davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
RACE FEELING IN THE ARMY.
TROUBLE WHEN WHITE SOLDIERS
ARE OU4RTERED WITH BLACKS.
An Incident at DayIds Island When an
Alabama Recruit Had to work With
Negroes Stuck 10 His Word Untl His
Friends Secured His Discharge.

Il only served alongside black troops for
a little while and then as a rookie" said a
man who put in several enlistments in the
Regular army. They make good soldiers
in action. I've been told by old swaddies
who served with them on the frontier, in
Cubs and around White troops don't mind
serving with the blacks in time of actual
trouble, hut they don't like to be gar
risoned with them in time of peace. |
found that out early in the game when
was a rookie.
"Davids Island now called Fort Slocum
across the water from New Rochelle, was
then the big recruiting rendezvous Of the
East this vas back in the early 'OCs. There
were often a. high az 1000 men on Davids
Island, the great bulk Of them rockies,
being dubbed into shape by the old swad-
dies Of drillm asters before being assigned
to regiments all over he county. The
rockies were both white and black. They
lived separately at the recruiting rendez-
vous. but they often brushed elbows at drill
and such like. and the white recruits couldn't
see it and growled about il.
a raw rookie, | struck Davids Island in
dead of winter, and the fatigue duty that l
Immediately went up against came pretty
NlObt w POh5oAAAhB nv hAC OubrCb IA ~
for a soldiers life. IL was a case of hauling
coal and cleaning of snow and saving wood
and dogrobbing around the huge kitchen
at scullion duty and finally cutting ice
pretty nigh all the time for the Davids
Island recruits, and many a man Of 'cm
would lave taken French leave under the
unexpected severity Of the labor If that
cold channel Of deep water hadn't swept
between the island and New Rochelle.
THE ice cutting was the worst. There
was a large artificial pond at one end Of the
island from which all Of the ice for the
summer needs OF the recruiting station was
cut and stored during the winter by the
rockies. II was bitter cold and mean
work-the hardest l ever did in my life,
and I've worked some.
-One forenoon when the temperature
was considerably below zero about sixty
Of us white rockies were saving and heaving
away at the big blocks in the pond under
the immediate eye Of a grizzled old sergeant,
and the officer in charge Of the job bobbing
out Of his quarters occasionally Ia see that
we were doing a fair stint,
wed been at work for a couple OF hours
and were pretty stiff and sore on that kind
OF army life when a curious thing happened.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30

About a dozen trim black soldiers-none
of them rockies, but all reenlisted men
made their appearance at the other end Of
the pond and seating themselves at the
verge put OF their skates.
They looked pretty trig in their blue
uniforms, compared to us white chaps in
our brown canvas fatigue slops. Their
skates on, they proceeded to skate around
their end of the large pond, executing fancy
curlycueS of all kinds and occasionally
sailing up to within as close a distance
as twenty feet from where we were bending
our backs and grunting over the ice saving.
Not only that but they made certain de-
risive gestures at us as they whirled about.
These blacks, being reenlisted men, were
not subject to fatigue duty. They were
used 10 drill the black rockies. Therefore
they had the laugh on us white men. They
used il. They could have done their skating
at any other time except during the fore
noon, the only time of the day when ice
saving was done But-there is nothing
to it-they wanted 20 show us white rockies
that they could cut curlycues on the same
ice that We had to work on.
There was a lot of bad muttering in the
gang TO which ! was attached. One after
dllbl " III NIltlA NtiFt Nil'liN~flNNH lIOIl
their bending over work and watched
the blacks whirling about on their skates,
and they looked witt sullcn eyes.
In the saving gang right next 10 mine
there was a rookie from Alabama, a frank
faced young chap with a very strong South
en way Of speaking. While he hadn't
said anything about IL II was known from
newspaper stories that he had gone broke
while chasing around New York in the
wake of some chorus girl or somebody of
that sort and had taken on in the army
when at the end of his resources rather
than ask his folks Town South to give him
a lift. II was perfectly plain at any rate
that the lad was more than a cut above
the average mar who holds up his hand
In an enlistment Office.
This young chap from Alabama was
the last OF his bunch to notice the blacks
sailing around on their skates. Finally,
however, the mar next to him gave him
a dig in the ribs, and pointing to the blacks,
some OF whom had skated pretty close.
said Look yonder SON
"The Alabama rookie took one look at
the whirling blacks and his youthful face
hardened. But he didn't say a word. He
merely gave his saw an upward yank so
that IL would stick in the ice, stood nm
straight, pushed his campaign hat over his
eyes, walked erect over to the bank Of the
pond, only ten feet from the old sergeant,
and deliberately sat down.
The sergeant. OF course, was over al the
squattlng rockies side in less time than It
takes 20 tell il.
Hey, you said the sergeant TO the
Alabama lad, what tn hell's coming of
here?'
"Ah'm through. sub quietly replied
the rookie without rising.
Through said the sergeant. Who
told you you were through Recall from
fatigue hasn't gona yet
It's gone 70 me, sub. replied the Ala
bama recruit as quietly as before, getting
to his feet. Ah'm willing { o work like a
nigguh. sub, II that's What the ahmy asks
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30

