peei the Monitor :*==□
A National Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of Colored Americans \
THE KEV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy_OMAHA, NEBRASKA, MARCH 9, 1918 Vol. III. No. 36 (Whole No. 138)
t Peebles Pleased
With Army Life
Omaha Man Writes Interesting Letter
From Camp Dix—Compliments
Men at Camp Funston—Has Been
Promoted to Captaincy.
349th Field Artillery,
Camp Dix, N. J.
February 28, 1918J
My Dear Father Williams:
So many interesting items are con
stantly appearing in The Monitor, that
I have been loath to intrude upon your
very busy moments and write you a
word from D'e east- Still I cannot
divorce fri . my mind the thought
that many Omaha friends would like
to have one word from “The Human
Plumber,” as they call me in the army.
Indeed, I think Omaha should feel
very prowl of the showing made by
the boys at Funston. I do not be
lieve that any other city has a larger
* representation in the officers' training
camp, according to the number sent
than* Omaha. To men who know a
little of the method used by officers
in selecting the ones to attend these
training schools, there can be no ques
tion that merit alone guided them m
their selections. I predict that these
young men, already having made
good, will continue to demonstrate tc
all that Omaha stands in the vanguard
when it is a matter of energetic,
efficient young men. The officers in
charge of this school, in my humble
opinion, are men of exceptional abil
ity. Capt. Milton Dean, an old class
mate of mine, quickly rose from the
ranks to regimental sergeant-major
in the cavalry, and was soon con
sidered one of the ablest to ever hold
such rank. Capt. Barber, also an old
regular, was one of the best liked and
, most efficient of all those who took
the course at Des Moines. Lieut.
Richardson, a young lawyer from Oak
land, made one of the best records
achieved at the same place. Hence
Omahans need have no* fear, with
these three able judges, but that our
boys will get a fair square deal.
I would at this time urge you to
continue, through your paper, efforts
to get energetic young men of the
race to enlist in the Engineer Corps.
It is here we need the very best ma
terial we can get. A wonderful oppor
tunity is here offered the young men
of our race for the first time. Not
alone will they be “doing their bit” in
a time of great need, but they will re
ceive an industrial and technical train
ing which will be of invaluable bene
fit after the war.
Camp Dix is an ideally situated
camp. We are 34 miles from Phil
adelphia, and 18 miles from Trenton.
We, therefore, have no trouble in
getting to the large cities. The men
here are from New York state, New
Jersey and Delaware. We have two
artillery regiments, and the men are
doin^ fine. We imported the Elks
band from Philadelphia intact. We
also have another band in the making,
hence music all the time. Here there
is a total absence of embarrassing sit
uations. We have a large theatre witn
the latest Broadway attractions, many
good lectures, and numerous other
attractions. There are all kinds of
athletic contests between the white
and Colored boys, and rest assured
our boys are always near the top.
We also have many celebrities, King
dom Gould is one of the enlisted men
and I hear he is making good. Spin
garn is a major attached to one of the
regiments here, and John D. Rocke
fellow spends much time here in Y.
M. C. A. work, so you can see that I
do not get lonely for celebrated com
pany.
It may also interest you to know
that I am now captain. It makes me
the ranking Colored dental surgeon in
the army. I am hopeful of attending
the army school of plastic surgery at
the university of Pennsylvania, there
by obtaining a knowledge which will
not only enable me to render the gov
ernment a more efficient service but
at the same time fit me to better serve
my Omaha patients when I return to
them.
At some future time I shall write
you some impressions of the daily oc
curences which thoroughly convinces
me that every spark of loyalty shown
by Colored people in this great war is
a great factor in bringing about a
peaceful and brotherly race adjust
ment.
Kindly convey to wife and family
the very friendly greetings of myself,
Mrs. Peebles and Bill.
Your friend,
W. W. PEEBLES,
Capt. D. It. C.
SEG REG ATI ON ORDIN ANCE
KILLED IN BALTIMORE
Baltimore, Md.—The local segre
gation law was given its last rites
when the Maryland Court of Appeals
handed down a decision Wednesday
c'eclaring the ordinance invalid and ;n
violation to the Fourteenth Amend
ment.
