragraph Pen-
rose court-martial, page 4 43—S i,
volume 3. page 2.313.
Conyers was a recruit and not very
familiar with his weapon, while De
baussure was serving his third enrist-
men:
a copy of which is annexed. That re-
ply he construed to mean that he
should stick to his original story told
before the senate committee at all haz-
ards and there he stands. I have
every reason to believe that his con-
fession is genuine and gives for the
first time the true secret history of ths
Brownsville raid
The list of participants given in this
report was furnished me personally. I
give It substantially correct, but with
the influence shown to be backing Con-
yers to adhere to his false testimony
given before the senate committee, still
being exerted, he cannot be relied on
to support his own confession until it
is thoroughly sustained from other
sources.
Evidences of similar encouragement
to stick to the lies told at Browns-
ville and before the senate committee
were found in many places, and sub-
sequent to the date of the Foraker let-
ter they became stronger and more
obstructive than ever.
The investigation has been conducted
with strict recognition of the advis-
ability of preserving secrecy and with
discretion. No promises of immunity
were made. The knowledge on the part
of ex-soldiers that the government
could not punish them beyond their
separation from the service, coupled
far enough to enable us to determine
all the facts, and we will proceed with
it; but it has gone far enough to de-
termine with sufficient accuracy cer-
rain facts of first importance to make
it advisable that I place the report
before the country. It appears that
almost a!! of the members of company
B must have been actively concerned
in the shooting, either to the extent
of being participants or to the extent
of virtually encouraging those who
were participants. As to companies C
and D. there can be no question that
practically every mar in them must
have had knowledge that the shooting
was done h some of the soldiers bf
B trooo and possibly by one or two
others in one of the other troops. This
concealment was itself a grave of-
fense which was greatly aggravated by
their testimonv before the senate com-
mittee that they were ignorant of whar
they must have known. Nevertheless
l« to be said in partial extenuation
that they were probably cowed by
threats made by the mors desperate
of the men who had actually been
engaged in the shooting as to what
would happen to any man who failed
to protect the wrongdoers. Moreover,
there are ci reumstances tending to
show that these misguided men were
encouraged by outsiders to persist in
their eourse of conees!ment and d*-
nfals. I feel therefore, that the guilt
of the men who after the event thus
shielded the perpetrators of the wrong
hy ref us in sr to tell the truth about
them though serious, was in part due
. to the unwise and improper attitude
of others and that some measure of
allowance should be made for the mis-
conduct.
chnnee far the PenitentK.
In other words, I ba lie vs we can ar-
ford to reinstate any of these men who
now truthfully tell What happened, give
all the aid they can to fix th® re-
sponsibility on those who are really
guilty and show that they themselves
had no guilty knowledge beforehand
and were in no way implicated in the af-
fair. save by having knowledge of it
afterward and failing and refusing to
divulge Under the circumstances, and
in view of the length of time they have
been out of the service and the loss
of benefit that would have accrued to
them by continuous long-time service,
we can afford to treat the men who
meet the requirements giyen above as
having been sufficiently punished by
the consequences they brought upon
themselves when they rendered neces-
sary the exercise of the disciplinary
power. I recommend that a law be
passed allowing the secretary of war
within a fixed period of time, say a
year, to reinstate any of these soldiers
whom he finds to have done all in hie
power to help bring to justice the I
guilty.
Meanwhile the investigation will be
continued. The results have made it
obvious that only by carrying on the
investigation, as the war department
has actually carried ft on. is tier® th®
out at range practice,
route to Brownsville.
bad frame of mind. No claim is made
that his original declarations to W H-
liam Lawson were other than those
of a criminal boastang to one of his
own race of his crime and of his suc-
cess in escaping discovery. His subse-
quent declarations to me were given
partly during moments of contrition
and in a desire to unload his con-
science by a confessron, and partly as
the result of careful and persistent
questioning. ... . ..
"I found th® effect of th® letter
from Senator Foraker to Conyers ex-
tremely obstructive. He seemed to re-
gard it as a mandate to adhere to
the false story told by him before the
senate committee on military affairs
and ns' absolving ham from any and
all obligations to aid in uncovering
the truth. Similar influences were en-
countered at many points, adding
largely to the difficulty of obtaining
ndmlwions of even the most obvious
facts relative to the raid.
facts re -HERBERT j. BROWNE.
"Subscribed and sworn to before
„ ,h„. the 932 AAEANDOLsamber
‛ "Notary Public.”
Summing Up the Came-
Analysing the admitted facts and re-
corded 'testimony concernins. thesuerd
lb- night of Aug 13-14. 1906. the fol-
lowing is presented:
1 The guard consisted of fifteen men:
S Sergeant J. R Reid, Company B, in
charKorai Ray Burdett, Company B.
Corporal Anthony Farnkiin, Compa-
"^Corporal Samuel Wheeler, Company
DsmsiBa Hoyt Robinson. Compa-
nYpPvate Boyd Conyers. Company B.
Private Caroline de Saussere, Com-
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The Fort Worth Record and Register (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 61, Ed. 1 Tuesday, December 15, 1908, newspaper, December 15, 1908; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1499133/m1/2/?q=architectural+drawings: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .