davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11
Colored People Will
Meet With Atlantic
City Chamber of
Commerce.

Atlantic City, n. j., March II, 1922.
The Atlantic City Chamber of Com
merce will meet with representative
colored citizens of the resort on March
"a, when it holds its regular monthly
session at the Atlantic City Yacht
Club for the purpose of discussing
closer business cooperation between
the white and colored people of the
city.
Much of the misunderstanding and
friction between the races is due to
the fact that the white man does not
know enought about the colored man.
They really need to become better ac-
quainted. Although the two races rub
elbows on the street every day, the
white man knows very little of the
finer qualities in Negro business life
and character.
The idea of an inter-racial meeting
was suggested to Samuel p. Leeds,
president of the Chamber of Com
merce, by Attorney James a. Light
foot the leading colOred lawyer of
llle ItsoIl anu VI AhS iA'St iNR'N
sentative citizens of the community.
In speaking of the joint meeting At
torney Lightfoot said: 'The Negro
must learn to advance his own cause.
He can do this by faithfully and fear
lessly presenting the facts in his civic
and national life that relate to his adj
vancement These facts must be pre-
sented to the people who need to know
them most"
At this meeting n careful presentn-
tion of the Hotel Fitzgerald plan will
be made. The Hotel Fitzgerald soon
to be erected will cost approximately
one million dollars and will be the
greatest undertaking of its kind ever
attempted by colored people Since
this hotel will be the equal in appoint
ment and equipment of any of the
great hotels along the beach front, it
will advance the commercial interests
of colored people in the resort thou
sand per cent and will also be an in
spiration to every colored person in
the country.
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11
BERT WILLIAMS IS DEAD
Blood TRANSMISSION Failed to Save the Negro
Comedian.
After Long Partnership With George Walker He Re-
rlained Outstanding Member of Race on Stage
Known as a Scholar Too.

Errol was his comedy partner al. that
time.
Since the Follies quit" Kansas City,
Williams came only on graphophone
records.
New York, March Five thousand
persons We're unable to gain admit
tance today to st. Phillips Episcopal
Church in Harlem to attend funeral
services for Bert Williams, Negro COM
edian, who died Saturday. More than
1000 persons headed by a squad of
police followed the hearse from his
home to the church. Masonic services
will be held tomorrow and burial will
be in Woodlawn cemetery. He was
member of a lodge in Scotland.
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11
Discrimination

Through publicity furnished by the
N. A. A G. p. and upon request of the
of Colored Railway Train
men, steps have been taken to stop the
murder and manning of colored train
men and two white men have been ar
rested in Mississippi on charge of in
timidation.
In the Harlem Hospital, New York
City, effort has been made by the as
sociation in conjunction with other or
ganizations and prominent persons to
bring about better treatment of pa
tients and representation of Negroes
on the board.
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11

n n tiles has another example TO
NV add to its long list in the per-
son of Mutumbu a 14-year-
4 v old Negro boy of the Alunda
tribe in Darkest Africa, ac-
cording to Miss Marie Jensen, mission
ary to the Congo under the Board OF
Foreign Missions of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, just returned to
this country. This boy is native of
one of the most isolated parts of the
dark continent. His home is at
Observation-Disclosures Yamvo (City-of-
the-Prince-of-D -Death), capital town OF
the Alunda tribe of the Congo Beige.
1t is situated more than 300 miles
northeast of the northermost end OF
the Cape-to-Cairo railroad at Bukama
on the upper Congo river. And there
is no way of travelling through this
territory save by foot or bicycle
through the jungle paths. 1t requires
a months steady treking, by caravan
of native carriers who march with
packs of baggage upon their backs, to
reach Musumba.
At the age of 5 years, Mutumbu
was taken in by DR.. Arthur l.. Piper,
the new medical missionary at Mu-
sumba. Being an orphan, Mutumbu
has since resided in the Piper house
hold and the daily contact with the
missionaries at the Methodist station
which has since been founded there
1ouaInnn6 the
mind of Mutumbu far beyond the av-
erage child of his years. The little
Negro boy did his best to be of serv-
ice about the new mission station
where everyone worked at all kinds
of manual labor to establish some
form of civilization in that wild land.
He aided in the kitchen and garden,
ran errands for the workman build
ing the houses and school building of
sun-dried brick. When the mission
station began active work for the
good of the people about, Mutumbu
had made himself a part of the insti-
tuition. He attended school and stu
died assiduously, and worked to learn
10 ulu uTSc JclScH III llit hiSpCiodis
where his people came to have their
wounds dressed and their ills healed.
Speaks Seven Languages.
Mutumbu has picked up variety
of learning beside what he cleaned
from the white folk. He speaks five
other native language (Mbundu, Chi
tuba, Swahili, Bichokwe and Kanyok)
in addition to his own Alunda and
English. He writes in both the lat
ter language well. Whenever strange
chiefs come to the mission from the
far depths of the jungle, speaking in
q strange tongue which confuses the
regular Interpreters of the mission
aries, someone always says: Call
Mutumbu, he kpows." And Mutumbu
generally does. He comes and acts
as pinch interpreter.
So we'll has Mutumhu learned the
lore of the Gospel as it is taught in
the mission station that he is often
called upon to lead the services at
the little mission church, and he does
so with a simple dignity that is quite
impressive. When Bishop Johnson of
Africa visited Musumba he made Mu-
tumbu his protege and has done much
for him in the gifts of books and 9th
er means of self-improvement. Mu-
tumbu is anxious to get real educa-
ton believing that he can then bet
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11
POLYGLOT ST.
PETERS
Negro Woman at Election
of Pope Plus XI.

