Evening journal., 1908-08-01
CAMP HALL BROKE
UP AT NOON TODAY
Rain of Yesterday eliminated in Storm That Blew
Over the Tenfs--- Officers Make Statement
About the Trouble of Thursday Night
Special to rng EVENING JOURNAL

6ptCldl 10 LlN A4-NAANI 1OCAN-f<AN~
REHOBOTH, Del. Aug. 1.-Soldiers
of First Delaware Infantry broke camp
after a weeks field duty at noon today,
and entrained for home. They will ar
rive in Wilmington about 4.SO o'clock
The provisional battalion under Major
Doherty left at Q o'clock for Fort Du
Pont, for a weeks manoeuvers. There
was no ceremony at the break of camp
because Of the rain. The tents cannot
be shipped today but will be sent after
they are dry.
Colonel Slower will remain, with
detail in charge of the camp. The dis
agreeable rain which fell all of
yesterday eliminated early this morn
ing in a gale which swept over the
camp blowing down the tents. DIR
Alfred Kelly, of Wilmington, was
elected assistant regimental surgeon
with the rank Of captain.
Arrest in Ferguson Assault.
William Prettyman, a negro farm
hand, was arrested yesterday after
noon on a farm several miles from
here on a charge of murderously as
saulting Private Ferguson of Company
II, New Castle, by hitting him in the
head with a brick, on Thursday night
the soldiers and negroes in the sea-
shore town here. Prettymans home
is at the edge Of Rehoboth, but he
works on a farm several miles away
He was taken before Magistrate Tam
many at Lewes who held him without
bail to await the result of FergusoL's s
injuries.
The injured soldier is still in a SER
ious condition and it cannot be deter
mined for several days whether he viii
have to be operated upon. All his
symptoms are favorable to recovery.
There was not the least semblance
TO disorder in Rehoboth last night and
the few colored persons who ventured
out were not molested in any way.
The soldiers were given passes to
Rehobsth as usual
As a precautionary measure Colonel
Townsend sent provost guard to the
town during the evening Lieutenant
J. Austin Ellison was provost marshal
The provost sentries with bayoneted
guns stood along the main street and
boardwalk until IL o'clock and then re-
turned to camp. Their services were
not needed in any way
Stirred by the Stories.
officers and men Of the First Dela-
ware Infantry in Camp Hall and resi-
dents of Rehoboth We're stirred yester.
day by the sensational stories of a
race riot" and reign of terror that
appeared in the morning newspapers.
which reached the camp a noon. While
the excitement in Rehoboth on Thurs
day night, when Private Ferguson OF
Company II had his skull fractured
with a brick thrown by q negro. was
only of short duration, the accounts
gave an impression that Rehoboth was
handed over TO warning soldiers and
negroes. There was n disturbance
and negroes were chased off the streets
after Private Ferguson had been feued
with the brick thrown by colored
man.
Governor Lea. Adjutant-Genera
Wickersham, Colonel Townsend am
other officers were particularly
chagrined at the sensational stories.
which reflected upon the discipline and
morals of the citizen soldiers.
The~trouble was. as stated in TIE
EVENING JOURNAL Some dis
orderly negroes jostled against and in
suited some soldiers ut .he merry-go-
round building, and after words blows
were exchanged and the negro got the
worse of the argument. Some of his
companions threatened to "get even
and n few minutes later the brick was
hurled into a crowd of six soldiers who
were standing along the street not far
from the carrousel building. It knock
ed Private Ferguson out. This attack
incensed the soldiers. who were in town
enjoying a recreation after their hard
day, and they gave chase TO all negroes
they saw, who aed from the the streets
and disappeared. Two negroes were
seized by. some Of the so'diers and were
threatened with violence. but Chaplain
Stevenson, Colonel Slower. Captain Dill
lon and others intervened. Two Of
the camp cooks were thrown over a
railing on the boardwalk into the sand
below before it was learned who they
were. In a short time a provost guard
under Major Doherty had ordered all
the soldiers back to camp, and there
was no further trouble.
The Town Commissioners of Reho-
both, at a conference yesterday after
noon, they drew up the following state
ment, which was sent to the news
papers and also given to Colonel
Townsend:
1--WE. the undersigned Commissioners
VI ANOhopOth ueepiy regret the stdle-
ments made in the Wilmington and
Philadelphia morning papers concern
ing the trouble on the beach last night,
and desire to inform the public that
the statements are untrue. The soldiers
are under good discipline. and are high
ly respected by the cottagers of Reho-
both. The trouble occurred between a
few colored men and some soldiers, ana
only occupied a few Minutes, when the