mary c~ourt-martial. the charge being re-
fusing duty The old man asked the re-
cruit what the devil he meant, sir, by such
conduct.
The rookie told his story mildly, but
most firmly. 'Nigguhs' had been skating
around on the same ice which he was cut
ting: h might be considered all right
by the people who ran the American army,
but II was the one thing that he couldn't
and wouldn't stand. He had entered the
army with the idea Of obeying orders. He
wasn't a bucker. He didn't mean to try
to run things himself. He didn't mean
anything of the sort. But he simply would
not work with 'nigguhs' playing or work.
ing around or with him: h was all.
He stood ready to a the consequences
OF thai kind OF refusal of duty.
The 'beak,' a violent man, stormei at
the rookie and threatened him with the
dlrest consequences, all without effect. The
youngster stood pat. The old man gave
him the limit of a summary court-martia
"a months confinement in the guardhouse
and the loss of a months pay.
And. my man. growled the command
ing officer, when you're at hard labor IN
the guardhouse you'll work with anybody
you're set to work with, mark that
Anybody exceptin' nigguhs, suh,' re-
Piled the stubborn Alabama rookie, aLd
away TO the guardhouse he was marched.
On the following morning. at fatigue
call, he was turned out TO work with a MIX d
party of white and black recruits at snow
shovelling. He stood in his tracks when
the word march was given to the fatigue
party.
DO you buck?' inquired the sergeant
OF the guard, hating the fatigue party.
When IT comes to workin' with nigguhs,
yes, sub, All buck replied the rookie.
The officer OF the guard was nnmoned
and could do nothing with the recruit.
The commanding officer ordered that TIE
bucker should be placed in the dunget n
on bread and water. At the enc of thr, g
he was pretty pale and shivery
The officer Of the guard tried TO start him
on with a black fatigue party again. Again
the rookie stood still IN his tracks, and
back to the dungeon he vent. He got a
bad dose Of pneumonia in the dungeon
the second time, and hadl to be removed
to the hospital. While he was in the hos
pital convalescing some influential men
Of his family visited Washington-there was
then a Democratic Administration-and
obtained the young fellows discharge from
the army.
He had made his buck stick. From the
polnt OF view of military discipline, OF
course. he was wrong. But all banda of the
recruits on Davids Island were with him.
| give the story merely AZ showing, what
most army men of experience surely now
telieve, that blac,s soldiers should never
he quartered with white troops in time of
peace. | don't think those Brownsville
blacks should have been let out of the army
the way they were, but all the same l never
think OF the time when | was cutting ice
on Davies Island with a bunch Of Hack
soldiers skating aroun on the same ice
that don't get Just n hit hotter around
the neck that IL cor for abe"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30