TROM LenOX avenue to ST. Peter
Square is no mean distance for
one to travel.a At the one end,
scores of representatives of darker
race may be seen moving to and fro
about their business, in and out their
homes and shops, contributing their
mite to making New York the nations
busiest city. Rome, Italy, with st.
Peters Square, the other end, is With
out the thousands of members of the
Negro race At least, representatives
of this growing group are not often
found within the confines of the holy
city. True, that now and then black
faces are numbered among the my
Rad compilations that pass before the
vatican. Even black men have en-
joyed the splendors of ancient Rome,
the quaint canals of Venice, and the
picturesque Naples Bay, perchance,
basked in Italian sunlight and en-
dured the horrors of Vesuvius' erup-
tions, but as usual thing, Italy,
Rome and st. Peters Square, which
| fronts st. Peters Cathedral, are with
out representatives of the Negro race,
and surely without him from the U.
S. A. In fact, they are curiosities,
and their very presence provokes in
cessant observation, stares and undue
scrutiny, which interrogates-where
are you from?
Italians marvel but little, at black
faces in costume characteristic of the
tropics, the Orient and the like, but
as Occidentals, fine appearing, and i'll
fashions latest mode they are the
| center of the stage. To believe that
the American Negro was represented
and is to be counted among the crowd
of 10000 that clamored before ancient
St Peters Cathedral for reports on
the election of the new pope of the
Roman Catholic Church, is almost
preposterous, and to dream that this
people would receive the first hand
blessings of Plus NJ through a daugh-
| ter of their race is almost without
reality. But it is not so, neither pre-
posterous nor without reality, for
Mrs. Leila Walker Wilson, American
Negro and wealthy resident of Irving
ton-on-Hudson, New York, was So
journing in Rome during the election
of Pope Plus NJ and was noted
blessings.
The following clipping, taken from
LA Tribunal" leading morning daily
of Rome Italy, numbers Mrs. Wilson
among the cosmopolitan assemblage
which waited with sacred patience for
the returns of the papal election:
"St. Peters, Rome, today took on
the aspect of social international
| congress of nations. 1t is, of course,
more tranquil and more serious than
the international congress at Geneva.
Notables of all nations and from all
countries thronged the concourse of
the Piazza San Pietro. And we could
not fail to regard in our inventory of
those present, as the most prominent
among the vast throng, Mrs Leila
Walker Wilson of New York, Balfour
and Leon Bourgeoise of France.
''Tall and slender, with a majestic
figure, the divine manner and gracl-
BUSINESS of the former invested her
with the bearing of Il young goddess.
Her somewhat sloping cheeks, rath-
er extended nose and dark complex
ion, would have caused the ancient
Greek lyricists to name her AN Ethio-
plan Artemis' Rising interest is
shown in this young lady by the vast
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11

