The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-10-04
GREAT OVATION TO COLONEL
DENNISON.

Z
The largest and most enthusiastic pa
triotic gathering yet held by the Negro
citizens of Des Moines was the reception
in honor of Col. Franklin A. Dennison,
commanding officer of the 370th Infan-
try now in the first line trenches in
France, held in the spacious auditorium
of the new st. Paul A. M. E. Church
last Thursday evening under the joint
| auspices of the Park Street Army Y. M.
c. A., Co. 5 of the Des Moines Civilian
Infantry Training School end the three
cclored auSiliaries Of the American Red
Cross.
/ Altho the affair was quickly gotten
up the immense crowd began to assem-
BILE shortly after seven clock and by
the time the guest of honor arrived
there was not standing room in the
large auditorium which accommodates
close to two thousand people.
Atty. 8. Joe Brown, chairman Of the
advisory committee of the Army Y. NJ.
G. A., presided and invited to the ros-
trum besides the prominent Negro citi-
zens, Hon. Jas. B. Weaver, State Rep
resentative Of Polk county, and Judge
Hubert Utterback, chairman of the Polk
County Chapter of the American Red
Cross, and Hon., Harvey Ingham, editor
Of the Register and Tribune, and
read letters of regret from Gov.
w. L. Harding, Mayor Thomas Fair
weather, Federal Judge Martin J. Wade,
Ex-Governor Geo. w. Clark and Rev. DR..
Chas. s. Medbury, all of whom spoke in
the highest praise Of the great work
that is being done by Col. Dennison and
the other Negro soldiers in the present
world wide war and regretted their in
ability to be present because Of being
engaged in Liberty Loan rallies that
were being held that same night in
various parts of the state.
Mr.. j. Cliff Williams, formerly a mem
Der of the famous 10th U. s. Cavalry,
read an original poem which paid high
tribute to the men Of both races who are
fighting side by side for world wide
democracy, after which Atty. John i.
Thompson introduced the only Negro
Colonel in the active service Of the Uni
ted States, who held the wrapt atten-
tion Of that vast assembly for more than
an hour, during which he reviewed the
history Of the American Negro as sol
dier in past as well as in the present
war and paid tribute after tribute to
the efficiency and valor of the officers
and enlisted men Of his regiment, the
old 8th Illinois, now known as the
370th U. S., ten of whom, including two
officers, Lieuts. Jesse Mcclure and
Rufus B. Jackson, are from Des Moines.
Next to the address of Col. Dennison
the greatest treat Of the meeting was
the reading by the chairman Of letter
which he had just received that day
from Lieut.. Jackson, of Colonel Denni-
son 8 regiment, which corroborated in
every particular the Colonel's declara-
tions in regard to the splendid spirit
that maintains among the men of the
regiment and the cordial reception they
are receiving from the French people.
Musical numbers were contributed by
Mrs. Rufus B. jackson, and Messrs. j
A. Anderson, Julien F. Arthur and Pri-
vate C. Roland Of Camp Dodge. At the
conclusion Of the program light refresh
ments were served by the ladies Of the
Red Cross, for the benefit Of whom a
voluntary Offering was taken.
First Lieut.. M. T. Gregory, formerly
professor in Howard University and one
Of the officers commissioned at Ft. Des
Moines last October, has just returned
to Des Moines from Howard University
where he has been instructor in the
Training School for Military Instruc.
tors in colored schools and has been as
signed to Camp Dodge.