Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-10-25
american NEGRO IS
HURT At CHAMPAGNE
John, of Boston, Paralyzed
by Shell After Half Day
on Firing Line
HE'S MENDING IN
FRENCH HOSPITAL
By WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs


PARIS, Oct. Shy Mail)-The
Foreign Legion's American contingent
was nearly wiped out in the great
Champagne advance. One of the few
who came out whole was John Fred
erick Brown. ordinarily known as
"Niggah John" OF Boston.
saw him in hospital here. Were
you wounded, John?' l asked
Il amt wounded" grinned John.
"Is Jest parlyzed. We was goin' up
slopeJwith all kinds OF things comm
down at us an a great big German
Jack johnson hit me right in the mid
die of the back, an lawsey me, mis-
tahl ] sho thought nah days was
ovah."
The Jack Johnson, the nurse ex-
planned. only bruised Johns back and
probably deadened his legs, maybe
Temporarily
John used to work in an automo-
bile house around Warren and Ire
mont streets, Boston, and 1t seemed
such a long cry from there to Cham
payne battlefield, that / asked him
why he joined the Foreign Legion.
'Lawsey, mani" said John. through
his perpetual smile. 81 guess I allus
dis have mo- cu'osity than intelli-
gence."
"Still, you saw the big battle; that's
something"
"You bet IL was something" said
John. "When ! left Paris we went Ia
the Viosges first. Then they sent us IL
champagne for the big mill. We start
ed in the fight from a place just north
of Swipes lSippesl.
"That Sat'day mawnin' we stahted
of in close formation like the Germans
and we was all mighty worried cause II
anyone of them shells had hit us II
woulda wiped out the whole company.
"Well, we stated up hill thataways
Then ! says out loud, hopin' the officer
would hear me, why doan that mar
spread us out tirrailleur' that's what
the French call a skirmish linel but thu
loffcer didn't pay no 'tention TO me
Then all the fellahs stated saying th'
same thing, but the officer didn't change
his mind till he got good and ready.
"But after while he did order us e
spread out. an we sho did obey. Fol
coming down that hill was a whole ar
senal full Of machine guns bullets an
lrihc bullets an cannon balls and chunks
Of dirt and everything.
"The officer told US TO entrench an'
keep our heads down, but he didn't nee,
to-our heads Jest nachully sagged al
BY their ownselves.
Ever once in a while we'd ge. M
an run forward. When we got to thu
top of the hills the Germans go
skeered an bent backward. We KEEP
after EN- till finally we got caugh
in a pocket where we had machin
guns in front OF us an on both side
an shells bustln's in the middle.
That's where I got mine. The
told us to lay down fat and keep nj
der them matrailleuse bullets,-that'
7 what the French call a machine-bu
. II Jest wanter say you simply can
duck them bullets; they seem TO kind
err hop, skip and jump along tn
ground.
p when that Jack johnson hit me Il
5 the back o lawdy.' ! said to mahseli
I guess earnin' that cent day al
right NOW but the futuah look
might dak'
l Jus little potion of one day wa
= enough to hold me-" said John.
] What other Americans we're in tn
|, battle with your
I, "To tell you the homes truth. Mis-
D tab" said John. "ah didn't have tim
to look around and see. ] was fairl
busy keepin' track of one frien' o
mine from Boston"
e Just then the nurse came in wit
l. lunch.
l. Dat am some food" cried Johl
o wreathed in smiles. "Jes' smell da
t, bacon! II Gen1 Joffry'll listen tn
{, me he can end dis war in half a day
E. Jes' set a million plates off dis baco
$ along the top of de French trenche
J. an de Germans1l jest natchelly craN
; ovah an beg to surrendah'
OF the Americans in the Foreig
= Legion, John finally remembered this
% he had heard William Dugan, of A
bany, n. Y, and Christopher Charles
!, of Brooklyn, we're missing. as wer
Z, several others, and that Jack Case.
Z former cartoonist. of San Francisco
a had been wounded in the foot.
4. an the legion he said. they haV
n all sorts OF charms to bring goo
luck but reckon the left hind foe
st of graveyard rabbit we American
IS use is about the bes' OF all"
"what makes you think sou
asked
:. "Ah'm heah, amt Ah?' said John