nome IHurSuuy anu SulleItu d ItiapSN
this morning after a blood TRANSMISSION
last night.
So death takes the most popular Ne
gro actor from the stage.
Booker T. Washington once said of
Williams stage career:
'aHe has done more for our race than
1 have. He has smiled his way into
peoples hearts l have been obliged to
fight my way"
And Bert Williams, as an entertain
er, never failed. In roles individual,
not plagiarizing any feature of any
star, his smile, voice, eccentric mum
bling and peculiar foot shift and body
sway, made him stage character
apart.
Born in Bahama Islands.
Bert Williams was 4S years old. He
was born in Nassau, Bahama Islands,
in 1874, and was of Danish, Spanish
and Negro descent He attended school
in New York and later went to high
schools in California
The stage career of Williams began
in 1891 His debut was with Lew
Johnson's minstrels. 1t was in 1898
that Williams began his real march to
fame and popularity. That was the
beginning of the partnership of Will
liams and Walker. George Walker,
home was at Lawrence, Kan, died in
1910. Since then Williams had started
in individual numbers and paired with
stage stars of the white race.
Was a Student of His Race.
As a singer and comedian Williams
was known to the millions of Ameri-
cans Only thousands, perhaps, knew
him as Il scholar. He was an inveter-
at reader, and when travelling with the
atrical companies, preferred to be
alone. Fellow actors, but of different
race, often said that Williams never
crossed the color. line. He was a sol
dier, too, having served an enlistment
in the United States army.
AS a scholar he devoted much of his
time to the history of the Negro race
and his library possessed many rare
books on the subject.
Bert Williams didn't merely sing
songs. He acted them and drove them
into popularity. Half mumbling be-
tween long pauses that seemed to ig-
more the orchestra, Williams eyes oft
en- did as much as his voice. His feet,
too, never acutely active, never were
still.
Remember "Nobody?"
His song, Nobody" probably was
his greatest. Then there was Under
the Bamboo Tree" Congo Love Song"
Somebody" and "When the Moon
shines on the Moonshine," one of his
latest and funniest.
His poker game and fight in panto-
mime was his wordless triumph. Like
De Wolf Hopper's Casey at the Bat
the poker game was always called for,
always given. 1t was n scream produc-
er. william last appearances in Kan
sas were with Ziegfeld's Follies. Leon
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11

~EW YORK, March bert
1 Williams, Negro comedian,
a died at his home here tonight
4 from pneumonia. He collapsed
y on n Detroit stage last Mon
dnv and WIS hrnn0ht to his
The Colorado statesman., 1922-03-11

~EGRO intellectual possibil-
tiles has another example to
NV add to its long list in the per-
son of Mutumbu, n 14year-
- " old Negro boy of the Alunda
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
WIFE BURIED ALIVE.
AUTOPSY REVEALS
Physician Says Pit Was Lined
With Lime Before Mrs.
Becker's Burial.
BY Universal Service.

NEW YORK. Dec. Mrs. Jennie
Becker. whose body. covered with
lime. was found Wednesday night in
an abandoned boiler pit in The
Bronx, was buried alive.
This conclusion was reached by
DR.. Carl Kennard. assistant medical
examiner OF Bronx county, after an
autopsy. He told Of his findings to
the grand jury this afternoon. and
that body promptly indicted Abra-
ham Becker, husband Of the dead
woman. for murder in the first
degree.
Another indictment Is expected.
Reuben Norken, proprietor of the
garage alongside of which the wo-
mans body was found, was held in
s100, 900 bail as a material witness.
Norkin has disclaimed all con.
nection with the crime.
DR.. Kennard said he had found
from a thorough examination Of
the woman's body that only one
blow had been struck by her slay-
er, and that this was not neces.
sarilv fatal.
Another startling discovery made
in the investigation was that the
pit had evidently been lined with
a layer of lime before the body was
lowered into 1t. Detectives believe
this preparation might have been
made several hours before secret
burial" Lime also had been
thrown in on top Of the body after
it had been placed in the pit.
Authorities have fixed the time
Of the murder at 1890 o'clock on
the morning Of April Z.
Miss Anna Elias, 26, the "other
woman in the case" after walking
the streets all night with her little
boy. Of whom, she claims, Becker
is the father. gave herself up to the
police today. She was locked up
as a material witness.
Moved by the pitiful story told
by Miss Elias. the grand jurors
took up a collection among them.
selves and raised 1925 which they
turned over to her.
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
RIVAL SHOT
BY HUSBAND IN AUTO
flaming Gun Fight on Speed
way Results in Two Held
by Police. :

