The Washington herald., 1919-01-12

prepared for action.
| Aha" Cunningham explained giee.
| fully to his men, President Cleve-
land opposed the reelection of Gen.
| Logan. Now l am going to notify
him from the mouth of this gun that
Black Jack is coming back in spite
Of him. Load her up. boys, and put
in an extra heavy charge of powder"
Turning until he faced the White
House he exultantly gave the COM
mand, Fire" The drowsy old mule
suddenly came to life and leaped for
ward spilling the gunners over the
graveled walk as the burst of flame
and smoke came from the ancient
/ nIuzzle, accompanied by roaring
boom" that shook the very ground
and caused the windows of the White
House to rattle violently. In almost
an instant there was scene Of great
excitement in the mansion, and the
President awakened from his slumber
rushed out in the hallway to learn
the cause Of the violent explosion.
Made President Laugh.
There was no police guard about
the White House at that time and
| before the drowsy attendants could
! learn the cause of the midnight dis
turbance. three other loud reports
! followed "in rapid concussion." as one
I. Of the attaches described 1t. Finally
1t occurred to someone to call up the
police. and later when President
| Cleveland learned the truth he re-
tired to his apartments, laughing
heartily.
Capt. Cunningham was hailed before
Judge Smell in the Police Court the
| following morning, but the only
charge the prosecuting attorney could
| find to fit the, offense was under ali
old city ordinance against discharg-
| ing firearms within the corporate
| limits of Washington. Several Sena-
| tors and Representatives attended the
unique trial. and one of the number
J paid Cunningham's fine, with the re-
mark:
Captain, your midnight salute un-
der the windows of the White HOUSE
has made Hahnnemann's Battery IA
| nous"
When Senator Logan returned to
Washington he sent for the doughty
Cunningham. thanked him for his
loyalty, and secured a position for
him in the Senate offices.
For many years "Hahnnemann's s
| Battery was one of the show fea-
lures of Washington, although on one
occasion an editorial writer on a local
paper referred to II as "circus.
MAJ Julius Hahnnemann graduated
as an artillerist from noted mill
| tary school in Germany, and the
| school of the gunner was his play
ground in boyhood. he often ex-
planned. After serving in the civil
/ hn Sida ~ tho TTntnn he
came to Washington In 1867. and az
most Immediately began TO interest
| his young acquaintances in his fad.
artillery. There were but few mill
I tary organizations in the District at
! that time, but soon thereafter and
! coincident with the formation OF
| ''Hahnnemann's Battery" the Wash
| ington Light Infantry organized. and
then came the National Rifles. Cor .
coran. Zouaves, Washington Light
Guard and other independent militia
companies.
The youth of Washington was not
much inclined to an artillery outfit
with its lack of military pomp. and
| so Mai Hahnnemann found it difficult
to recruit his battery. He succeeded
in interesting Capt. Cunningham. a
martial Irishman, and several other
enterprising and congenial spirits In
his plans for forming the first bat
terry of District of Columbia artillery,
and they soon got together sufi-
cient number of men to man the two
guns, which at frst comprised Bat
terry A, and thus was formed the Dis
trict's first artillery organization.
Termed "Suicide Club"
-,
the White House. Hahnemann's ar.
tillery became conspicuous in the pub
lie eye, and number of young men
some Of them mere boys, focked &c
the standard of Battery A. The prob
lem of uniforming the men was mel
by the board of directors of the or.
ganization held in Ed Abner's hall or
f street near Seventh street north
west. A fund was raised but as there
was not a sufficient sum to provide
spick-and-span new uniforms
scouting committee was appointed tC
locate discarded uniforms of thu
regular army. A dealer in old clothes
was located in East Washington wh'
had in stock many uniforms ant
parts Of uniforms that had been solo
to him from time to time by Marines
upon their discharge from the serviC'
at the Marine Barracks on Eight
street southeast. These were pro
cured by the committee for a lumT
sum. and the artillerists were sooi
arrayed in n nondescript uniform.
The battery was called upon to fir
many salutes on the Fourth of Jul,
and other gala occasions. The require
ments for a salute by Hahnnemanni
. artillery was that the parties orderin,
the salute should furnish the neces
sary number of charges of gunpowder
pay for their hire of four horses. TIVE
ito a gun, and compensate the hostlers