The sun., 1919-08-15
REDS ROUTED BY
BARRAGE OF SHOES
Top Sergeant Directs Fire
From Recruiting Tent
on East Side.
WOUNDED CARRIED AWAY
Madsen, Nine Years in Army,
Repels Night Attack on
Baby Tank.

Residents In the neighborhood of Canal
street and East Broadway have given
up hopes of making a good, all round
Bolshevik of Top Sergeant Oscar Madsen
Of the United States Tank Corps who
lives in tent In the middle OF the street
and has his camoufiaged baby tank
parked before his door for recruiting
purposes.
His neighbors have a feeling, so the
sergeant says. that he has been sent
there by the Government to massacre
them while they are gathered near by to
talk about the United States. capital, the
President and the benefits and necessity
of uprising on the part of the people.
All he wants Is recruits for the army.
When last Tuesday the sergeant drove
his tank to its present resting place in
the heart of the district given over to
newspapers of radical views and in which
the very air is reactlonary people scat
tered. That is what he said, and con-
tinued: ''rhey must have thought I was
going to throw one Founders at them,
from the way they stayed away from
me-"
Tent Created Stir.
Then Sergeant Madsen set up his tent
ON the sides Of which is an invitation to
Join the Tank Corps. AS soon as they
saw that they crowded around and. said
the sergeant, IT haven't had any peace
since"
On that first day wild eyed and bearded
little men approached him and asked
questions.
Madsen is an old timer. He has served
nine years in the army, and sojourned
for two of them in France, visiting vari-
Gus towns of interest at the moment
from one end of the Meuse-Argonne line
to the other His two brothers were
killed in the war; his father was a SOL
der and his grandfather was a soldier.
So when his little bearded friends
offered him cigarettes and asked him
questions about the tank and the war
and the conversation twisted, as 1t will
in that peighborhood, to the capitalists
part in the war. Madsen on that very
first day ruined his chances of becoming
a 3olshevik by punching a man on the
nose for some slurring remark about
these United States.
Since then he has been rather active.
The location of his abode offers him OPP
portunity for personal distinction as an
upholder of the name of his country.
A man whom the sergeant insists on
calling "Trotsky'' ended a conversa-
ton by saying. ANY men what would
join the army now is damn fool" after
which friends picked him up and carried
him off.
woman Leads Disturbers.
Last night. about o'clock. as Madsen
lay on his cot half asleep, a woman poked
her head inside the flap of his tent and
peered at him lying there in the dark
ness. Evidently satisfied that he slept
she signaled assurance to others on the
outside. at which cart drove up deco
rated with posters condemnfng capital
ISIS as a set and saying nasty things
about them and their relations with
labor. A crowd gathered, and an orator
izAgan to address the meeting in Jew
With all the noise Madsen could not
sleep.
Finally the Grafton on the cart ended.
Madsen heaved a sigh of relief But
presently another voice began TO talk
nearer at hand Some of the remarks
were put in English. and they did not
according to bIadsen, compliment any
body in this country. He arose and
looked out.
A man with a red beard and a red tie
was standing on top of the tank har-
arguing his audience and pointing t.
the tank. Although Madsen could not
understand him. he was convinced that
this man was injuring his trade, and
what was OF more immediate Importance
lie was running his nights sleep. Sc
Madsen reached under his cot for his
shoes-large. heavy things with hobnails
and horseshoe heels-and went into
action.
The first shoe went wild but the Sec
ond, following closely on the first. was
much better. 1t knocked the speaker of
the tank and ended the meeting. He
too, was carried of and the crowd dis
persed. Madsen retrieved his .shoes and
went to bed, where he dreamed of the
seven recruits he had garnered for the
army in the last two days.