The decision was expected as the
United States Court recently declared
a similar law valid and Judge John
C. Rose, of the United States District
Court had subsequently held that the
ruling of the highest court in the land
applied to the Baltimore ordinance.
DEATHS REPORTED IN
STEVEDORE REGIMENT
Washington, D. C., March 1.—Gen
eial Pershing, in his reports of the
deaths occuring in his forces (over
there), included in the list the names
of Private Thomas Adams, Service
Battalion, pneumonia, emergency ad
dress Ann Adams, wife, Kelly, La.;
Private William Logan, stevedore,
pneumonia, emergency address Ella
Cash, mother, Arcadia, S. C.
Warned Against
False Optimism
Alliance States That the Colored
American .Must Use “Extreme
Caution" and Face Facts Squarely.
Atlantic City, Mar. 7—The Amer
ican Negro needs to exercise extreme
caution lest he be swept away on a
wave of false optimism,” says Floyd
Delos Francis, secretary-general of
the Negro-American Alliance.
In a statement which the Alliance
is sending out from its national head
quarters, the Secretary General con
tinues: “It is well to be optimistic
and look on the bright side of things,
but there is a danger mark that must
be carefully avoided. At the present
time there is much machine-made
[opinion finding its way into the public
print. The Negro is being assured
that all is well. There is much talk
about what he has done in the past
and how he can be depended upon in
the future. He is being lauded as an
American citizen who always rises
equal to the emergency. Wrhile being
filled with enthusiasm by hired en
thusiasts it is well for him to pause,
face the facts squarely and use his
common sense.
“We are at war with Austria, yet
Austrian alien enemies have more
privileges than Negro soldiers in uni
form. The fact is that democracy is
being made a farce and mockery right
here in America. It is time for the
Negro to cease fooling himself or
when the war is over he will be lost."
PROMINENT EDUCATOR
ANSWERS SUMMONS
Dr. Hightower T. Kealing, President
of Western University Suc
cumbs to Protracted Illness.
Kansas Ci , Kan., Mar. 7.—Rev.
Dr. Hightower T. Kealing, president
of Western University, at Quindaro,
died Monday night folowing a long
illness.
£)r. Kealing was born in Austin,
Tex., April 1, 1859. He received his
preparatory education at Straight
University, New Orleans, and subse
puently received the degree of bach
elor of science from Tabor College,
Iowa. He also served as president of
Paul Quinn col'egc, Waco, Tex., as
sistant principal of Prairie View
(Tex.) Normal ar.d Industrial School,
supervisor of Colored schools in Aus
i tin, Texas.
For sixteen years he was editor of
the A. M. K. Review, being the first
I layman in the A. M. E. Church to
hold a general office. He succeeded
W. T. Vernon as president of Mestern
j University in 1910.
Dr. Kealing was widely known, and
had been a delegate to every A. M. E.
1 General Conference since 1892. He.
was a delegate and speaker at the
Ecumenical Conference, held in Lon
don; was a member of the American
Political and Social Science Associa
tion, Negro Historical Society and the
| National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People.
GENERAL CONFERENCE
GOES TO ST. LOUIS
Louisville, Ky., Feb. 25.—After a
lively contest between Chicago, St.
i Louis and Nashville for the 1920 ses
sion of the A. M. E. General Confer
ence, the Commission appointed for
that purpose selected St. Louis.
President Wilson Cordially
Receives N. Y. Delegation
With Clemency Petition
James Weldon Johnson Makes Eloquent Plea For
Mercy in Case of Soldiers Convicted of
Participation in Houston Riot.
TVTEW YORK.—President Wilson, on
i ' the 19th, received a delegation of
four members of the New York branch
of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People by
special appointment. The delegation
placed before the President a petition
signed by twelve thousand citizens of
New York in which the President was
asked to extend executive clemency to
the five Negro soldiers of the Twenty -
fourth Infantry now under sentence
of death by verdict of the court mar
tial which tried the Houston riot case,
and requesting the President to cause
to be laid before him a review of tluf
cases of the forty-one soldiers of the
same regiment who were sentenced to
life imprisonment by the first court
martial. The delegation consisted
of James Weldon Johnson, Field Sec
retaiy of the National Association for
tile Advancement of Colored People;
Rev. George Frazier Miller, Rector
of St. Augustine’s Church, Brooklyn;
Rev. Frank M. Hyder, Pastor of St.
