Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-11-02
ROYAL SEND-OFF
TO COLORED MEN
Soldiers Of the New National
Army Were Guests of Red
Cross and New Theatre Last
Saturday.

TazewelIs fEst call for colored
troops was answered last Saturday.
The boys. numbering fifty mobilized
here on Saturday. At 2:15, they and
their friends and relatives were hon
or guests at the New Theatre. The
building was crowded, both upstairs
and down, the balcony upstairs was
reserved for white people. The GER
emonies were simple but impressive.
There was music by the band
from Pocahontas and several stirring
and eloquent addresses.
Rev. Mr.. Brown, pastor of the col
ored Methodist church here, presided
and introduced the speakers, which
included Rev. Mr.. Anderson, pastor
of the colored Methodist church of
Pocahontas; Judge S. M. B. Coulling,
Rev. G. r. Brown and Mrs. Mary s..
O'Keeffe, of this town. The scene
was an impressive and inspiring one.
The grandsons of former genera
ton Of colored men, young, strong and
intelligent, Offering themselves to
fight side by side with white men
for the cause of freedom and univer-
sal world wide Liberty Of all men of
all races, presented a spectacle not
seen here before. In the civil war
about 40 thousand colored troops
fought side by side with white men
of the North for their own freedom
and liberty. They won out, and so
they will now, as they fight shoulder
to shoulder with the grandsons of
that wonderful period, for wider free
dom. their own as we'll as that of all
men and every home under the sun,
AS the white soldiers all had q
lal hoo a-t, D,.I r1l l.
you" shown them, so had the colored
troops. The white people showed no
hint of partiality. They were given n
royal, hearty send off. At the Court
House at 5 o'clock. another enthusi-
astic meeting was held under the aus
picos of the Tazewell Red Cross. Ad-
dresses were made by Mr.. j. w.
Chapman, Chairman Of the County
Red Cross, and Rev. w. H. Brown,
pastor of the colored Methodist de-
nomination of Tazewell and North
>Tazewell
The Court House was crowded to
the doors, many people not being able
to get seats. The colored selects oc-
cupied chairs. The colored choir,
led by T. B. Warren, occupied a
prominent place and sang number
of pieces of patriotic music, the au-
dience joining in singing.
Mr.. Chapman, who has given much
of his time and money to the ad-
vancement of the work of the Red
Cross, Liberty Loan, ETC., made one
Of the best speeches he has yet de-
liversd. He was frequently ap-
plauded.
Rev. w H. Brown had given
good deal of thought to his address,
which was well received. He spoke
for about fifteen minutes. His ad-
dress was devotedly largely to the
accomplishments of the negro in all
past wars-not only in past wars,
but in all movements in which the
welfare of mankind is concerned. The
selects were given good advice as to
their duties, and the illustrious SER
vices rendered the Stars and Stripes
by the 10th Cavalry at the battle of
San Juan Hill was held up to them
as model of loyalty to cause.
The men were urged to bear in mind
the fact that Tazewell county was
watching them. and to do nothing
that would cause their people back
home to think less of them.
At the conclusion of the exercises,
Miss Edmonia Warren, Chairman of
the Colored Red Cross in Tazewell,
assisted by Miss Jena Witten, dis
tributed boxes to the soldiers, con-
tanning candy, tobacco, ETC., like the
boxes that were given the white men
on previous occasions.
The colored soldiers were taken to
the train at North Tazewell in au-
tomobiles provided by the white peo-
pleof the town.