The Colorado statesman., 1919-02-22


from the steamship France of the
, French line, when that vessel
reached her pier mt the foot of
West Fifteenth street yesterday,
interest for New York centered
in the Third battalion of the 5o9th IN
fantry, which was formerly the olu
Fifteenth infantry, the only National
t,uord regiment from the United States
that fought for time under It's ola
name on the western front.
There was II grand total of approNl-
mately 4,0SS Negro troops on board the
France. which made the voyage from
Brest in ten days, besides some 3oo
casual officers, three detachments OF
Brest convalescents and 24S mental
cases classed under the list of sick
and wounded enlisted men. OF the Ne
gro troops thirty officers and 3D. en-
listed men were of the old Fifteenth
infantry, and they were transferred 10
the Long Island railroad mt Long ISL
and City for their temporary destln;-
tion at Camp Upton.
1t was Il peculiar coincidence that
the Negro fighters of two of the larg-
est cities in the country, New 1orh
and Chicago. returned home on the
same steamship, for the other Negro
soldiers We're of the 3IOth Infantry,
which came home complete and which
was formerly the Eighth regiment, IL
linois National Guard. Both the 3IOth
and the 369th covered themselves with
glory and the story of their achieve
ments will live long in the memories
of the great war and the history OF
the Negro race in America.
Praises Discipline of Negroes.
OF the ia officers returning with
the 37Oth but three are white. They
are the commanding officer, Col. Il. a.
Roberts, of Springfield, ILL.,, and two
Iieutenants. Colonel Roberts took
command of the regiment last July,
when it was serving with the FIFTY
ninth French infantry on the Aisne
front. The colonel said yesterday that
the 37Oth led all troops into Belgium
and the discipline among the men was
splendid.
Il have received some wonderful
Communications from the French about
these fighters" said the colonel.
"They impressed the French generals
Jas being the crack fighting unit on the
western front"
Two of the Negro officers of the
3IOth were decorated for bravery Ill
action They We're Capt. w. Is. CraW-
ford. company l., who received the
Distinguished Service Cross, and
Capt. George NJ Allen, company q,
who received the CroiX de Guerre.
There was lot of cheering down
the bay when the France left quaran-
tine in the morning. The steamboat
Corrections had been chartered by a
committee of Negroes headed by terd-
inand O. Morton, an assistant dlstrlcl
attorney. Also on the Corrections was
Commissioner of Corporations Daitoil
and Grover A. Whalen, secretary 40
Mayor Hylan. The friends OF the
Harlem fighters of the 369th were
out in force on this excursion steani-
boat, but their cheers were 1mparliai-
" directed to the heroes of the 310th,
whose friends are in far-oft Chlcaeo'
rs well as to the more neighborly CON
tingent of the 369th
Band Plays Old Southern Melody.
From the decks of the France come
the strains of "Way Down Upon the
Suwanee River" played by the regl-
mental band on board, in answer TO
the popular airs played by the Dahu
on the Corrections and by the Street
Cleaning Department band on the po-
lice boat Patrol, which, under the
guidance of Acting Captain James
Hallock, with the mayors committee
of welcome to homecoming soldiers on
board, also had gone down to the Mar
rows to escort the France ana her. Ne
gro froops to the pier in the Hudson
river.
The whites were so far in the minor
ity on board the France that. at first
glance, it appeared as if the big steam
shin was peopled wholly by Negroes.
They swarmed along the rail, on the