The incident occurred in Brownsville, Texas. The white townspeople resented the fact that the regiment was allowed to be stationed in Fort Brown. Even though the commanding officers could attest to the fact that the regiment was in the barracks all night they were all dishonorably discharged by President Roosevelt.
The townspeople were able to frame the men because of spent shells recovered at the scene of the crime. The source of these shells took some time to be discovered. It turned out that the shells were from a firing range across the country the group had previously been stationed at and, in an effort not to waste any supplies, had been brought along with the regiment to the town. The shells were kept in an open box where any passers-by could conveivably grab a handful. The presence of these shells were the townspeople’s primary evidence. Both white and black Americans were outraged at President Roosevelt’s decision to dishonorably discharge all 167 men.