Of me-and it seems that it is-but not with
nigguhs, sub, playin' around me when
Ah'm working
It's not what you're willing to do.
Bub, but what you've got 70 do growlet
the sergeant. Git back 10 that saw there
on the double or it'll be a taste Of the clink
for you. Hotfoot, nowl'
Not while yo' are breathin', sub, will
All get back. If those nigguhs are not warned
of tn iCe-not TO you. nor TO tn officuh
in charge, nor tn c~ommandin' oficuh
nor tn Majah-General c%ommandin'. All
wasn't bon to work with nigguhs playin'
around me. That's all. You do what
you like. But Ah'm a-standin' on what
All say
Just at that point the sergeant, for
ar old timer, made a bad break and broke
regulations besides.
Why, you damned clay eating Georgia
Cracker--' he started TO s~ay-thereby
violating regulations by swearing at an
other man in uniform But he never got any
further than the word Cracker The
~youn9ster from Alabama pulled back his
right arm like R fash. and the fist at the
end of ii was making in an infallible di-
rection for the big sergeant's nose, only
the sergeant ducked the blow in the nick
Of time.
Then the sergeant clinched with the
lad, and two or three of the men Of the
fatigue party went over and helped to
hold the struggling boy, more TO keep
the sergeant from hitting him than with
the idea of helping the sergeant, for the
sympathy Of all hands was with the rookie.
But the sergeant well knew that he had
got in bad by Cursing at the recruit, and
he was willing enough to save the con-
sequences of his break by turning the
youngster loose.
Now, enough of this damned nonsense.
and back to your saw. said the sergeant,
but the Alabama recruit only shook his head
and watched the black soldiers whizzinR
back out of slitted eyes.
Just then the officer IN charge Of the ice
cutting job came up. He had come from
around a building and hadn't seen ANYTHING
Of the previous business, hut he quickly no.
ticed the Southern recruit standing on the
bank, his hands At his sides.
whats that fellow doing there-loafng
on you7' inquired the officer.
Refuses duty, sir briefly replied the
sergeant, with no other explanation.
Refuses duty, does he? snapped the
officer. We'll. what are you here for-to
allow recruits TO refuse duty on your Here,
you fellow addressing the Alabama lad.
who whirled in his place. saluted and stood
at attention. why in blazes aren't YOU out
there on the pond with the others?'
For reply. the recruit from Alabama
merely jcrked his head in the direction of
the black skater.
"'Ah worked, sub, till those nigguhs came
on the pond = SIX ate-then An quit, sub.
Aim through I'LL those nigguhs are re-
moved from tn pond
-'Oh, you are, eh?' snapped the officer.
a rather perky young shavetail from Yer
mont. Well, you're going 10 be removed
10 the gtIardhouse. and by the time you get
out Of there you'll be glad to work any
where, III promise you that
And AhW promise you. sub. that AhII
nevuh work with nigguhs a-playin' around
me, sun replied the Alabama recruit.
in a perfectly respectful tone, and then he
was under arrest.
THAT same afternoon he was summoned
before the commanding officer for a sum-
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30

The building Is now partially oocupied.
II is seven stories high. with a basement
a@d a sub-basement. It has a frontage
on Chambers street Of 1s9 feet, 200 on Reade
street. 1852 on Centre street and 20) feet on
the t~horoughfare that was opened to the
est by the city. Tn structure Is sup
posed to be as nearly iireproof as it could
be made. Every known ~precaution was
taken to keep fire from getting to the
reco DIS. The interior walls together with
the backing OF the exterior walls arc OF
brick laid in cement mortar. The hall
ways, corridors and principal Offices have
floors Of marble or mosaic and the suborv
dinate rooms have floors of cement.
A striking feature Of the building Is the
two court rooms set aside for the use OF
the Surrogate. These are magnificent
apartments, one being finished in carved
oak and the other in carved mahogany.
Each contains a balcony and the ceilings
are handsomely decorated. The mantel In
one room is of Irish marble and the other
Of Italian marble. Both mantels are ex-
quisitely carved.
The plaster -enrichments" about which
there has been 30 much complaint are
principally on the third, fourth, fifth and
sixth floors. They are placed out OF the
ordinary range Of vision and it takes pretty
sharp eyes to detect them. Once scru-
tinized. however. there can be no doubt
Of their bogus character. In all the cor
ridors the real Italian marble has been
carried up as high as the windows and
doors, but beyond is plaster ornamentation
painted to match the marble with its gray
streaks. The material is known profess
sionally as carton pierre and is said to be
lrmer han plaster and not subject to
cracking like cement. The decorations Of
this composition are wreaths, shields and
the like over the windows and doors.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
CHRISTMAS TREES ~ JULY.
Butte Used 10 Set Them W to Celebrate
the Glorious Fourth.

