26

but had formerly belonged to the Tenth Cavalry and had been discharged
at San Francisco about six years ago.  I then confronted him with the
letter he had written Boyd Conyers on August 14 and asked him what
he meant by this.  His explanation was very unsatisfactory, and he
admitted to the authorship of the letter, but said that he had formerly
known Conyers was the reason for his reply to Conyers's letter written
to him about August 10.  He denied knowing James Brown, a member
of Company B, although he and James Brown left Atlanta for Philadel-
phia on the same train about three weeks ago.  Brown is still in Phila-
delphia.
  I called on Doctor Crenshaw, who told me that he knew that this
negro, James Powell, had not been out of Atlanta for three years, except
on this trip to Philadelphia.
                                                  W. G. BALDWIN.
  P. S.--It subsequently developed that Powell was for a short time in
a volunteer regiment.  He was never in Brownsville, but had gotten his
information from John Brown, one of the raiders.

                              ATLANTA, GA., 304 FORT STREET,
                                                  August 13, 1908.
DEARE FRIEND:
  I received your letter today and was truly glad to heare from you
it found me well and truly hope when these few lines reach you it
will find you the same I was jest thanking about you when I got your
letter  John Brown went to Philadelphia a bought three weeks ago  I
have heard of eny rest of the boys except John Jone he was throw
heare and went to Chicago I will meet the lawer when he come You
ask me abought the chracker I haven had the opportunity to meet
that Entertainment I have three good guns and if eny thaing should
start I will be with them When are you coming to Atlanta Buddie
I will take you for my Edader because I dont no wheare eny rest of
the boys
  You must excuse bad writing write soon and let me heare from
you from your friend
                                                  JAMES POWELS
                                    MACON, GA., September 3, 1908.
W. G. BALDWIN:
  I arrived here to-day and have located Holloman. He is in business
here and I will try and get something out of him as early as prac-
ticable.
  September 4.--I have been unable to get anything out of Holloman
and he is evidently on his guard.
  September 8.--I have now been here a week and find it is impossible
to get anything out of Holloman.   I will meet you in Atlanta on
the 10th.
      Respectfully,                                    W. LAWSON.
  Mr. FORAKER.  Mr. President, the papers and reports that
have just been read show conclusively, I think, the propriety
and the wisdom of our adopting a provision such as that em-
bodied in the amendment which I offered this morning. At a
later time I will discuss that at more length.
  I wish now to address myself to these affidavits and to some
of the statements made in them. And, first, let me say I had
no  knowledge  of these when  I prepared  the amendment  I
offered this morning. I prepared the amendment a week ago
and showed it to some of my colleagues on the Republican side,
and perhaps to some on the other side of the Chamber. I am
not sure about that. And I did it solely by reason of the prompt-
ing given to me by the correspondence from which I read
briefly this morning, for it seemed to me, Mr. President, that it
was one of the worst features of this whole unfortunate busi-
ness that these men who have appeared and testified and who
have been examined and cross-examined should now be pur-
sued in this kind of way by detectives proceeding in the manner
described in the letter from which I have read.
    65504--7984




			

OHS Archives/Library Pamphlet Collection

Black Battalion: Speech of Hon. Joseph B. Foraker of Ohio in the Senate of the United States, 1908

B.