Alleged to have found his wife in
the company Of another man In an
automobile on the Speedway. Robert
Milton Ostrander. thirty-two years
old. a produce dealer Of s12 L street
southeast, late last night trailed the
couple in another machine. forced
their car to the curbing along the
driveway, and opened fire on his
alleged rival.
The man said to have been with
Mrs. Ostrander and who received a
slight bullet wound in the back Of
his head. gave Detectives George
Darnall and James Springman his
name as Ernest Shoots. 1927 Illinois
avenue northwest. and who said he
was a contractor. Shoots had his
injury dressed at Emergency Hos.
pital and later went to police head
quarters, where he made a formal
complaint against Ostrander. declar.
ing that any hint of his intimate
association with the mans wife was
ridiculous.
An hour after Shoots made his
complaint to Lieutenant Plemmons,
night inspector of detectives. OAR
nall and Springman had taken Os.
trander into custody.
According to Ostrander's story to
the police, before leaving her home
yesterday morning, his wife. who
gave her name as Ethel Ostrander.
her age as thirty-one, and who said
she was a waitress at Brinley's
lunch room. Fourteenth and Decatur
streets. left him a note. stating that
she would be late in returning home
He became suspicious. he said, and
drove to the lunch. room in his auto.
mobile.
Shortly after 9 o'clock Ostrander
saw his wife leave the restaurant
he said, with Shoots. Both got into
the latter's automobile and drove to
the Speedway.
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
JAPANESE HESITATE
TO QUIT SHANTUNG
Withdrawal, Scheduled for To-
day, Postponed Because Of
Chaos in Pekmg.
BY Inter..tsssai New Service.

TOXIC, Dec. 1.-withdrawar Of
the japanese from the Shauntung
peninsula, in accordance with the
agreement between Toxic and Pc
king, which was to have taken
place tomorrow, has been post
poned indefinitely. 1t is expected
however. that the japanese VIII Re
tire within a short time.
japanese officials in Shantung
are prepared to hand over all ad.
ministrative affairs to the Chinese,
but the cabinet crisis in the Chinese
capital had created so much politi-
cal chaos that the Japanese decided
to await the formation Of a more
stable government at Peking. The
japanese fear that authority may
fall into irresponsible hands. II
Shantung is turned over under
present conditions.
There are still a few questions
of minor importance to be settled
between the japanese and Chinese
commissions.
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
INVISIBLE EMPIRE"
IS DEF|ED BY O'DEA.
Says He Is Ready for Attach
and Promises
Retaliation.
"NExT ON LIST" NOTE READ
Letter Written in Red Ink and
Was Signed "Ku
KIux KIan."
"NExT ON LIST" NOTE READ

"You are the next on the list.
You leave your office at II o'clock
every night, 80 beware!"
This was the warning in a letter
recently received through the mails
by Detective Sergeant Lawrence
O'Dea, Of the Central office Of the
Police Department, and head Of
the Loyal Order Of Americans. The
note was written in red ink and
was signed "Ku Klux Klan."
GETS SECOND LETTER.
When O'Dea received the letter
he was head Of the O'Dea Detec-
tive Agency, with offices at 703
Fifteenth street northwest. Three
days ago O'Dea was reassigned TO
the detective bureau and received
the following letter from what ap-
pears to be members of the Klan:
Washington. November 1922:
To Detective O'Dea: 1t Is assumed
that you are one Of the many
persons that owe first allegiance
to the Pope Of Rome, second to
the priest. and later to the govern
ment of the United States. The
rough -shod manner in which Joe
Tumulty and other Irish Catholics
controlled government appoint
ments during the Wilson admins.
tration, together with all that has
followed, Is one Of the reasons of
the establishment Of the Klan in
Washington and elsewhere. And.
let me SAX, the Klan is here to
stay. I suppose you are one of
the faithful who got sore when it
was advertised that the Shriners
would rattle off a baby" but it
turned out to be little pig"
A. K. K.
During the war, D'Dea resigned
his Job as headquarters detective to
become affiliated with the United
States Railroad Administration. and
upon its dissolution he engaged in
private detective business.
O'Dea believes that his life Is
endangered and said last night that
he was prepared for any attack that
should be made against him. He
further claims to have the names
Of every member Of the Ku Klux
Khan in the United States, and that
recent attacks alleged to have been
made by members Of the Invisible
Empire" would be uncovered and
arrests would be made.
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
Upper Silesia Votes
To Use Polish Money

WARSAW, Dec. 1.-The introduc-
ton of Polish money as the legal
tender Of Upper silesia former Ger.
man territory awarded to Poland
has been voted by the local Polish
Silesian assembly, It was officially
announced today.
The assembly expressed itself in
favor Of publishing the notice of
this change in the Monitor Polski.
the Polish official journal. Of today.
The change in currency would con.
sequently become effective October
1, 1923,
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
Three Persons Reported Burned
Alive; 275 Homes, is Mills
and % Stores DESTROYED
CONFEDERATION RAGING
Firemen in Desperate Fight
to Creek Blazing Tornado
Outside Cities Rush Aid
By Internal ation.I New. Service.