James Presbyterian Church, New' York
Branch. •
Mr. Johnson, who acted as spokes
man of the delegation, said:
“We come as a delegation from the
New York Branch of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, representing the
twelve thousand signers to this peti
tion which we have the honor to lay
before you. And we come not only
as the representatives of those who
signed this petition, but we come
representing the sentiments and as
pirations and sorrows, too, of the
great mass of the Negro population
of the United States.
“We respectfully and earnestly re
quest and urge that you extend execu
tive clemency to the five Negro sol
diers of the Twenty-fourth Infantry
now under sentence of death by court
martial. And understanding that
the cases of the men of the same
regiment who were sentenced to life
imprisonment by the first court mar
tial are to be reviewed, we also re
quest and urge that you cause this
review to be laid before you and that
executive clemency be shown also to
them.
“We feel that the history of this
particular regiment and the splendid
record for bravery and loyalty of our
Negro soldiery in every crisis of thi
nation give us the rightto make this
request. And we make it not only
in the name of their loyalty, but
also in the name of the unquestion
ed loyalty to the nation of twelve mil
lion Negroes, a loyalty which today
puts them side by side with the orig
inal American stocks that landed at
1 Plymouth and Jamestown.
“The hanging of thirteen men
without the opportunity of appeal to
the commander in chief, the President
of the United States, was a punish
ment so drastic and so unusual in th.
history of the nation that the execu
‘ tion of additional members of the
Twenty-fourth Infantry would to the
Colored people of the country savor
of vengeance rather than justice.
“It is neither our purpose nor i-i
this the occasion to argue whether
this attitude of mind on the part of
Colored people is justified or not. As
representatives of the race we desire
only to testify that it does now exist.
This state of mind has been intensi
GIRL ENTERS CONVENT
Boston, Mass.—Miss Elizabeth Cole
j man, of this city, has entered the
Novitiate of The Handmaids of the
Most Pure Heart of Mary at Savan
nah, Ga. Miss Coleman is a convert
and is the first Colored Roman Cath
olic young woman in Boston to enter
i the religious life.
—:
CHAIRMAN ASKS FOR FAIR
WAGE SCHEDULE
Washington, D. C., Mar. 7.—Dur
ing the course of testimony before the
Railroad Wage Commission S. E. Pad
gett, general chairman of the Colored
Association of Railroad Employees,
| urged that the pay of the colored em
ployees should be equalized with that
of white men when the work per
formed was the same. Ho charged
that colored meri rated as train por
ters were compelled to do work as
brakemen and conductors, while re
ceiving porter’s wages.
AFRICAN CHIEFS ON
FRENCH FRONT TOUR
Somewhere in France.—At the in
vitation of the entente allies two
prominent African chiefs are now
making a tour of the front. It is the
first time that official representatives
of the great African tribes have been
so honored.
fied by the significant fact that al
though white persons were involved
in the Houston affair and the regi
ment to which the Colored men be
longed was officered entirely by white
men none but Colored men, so far as
we have been able to learn, have been
prosecuted or condemned. -
“We desire also respectfully to call
>ou’- attention to the fact that there'
were mitigating circumstances for the j
action of these men of the Twenty- j
fourth Infantry. Not by any pre
meditated design and without cause
did these men do what they did at)
Houston, but by a long series of hu
miliating actions by the citizens,
culminating in the brutal assault on
Corporal Baltimore, they were goaded
to sudden and frenzied action. This
is borne out by the long record for
orderly and soldierly conduct on the
part of the regiment throughout its
whole history up to that time.
“And to the end that you extend the
plemency which we ask, we lay before
you this petition signed by white as
well as Colored citizens of New York;
one of the signers being a white man,
president of a New York bank, 7£|
years of age and a native of Lexing
ton, Ky.
