The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1917-11-23
MORE ABOUT LIFE
AT FORT PIKE.
oomething of How This Great Body
OF Men Are Being Trained
Some Negroes Already in
France.

n no place to go. ,
Two thousand Alabama, Arkansas
Mississippi and Louisiana negroes
somewhere on the high sens between
the port of Little Rock and "Some-
Where in France"-three thousand
more ready to take foot in hand.
Just "raring to CO."
This in a nut shell, is the posi-
Atlon of the negro soldier at Camp
Pike. He has his uniform and equip
ment, with the exception of gun and
ammunition, knows the difference
between Hayfoot and Strawfoot, and
he longs for a long ride on the train.
When negroes began to swarm in
to Camp Pike there was dire pre-
dlctions of race difficulties, but in
stead, the white boys in the Camp,
being all southerners to whom the
negroes had all their lives been back
ward neighbours, took the arrangement
with a display of pleasure. But the
negroes only tarried on their long
journey. They were uniformed and
drilled a few days, then their bar
racks were vacated and another bunch
moved in. Four long trains of ne
groes steamed away and it later be-
came known that they had gone d.
rect to France. There they are en-
ployed as stevedores and in all sorts
Of labor.
All negroes arriving since have
been just as quickly equipped, and as
signed to companies. All are drill
ed, but none are armed. Those now
at the camp are in companies, some
are for engineering work-which in
their case will be done with pick and
shovel on military roads, and the 9TH
ers are for dock labor. Thus the
army officials have disposed of the ne
gio question in the army. The ne
gro is given the thing for which he
is best fitted, allowing cotton fields
to suffer in the meantime, but the
southern planter is willing to make
the sacrifice as a part of his bit for
his country.
! The negro is beginning to tire a
bit of the c~easeless drilling. He
wants new SCIENCES He wants to cross
the ocean, to ride on a big trans
port, and to hear all the people speak
a language he does not know. They
want to go to France, and orders
are expected any day hat will start
| them on their journey.
For over a week now it has been
Good Bye" and "Howdy Do" at
Camp Pike. The outgoing throng
is passing the on the road
coming in. Grandsons of men who
fought for Dixie are exchanging sal.
utations with the boys from north OF
the Mason-Dixon line, and all is as
merry as a wedding bell.
Nine thousand eight hundred
youths of the National Army, trained
for a month or so at Camp Pike, have
clanked along the road, with theil
mess tins beating a regular tattoo a.
they marched along to the station
These men, drawn from Arkansas
Mississippi and Louisiana, have gon,
to Alexandria, La, to fill in the com
panies Of the old National Guard
and bring them up ito war strength.
AS many more from the sam
states have gone to South Carolina
there to fill the ranks in other forme
National Guards. This left but 80'
men of the first draft from fou
southern states at Camp Pike, an,
most of these were using the Hun
& Peck system on a typewriter, en-
~deavoring to convince the officer
they are worthy of the clerical pc
sitions they hold.
The incomers were first, 1000 fror
Camp Funston, Kansas. The mex
2OOO came from Chillocothe, Obi,
lOthers came from Texas cantonment
from Iowa, Kentucky and Illinois
There are men from 81 states in tn
! lot, and more are to ONE Thes
men are arriving at the rate c
1000 per day. They come in tw
trains which accommodate 500 eacl
J The same number have left Cam
Pike each day so there would be n
confusion. The new corners are a
signed to their commands before the
arrival, and they march without til
formality of visiting the receiving ST
ton. They + two days in cam
before their papers reach this in
portant station.
There are men of almost ever
nationality in the new lot, and mo
of them are going home with a ne
dialect. They are going to OF
J southern the southerner. The da
! they arrive their consOnants begin