The man from Butte, Mont, stopped to
look at the Christmas trees stacked up
outside the grocery store.
We'll, we'll" he said. Those make me
think Of Fourth Of July at home"
You mean Christmas, don't your"
Il mean just what I said. They make
me think Of Fourth OF July.
-Butte's a great old town, you know, but
It amt the kind that blossoms as the rose
No, sir, IL amt. Fact is, there's folks
out there that have been trying their darn
dest for more than twenty years to raise
even a tree.
They didn't insist on any lofty, spread
ing giant. either. Just any little mean
ornery thing with leaves on it would have
half tickled 'em 10 death.
Butte folks amt the kind that give up
easy, so we have got a few trees out there
now, though you might not think much
of them at first sight. But up to a few
years ago a tree was as good to Butte eyes
as water is to a thirsty man.
"And so it happened that II we wanted
to spread ourselves the FIST thing we
did was to have some trees hhuled in from
the canons, fifteen or twenty miles away.
Every holiday that came along, Christmas,
Thanksgiving. Fourth Of July, Miners
Union d~ay-every sort Of special occasion
the ~wagonloads OF trees came rolling into
town, and for once our streets were lined
with them.
you folks down East here decorate with
bunting and flags and lights. But the
rarest and consequently the most decorative
thing in Butte wa a tree. So trees were
what we we're set on having.
I'VE didn't throw them away as soon az
{ he immediate festivity was over, either.
They were planted firmly in place and just
as long as there was a suspicion of greenness
about them they were kept there.
All the business houses set the trees out
in front, but the saloons and the markets
made the finest show. My, but our Butte
markets were worth a trip to Montana
just in themselves
.In the first place they had masses Of
green fresh from the cahons for a back
ground. And against this background
were whole deer, sheep, bear and strings
But it wasn't only the business firms
that imported trees to town. People used
to buy them and set them up in their yards,
espe cially for the Fourth Of July.
That was the greatest treat you could
give the children Buy EN- an evergreen
tree just off the mountains and you'd make
EN- happy for a month.
why, I've seen two or three children
trying to crawl in under a little tree not
more than three or o u feet high that made
a patch Of shade about as big as my hand
kerchief.. They had all their truck with them
and were pretending to be having a picnic.
THAT was before the street railway
company ran out to a place where there are
some real trees alive and growing. Since
folks can get out to the trees there they
don't set up the cut ones the way they
used to.
But l don't think I'll ever see a Christmas
tree without IL calling up the picture Of
those we used to have sticking up all over
town to celebrate Fourth OF July"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
HANNAH DUSTAN'S HEROISM.
She Killed with Their own ~TOmahawks
Her Indian CaptOrs.

1t is a stirring, IL somewhat gruesome,
tale which is told Of Hannah Dustan in the
December Recreation. Mrs. Dustan was
one Of our New England foremothers.
She lived in the Haverhill settlement, in
Massachusetts,.
When the Indians, in March, 1897, killed
sixteen Of the settlers and carried twenty
others of as captives. hannah Dustan was
among the latter. The Indians soon sepa-
rated, as was their custom after a foray,
and Mrs. Dustan, Mary Nef and Samuel
Leonardson, a boy captured near Worces-
ter, Mass, became the charges Of a small
party of two braves, three squaws and
seven children.
On the evening Of March 80, after a tor
turing march in inclement weather, they
we're all encamped upon an island in the
Merrimack River, near the mouth Of the
C~ontoocook. Mrs. Dustan had instructed
the boy TO inquire of one of the Indians as
to their method OF tomahawking an enemy
and securing his scalp. Little dreaming
Of the purpose behind the inquiry, the In
dian had pointed to his temple and said.
strike UNI here" following with a graphic
illustration of the other operation.
The boy made careful report Of this to
Mrs. Dustan. On the morning Of March 81,
while the stars were still bright in the
heavens and the Indians slept, the cour-
geous women and the equally courageous
boy rose and, with the tomahawks of their
captors, killed them all with the exception
of a child and a wounded squaw, who es-
capped into the woods. Then, scuttlinR all
the canoes but one, and putting into that
a gun, a tomahawk and such food as thew
could find. they began their homeward
journey.
They had not gone far, however. before
IT. was realized they had brought little con-
vlncing proof OF their exploit with them.
They therefore returned to the island and.
by the light OF the sm~Ouldering fire, scalped
their ten e enemies, and putting into
a bag these grim trophies padded south
ward through the mists which hung above
the river, and made thetr escape.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
BADW0RK ONHALLO FRECORDS
BUT THE BOGUS MARBLE DOES
NOT MEAN GRAFT.
Changes Authorized I'm the Long Series OF
REVISING the Plans ann ~RemOdeIInE
tho mteriOr-van wyck insisted That
the Building Must he Cheaper.

Deep is the disappointment of the grow
ing army Of citizens who are looking for
ward to better things in municipal art over
the discovery hat after all the new Hall
OF Records, that 5000. 900 granite pile
which was planned TO be a model for future
public building construction, is largely
sham as to interior decorations. Much
hat appears to be marble trim to the casual
observer is not marble at all, but plaster
enrichments' painted.
This substitution at first thought would
seem to indicate graft, but as a matter Of
fact no evidence Of crookedness has been
discovered in the transaction. 1t was simply
a case Of bad management all the way
through. The building was designed to
take the place OF the himsy bic finder box
in the City Hall Park which, in spite of its
riclety construction, had contained for
years records that could not be replaced.
The officials Of the city were. after a long
agitation. aroused to the immediate neces-
sity of a fireproof structure and the pre-
liminary work was accomplished with
great despatch.
But no sooner had the actual task of
construction begun than complications
began to crop up on all sides, and instead
of being finished in three years from the
date at which the first contract was let. In
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
Lost Even n He Won.