“And now, Mr. President, we would
not let this opportunity pass without
mentioning the terrible outrages a
gainst our people that have taken
place in the last three-quarters of a
year; outrages that are not only un
speakable wrongs against them, but
blots upon the fair name of our com
mon country. We mention the riots
at East St. Louis, in which the Col
ored people bore the brunt of both tin
cruelty of the mob and the processes
of law. And we especially mention
the savage burnings that have taken
place in the single state of Tennessee
within nine months; the burnings at
Memphis, Tenn., at Dyersburg, Tenn.,
and only last week at Estill Springs,
Tenn., where a Negro charged with
the killing of two men was tortured
with redhot irons, then saturated with
oil and burned to death before a crowd
of American men, women and children.
And we ask that you, who have spoken
so nobly to the whole world for the
cause of humanity, speak against
these specific wrongs. We realize that
your high position and the tremendous
moral influence which you wield in
the world will give a word from you
greater force than could come from
any other source. Our people an
intently listening and praying that
you may find it in your heart to speak
that word.”
The President received the delega
tion very cordially and granted them
an audience lasting half an hour. He*
a""ured them, in effect, that he would
carefully examine the record in the
case of the condemned men and would|
give the whole matter his sympathetic
attention. A surprising incident of
the interview was that the President
declared he had not heard anything
ubout the Estill Springs burning. He
asked the committee to state the facts
for him .which the committee did.
The President expressed the opinion
that he could hardly believe it true/
that such a thing had happened. The
delegation assured him that not only
was it true in the case at Estill
Springs but that similar incidents had
happened at Memphis, Tenn., and
Dyersburg, Tenn., also.
BRAVE SHERIFF SAVES
PRISONER FROM MOB
Athens, Tenn., Feb. 3.—After hold
ing off all night an angry mob of
citizens, who were yelling for Arthur
Renfro, colored, accused of having
criminally assaulted a four-year-old
white girl, Sheriff Lawson and a heav
ily armed guard of deputies put the
man on the Memphis special at 6
o’clock this morning and sent him to
: the jail at Knoxvile to await trial.
The mob gathered around the Ath
j ens jail early in the evening, and sev
eral times during the night it looked
as if the jail would be stormed. Sher
iff Lawson and his men threatened to
shoot, and shoot to kill, if any at
tempt was made to take the prisoner
by force.
MEMBERSHIP NEARING
TEN THOUSAND
New York City.—The membership
statement given out by the National
Asociation for the Advancement of
j Colored People shows an enrollment
| of 9282 under date of December 31,
11917.
Boston Bars
“Birth of a Nation”
Great City’s Honor Redeemed by
Mayor Petrs.
(Special to The Monitor)
Boston, Mass., March 4, 1918.
Last week was a great week for
the race in Boston. The disgrace of
permitting the nefarious “Birth of a
Nation” in 1915 was wiped out by the
newly-elected Mayor, Andrew J. Pe
ters.
Through the sole activity of the
Boston branch of the National Equal
Eights league, the Dixon play was
barred by the mayor. It was being
advertised at the movie houses to be
given today at the Globe theatre.
Secretary Trotter of the National
Equal Rights league was informed of
this on Wednesday and that afternoon
sent a protest to Mayor Peters. On
Thursday at the close of the court
session where U. S. Commissioner W.
A. Haynes rendered John Johnson
of West Virginia, a free man, a case
started and promoted by the league,
a delegation waited on the mayor.
Those present were Pres. E. T. Morris,
Mrs. Jane Posey, William D. Bingham,
our white friend, Dr. A. B. Lattimore,
Prof. Allen W. Whaley, Dr. J. Silas
Taylor and William Monroe Trotter„
secretary. Mayor Peters said he had
on receiving the league’s protest sent
for the manager of the Globe theatre
and was having the law examined
and would do his utmost to prevent the
play which he characterized as most
objectionable.
Friday morning’s daily papers an
nounced that the manager of the
theatre had been to see Mayor Peters
and had acceded to his request not to
produce the play.
Now Boston, instead of being used
as our indorser of this “Birth of a Na
tion” can be used against it. All]
honor to Hon. Andrew J. Peters.
