The Monitor
A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Eight Thousand Colored People
in Omaha and Vicinity, and to the Good of the Community
The Rev. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy. Omaha, Nebraska, April 29, 1916 Volume I. Number 44
United States Warship
Returns From Liberia
Cruiser Chester Dispatched to Africa.
Lends Moral Support to Liberian
Government.
A LEVEL-HEADED PRESIDENT.
Commander Schofield Favorably Im
pressed With President Howard.
Secretary of Legation Re
turns on Vessel.
Boston, Mass., April 27.—Sent to
the West Coast of Africa for the pur
pose of giving support to the govern
ment of the Republic of Liberia, the
United States scout cruiser Chester
returned to this country', docking at
the Boston Navy Yard on Tuesday,
April 11, after ten months’ absence.
On board the vessel as passengers
were R. C. Bundy, secretary of the
United States legation and charge
d’affairs at Monrovia, Liberia, who is
on six months’ leave, his first in four
years, and Mrs. Bundy. They made
the trip on the Chester direct from
Monrovia, leaving there March 24, the
cruiser touching at Porto Grande,
Cape Verde islands, on March 28. The
ship steamed into Boston harbor with
a 360-foot homeward bound pennant
streaming from her main top, but her
rusty sides and a liberal strip of plat
ing showing below her normal water
line were encrusted with barnacles
and green with marine growth.
The cruiser was in command ot
Commander Frank H. Schofield, and
he has given some interesting state
ments concerning the mission of the
Chester and incidents of the trip. En
route to Africa the Chester touched
at Barcelona, Spain, thence to Alex
andia, Egypt, and to Jaffa and Beirut,
Syria. Hundreds of refugees were
rescued at Jaffa and Beirut from the
Turks by the Chester and taken to
the Island of Crete and to Alexandria.
The cruiser touched at Gibraltar and
stopped at Funchal, Madeira Islands,
for nine days. From here the vessel
proceeded to Monrovia, only touch
ing at Dakar, Senegal, en route.
The Purpose of the Cruise.
As to the purpose of the ship’s
cruise, Commander Schofield said:
“I should say it was to give moral
support to the Liberian Government,
which was engaged in a tribal war
on the part of the Kru Coast. The
men of this section are the sailors
of Liberia, doing most of the seagoing
work on the west coast of Africa.
When we got there the town of
Sinu was blockaded by the tribesmen,
who had cut off supplies by land and
sea from Americo-Liberia through
controlling the bar of the river
through which they were received.
We arranged peace parleys, but
they did not lead to peace. Ultimate
ly the Government got together and
armed a force of 300 men, with which
it captured, and burned the Kru town
(Continued on eighth page)
Major Charles H. Young, Commanding the Gallant Tenth Cavalry in
Mexico, Who Rescued Major Tompsett’s Command.
“COLORED TROOPS
FOUGHT NOBLY”
Tenth Cavalry Rescues Major Tompkin’s
Command.
Pershing’s Headquarters, Mexico
(via Columbus, N. M.), April 21.—
Major Charles Young, commanding
two companies of the famous Tenth
U. S. Cavalry, came to the rescue of
Major Tompkins and the Thirteenth
Cavalry at Parral and saved the reg
iment from being entirely wiped out
is the Mexicans (both factions) were
trying to close in on the retreating
U. S. soldiers. Young duplicated the
feat that has made this regiment of
cavalry famous. It was the same
quick work that saved Tompkins as
laved the great Roosevelt and his
Rough Riders at San Juan Hill in the
Spanish-American war. Major Young
and his command rode all night and
lost no time when arriving on the
scene in opening fire upon the Mex
icans. Tompkins was shot in the arm,
A dispatch from a truck driver today
said that he had thirty wounded
aboard, but he does not say whether
they are Americans or Mexicans.
Tompkins had been warned not to en
ter Parral, and General Pershing is
awaiting news to determine whether
le was invited there or went in search
>f food. General Pershing mentions
Major Young in his report to the War
department.
THE COLORED TROOPS
FOUGHT NOBLY.”
In the civil war records and in the
Ipanish-American war records the
report, “the Colored troops fought
nobly,” is often found. In the pres
ent day Mexican troubles the Tenth
United States Cavalry, composed of
wo hundred Colored troops under
Colonel W. C. Brown, went up against
i m equal force of Villistas and routed
hem.
It will not do to overlook the fidel
) ' y and the courage of these Colored
1 noldiers. One way of showing our ap
I preciation would be by the cultivation
of such a healthy public sentiment
that such abominable plays as “The
Birth of a Nation” would die for lack
i of patronage.—The Omaha Nebras
kan.
From Fair Nebraska
to Sunny Tennessee
Incidents of the Trip and Impression
Received by Editor on First Visit
to Southland.
KEEN GREEKS AND ITALIANS.
The Sons of Italy and Greece Royal
Purveyors to the Palates of
Princes of Ethiopia.
Who was it, Homer or Virgil, who
sang of “Ethiopia’s blameless race r '
One ought not get hazy or rusty on
his classics, but, with the lapse of
/ears, he does.
Well, speaking of the classics, which
are going out of style in our modem
educational methods, which stress the
‘practical” and “utilitarian,” and min
imize intellectual breadth and culture,
we are reminded of the aphorism,
“Homerus dormat.”
No, gentle and patient reader, we
have not misspelled the last word.
Despite evidences to the contrary, that
n spite of the closest scrutiny will
creep into our columns (we call such
slips “typographical errors”) we
pride ourselves on still being able to
-.pel! such simple words as “door” and
“mat.” We rather opine that the oiu
Greek poet never had a door mat. This
aphorism means “Even Homer nods.”
That is to say, in modem parlance,
even he, slips up now and then, or, as
others might say, now and then “slips
a cog.”
Well, if Homer sometimes torgets
what he wrote, how can you blame a
busy parson-editor for being a little
rusty as to just what the ancient poet
has written?”
Homer and Memphis.
But what has Homer got to do with
Memphis, Tenn. ?
Very much, indeed,- as we hope to
show. Homer was a Greek.
Now, there are a good many Greeks
in Memphis. They are not writing
classical poetry; but the kind of poet
ry which appeals to Americans—bank
•hecks. But how comes it that they
ire able to write bank checks for sums
if considerable size? Now, here’s
where the princes of Ethiopia come
in. These pay tribute to the sons of
Greece. And this tribute is paid for
;i large proportion of grease. For
while your Greek resident of Mem
ihis may at his leisure scan Homer
!md Aeschylus, during his busy time,
ind that’s all day and well into the
'night, he is frying ham and eggs and
iather such like things for his Colored
i ustomers.
On Beale avenue several fine es
ublishments, like restaurants and ice
ream parlors, were called to our at
tention which cater exclusively to Ne
gro trade. Over the door in some
iother conspicuous place appears the
sign “For Colored People Only.” Ex
clusiveness can apply to more than
;ine class, if you please. Now, these
establishments are run by Greeks. We
(Continued on second pajje)