FfO0 INC WdHhIn1fOn StdT.
APhilsdelphian was praisinG for his learning
and uprightness the late Judge NJ. Russell
Thaycr.
lie quoted the moving passa ge from Judge
Thayer's will:
lowing TO the fact that almost my entire
life has been passed In the pu bile service of
the United States and OF the State of Penn
sylvia mia. ! nave but n small estate Ia leave
to my dear children and wife
Judge Tha yer" he continued. was a verv
honorable ma n. First as a lawyer, afterwanS
as q Judge. he tregtad all with whom he had
dealings with the greatest fairness. OncsN
years ago. after he had served M we'll IN y
di tlcul' case. 7 demonstrated with him about
the sma illness of his fee.
Well. he said. smiling and smelling N"
not that type Of Ia wyar whose client once SaId:
Il never was entirely ruined but tvlcs.
Once when I lost n lawsuit and once when
] gained one
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
Too Many bod Tcs.

From the Cisveidnd Plain Dealer,
How in the world did you happen 10 be
run over by the automobile7"
Il was trying to dodge the ballast that the
b~alloonist was throwing down.
The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-06-29

was dressed in white orgaudy gown
and with Benjamin Kobier q brother
of tde bride brought mp the rear OF the
procession. which winding down the
broad staircase and through the reag
pa Ter halted at the arch where Rev.
Charles u. Arms rong performed the
ceremony. after which the colgratula-
tions OF the many guests were show
cred upon The happy coupl7. The
guests were then invited 10 the dining
room where the welding cake was
cut tho bride pas ing TO each a slice
Of The coveted morsel Misses Lillian
McEIle0t Gertrude 'Nilhourn and
Katherine Walbaum as l-tef i1 sew
he refrcshments Tne hulal couple
viii leave today for ST. Louis and
other point on their hon aymo8n.
The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-06-29
BOYS STOLE GRAIN
Three Youthful Thieves Caught Doing
Il Land Office Business With
Illinois Central Property.

+ -Four negro boys were arrested yes.
lterday by Officers Glade. ThDma
Wade and Lipc. charged with stealing
grain from Illinois Central cars and
sheds. one of fncm was released
mut three were held The latter gave
their names as Ed white WIN. Howell
and Martin Thomas They have been
making q practice of stealing corn
wheat and oats from he freight yards
of the company for a long time. carry
ing of eyeral hundred bushels every
moth Most Of be time ihcy would
have sacks Of their own which they
would nH from cars. buT they has
been known to carry of entire sacks
They disposed # this grain 20 up
own people. on the pfetcase that they
got il on the floors of ears elc. They
viii be vigorously pros cufed hy f1o
repre- entatives III The company -hc
are determined 70 break mp The nrac-
tice which has long given them much
trouble and loss
The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-06-29
wiseemann.kosier NuptlaIs.

One cf the most attractive nome
weddings Of tde seas1n was held IA
evening al the residence Of Peter "
Kobler. 222 Eighteenth street. when
Mis- Minnie Selma. the daughter OF
~. and Mrs Koble- wa united in
holy wcdl0ck to Rh inholdt ~. Wiede
mann. of MapiewoJd. No. The cere.
mouy wa marked by an the many l.t
Tie incidents which go to make wed
ding one of the most solemn as wei as
The most joyous events Boz ones life.
The home wac beautifully decorate
Tor the occa ion with cHt Flower. and
asparagus. lu the front parIor. the
bridal arch. from fne center Of which
beautifully formed Dr. carnations ald
asparagus. hung the wedding bell. tAe
fragrance Of The flowers blending. in a
name with the soft strains Of the
wedding march played hy Miss Clihe
Bauer Promptly at $50 %. m- fhe IL
notes OF fhc wedding march re 0uHl5d
though the crowded horse and tle
ff--r r-lri ln white gown crown Cd
with bridal eatl and Vel 90
snowy uhi.e. resting lightly up-n dee
arm " her father. lead the briial
party. clos iy followed by the groom
and DID, best man. Pea AHA The
bride maid Mss RiIa Weijemann.