ASK WILSON TO
PROTEST BURNING
New York.—The National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored
People recently sent a telegram to
President Wilson asking him to speak
out about the torturing and slow burn
ing of the Negro, Jim Mcllherrion, at
Estill Springs, Tenn.
“THE UNITED STATES
IS JUST US”
The United States is just US—
United States—you and I and the
folks next door and the people across
the way—just US.
All the government does is our do
ing. Its strength is our striving; its
resources are our savings.
What we do counts to make or break
the power of the United States—every
minute, every act—to save or destroy
US. In all we do, all we spend, all we
eat—we must have care.
Team play—you and I and the folks
next door and the people across the
way—will do all that needs to be done.
Let's help.
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Wilson Grants
Soldiers Respite
Appeals for Clemency From Every
Section of the Country Causes Pres
ident to Act In Case of Men of
Twenty-fourth Infantry.
Washington, March 6—Acting on
the number and character of appeals
for clemency coming from all parts
of the country, from individuals as
well as organizations, President Wil
son has granted an indefinite respite
to the five Colored soldiers of t he
Twenty-fourth Infantry, sentenced to
death by court martial for partici
pation in the Houston riot.
The president has notified the War
Department that he will suspend all
action in these cases untill the entire
record of the court martial proceed
ings in the cases of the thirty other
members now on trial at San Antonio
are in his hands.
Thirteen of the alleged rioters have
already been hanged and forty or
more are now serving heavy prison
terms. The trials of others began
last week.
The secret hanging of the thirteen
men caused a wave of protest, many
influential newspapers joining there
in. The protest was largely because
the men were hanged before any pub
lic notice was given. There was also
a strong opinion that white civilians
of Houston, Texas, with the police,
had goaded them on to forget that
they were soldiers, and commit mur
der.
Protests poured into Washington
and President Wilson and Secretary
Baker, it is said announced that they
had no previous knowledge of the
conviction and hanging. The presi
dent directed, however, that no fur
ther executions take place until he
could review the evidence.
SOLDIER IS FINED
UNDER “JIM CROW” LAW
Chickasha, Okla., March 4.—
Charles Tribbett, a colored first lieut
enant in the 367th infantry, national
army, was taken from a passenger
train here and fined $6 and costs for
violating the state “Jim Crow” law.
In police court he pleaded guilty
and promised to ride in coaehes pro
vided for Negroes the remainder of
the journey.
HEADED FOR WEST POINT
Dayton, O.—Byron Alexander, 17,
of this city, has been named by Con
gressman Warren Gard as the appoin
tee from this Congressional district to
West Point (N. Y.) Military academy,
j Young Alexander, who graduated last
year, from Stivers high school, passed
the preliminary test for a cadetship
held here with the highest honor, out
stripping all the young white men
who were examined and anxious for
the appointment.
DRIVE FOR COMMUNITY HOUSE
TO BE MADE MARCH 21-APRIL 2
Headquarters of the local commit
j tee for the campaign for funds for
the Community House for Colored Sol
diers at Camp Funston have been es
tablished at the office of the Western
Real Estate Company in the Kar
bach Block. The drive for Omaha’s
contribution to this fund will be mad"
| March 21 to April.2. Names of th°
j committee and full particulars will be
I published in next week’s Monitor.
AUDITORIUM OF 367TH IN
FANTRY DEDICATED AT UPTON
Camp Upton, L. I.—The auditor
j ium bought and largely built by the
367th Infantry the Colored unit, at
this camp, was dedicated. The cere
i monies were of an inspiring natui'e,
5 the chief addresses being delivered by
I General Biddle, acting chief of the
General Staff, ,,U. S. A., Generals
Johnson and Hay and Assistant Sec
[ retaries of War Scott and Crowell.
I The building is the largest at the
camp.
TWO MEMBERS OF THE RACE
NOMINATED FOR CONGRESS
New York City.—At a mass meet
ing held under the auspices of the
1 United Civic League last week, Rev.
Reverdy C. Ransom, editor of the A.
M. E. Review, and John C. Hawkins,
an attorney at law, were nominated
for Congress to fill vacancies in the
22nd Congressional district. If the
colored voters of this district (Har
lem) stand as a unit both will be
elected, as the district has a colored
population of 120,000.