NEWBERN, N. c., Dec. l.
More than two thousand fami-
lies are homeless as the result
of two fires which swept over
a wide area here late tonight.
Already 275 homes, 16 lumber
mills, % stores and more than
a million feet of dressed lum-
Der have been destroyed.
At a late hour tonight the fire
was still raging. Firemen from
seven cities are trying to check
the spread of the flames. Houses
were dynamited to prevent the
fire spreading.
Unconfirmed rumors say that
three people were burned to death
and over a score of persons were
injured.
STARTS IN MILL.
The damage was estimated at
3,225, 900, the greatest loss of prop
erty ever known in North Carolina.
The first fire started about 4
o'clock this afternoon in the plant
of the John L. Roper Lumber Com
pany. While firemen were endeav.
oring to check this blaze a second
alarm came in from another section
of the city. which is thickly popu-
lated by negroes.
Newbern has only a limited fire
department. When the second fire
began. every piece Of apparatus
owned by the city was engaged in
efforts to check the fire at the
Roper plant. This fire was not
under control at the time and there
was grave danger that 1t would
spread to the wholesale business
section.
As a result there were no fire
men or apparatus available to send
to the fire in the negro section.
Ten houses were destroyed before
firemen reached the scene of the
second fire.
Citizens and a few firemen under
the directions Of the mayor began
dynamiting negro residences in the
hope Of checking the spread Of the
flames. Washington. N. c.. Kings
ton, Greenville. Wilson and other
cities from fifty to 200 miles from
Newbern were appealed to send aid
NEARBY CITIES SEND AID.
Before outside aid arrived more
than 200 houses were burned and
seventeen others blown up with
dynamite.
The area swept by the fire was
over a mile wide and the fire was
spreading with terrific rapidity.
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
Last of Fifteen COnvicts
Taken in Michigan Woods

MARQUETTE. Mich. Dec. l.
Eddie Weiseman. Detroit bandit,
leader Of gang Of fifteen convicts
who tunnelled through three con-
crete walls Of Marquette prison to
freedom last Sunday, was sur
rounded in a patch Of woods near
Rapid River this afternoon and cap.
tured. He is the last of the fifteen
to be recaptured.
Weiseman was serving a life term
when he led the escape. His pal,
Phillip Selanardi. another escaped
convict. was captured a short time
before him in the same woods.
Neither offered resistance, being ex-
hausted from hunger.
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
Socialists to Strike
If Capital Levy Loses

LAUSANNE, Dec. 1.-Socialists
threaten a general strike If the
levy on capital is defeated at Sun.
days election. Troops have been
brought to Lausanne to prevent up.
risings.
The proposed law would levy
tax Of II per cent on fortunes of
$4,000 francs. graduating to so per
cent on fortunes Of 1,0o0, 900 francs,
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
ADOPT LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM;
WASHINGTON DETECTIVE SCOFFS AT KHAN THREAT
Italians Fleeing
StrombOi As
Volcano Erupts
By I.ternasssnaI News Service.

By InteFnatt0nal News Service.
NAPLES. Italy. Dec. L
THE volcano Stromboli ID In
l. violent eruption. and re.
ports from Strombon Island
tonight said that the inhabi-
tants would vacate.
The glow Of the lava flowing
from the crater was visible for
many miles over the Meditesra-
mean Sea tonight.
Stronboii lies on an island
north Of Sicily. 1t has been
active for hundreds Of years,
but the eruption grew intense
during the day, accompanied BY
billows Of steam and dense
black smoke.
There are shout 1S0o resi-
dents Of StromboH Island.
The Washington herald., 1922-12-02
Profanity Is Legitimate Cause
For Divorce, Paris Court Rules

with such vehemence that she had
to stuff her ears with cotton.
A Gotham couple, Mr.. and Mrs.
Lamont Earl Gregg, also got q
final divorce decree today. The
wife, who was formerly Bertha
Mills. alleged her husband left her
and refused to contribute to her
subsistence. Mrs. Gregg applied for
divorce in December, 1921, and the
case came up March II this year.