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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at into History.com. It's just after a midnight on August 13, 1906 in Brownsville, Texas. Mayor Fred Coomb races down the street in a horse-drawn wagon.

He's headed for the town's main strip. The humid night air whips his face and every now and

then he clutches his hat so it doesn't fly off.

As he approaches the center of town, he sees saloons shuttered and hotel doors locked.

Minutes before, men had been drinking together after a long day's work, but now every

window's curtains are drawn, except for just enough to reveal curious spying eyes.

When Fred's wagon reaches a group of huddle police officers in the street, he brings his

horses to a stop and hops down from the carriage.

Fred pushes through the cluster of men and spots one officer clutching his bloody arm.

He asks what happened, but before the man can answer,

Fred notices something else, a body of a young bartender lifeless on the ground.

Koom bows his head, removes his hat, and holds it against his heart.

After a moment he looks up and asks again, what happened here? The men all rushed to speak at once,

accusing army soldiers stationed on the askert to town. The 25th infantry is an all-black unit,

and the police say they saw dark faces lit up behind the gunfire.

Fred is confused. The 25th infantry is under a strict curfew tonight. He and their

commanding officer set the curfew themselves.

Racial tensions in Brownsville are already high,

and the curfew is in place to prevent violence.

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