The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-19
The Once OUer


T60 Midnight FREDERICKSBURG on EAM Aossfs
fBOSTON, April 14.--Paul Revere imper-
scnated by state trooper, will rsHsat ths
famous midnight ride Of 149 years. so %
Patriots Day shouting his warning tnrouSn
the radio.--News itsm.)
Stand by, my children. and you shaHshear
/ OF the midnight flash Of Pauf Revere
On the 18th Of April in seventy-ffve;
Hardly man is now alive
Who remembers that famous dsy and yrar
He said to his friend IF the British match
By land or sea from the town tonight
Hang a lantern aloft in the beifry arch
! OF the North Church tower as signal hight
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And ] ON the opposite shore will be
At the broadcasting station oeer tirs hay@ =
| fThe people know it as WXA
And they keep tuned in by night and day.
| Then he said 80 long," and with muffled oar
|. Silently rowed to the Charlestowff sh pre-.
(That town is familiar, as you heard me say.
To all radio nuts as WXA1.
The Somerset, British man O. war
A phantom ship with each mast and SPAR
Against the moon like prison bar
Stood out downstream and was masnifaed
By its own reflection ON tfs tide *
Meanwhile Paul's friend, through alley and
street, s. !,
Wanders and watches with eager ears
Til in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men an dkhe tramp Of feet
And the measured tread of the grenadisrs
Marching down to their boats on the shorie.
Then he climbed the tower of Old North
Church
(As the elevator had gone quite dead)
To the helfry tower overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the wire-strung rafters that round him
made
Masses and moving shapes of shade
To the highest window in the wall e
When he paused to listen and look down
And be got an eyeful. az they say in town.
Impatiently waiting at wXA Il
AS the station is listed across the bay,
There fretted and fused our Paul Revere.
He heard fat pianist play
And tenor sing in a voice most queer,
For the radio program still was on
(They ran 'em late in old Charlestowul.
But mostly he watched with eager search
The aerial tower of Old North Church,
And 10! as be looks to the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then glean Of light!
MIDNIGHT
It was II o'clock or thereabdut
With the radio programme yet to class
When our Paul he turned with a lusty shout
And yelled 'Ill give 'em without a doubt
A Bedtime Story that'll knock 'em out
If they're all tuned in as / suppose y
But darn the luck and also dam
They made him wait till the whole pro-
gramme
Wss finished before they'd let him speak.
The chairman Iisped You're now advised
We give this programme as advertised
In the daily papers throughout the week r.
LATER
1t was one by the villaee clock
When the programme reached Miss Bea-
trice Beck
With Silver Threads Among The Gold"
And a curnet solo by Oscar Smold
Followed by the forecast Fair aud eUld."
LATER
1t was o'clock by Arlington time
When q speaker gave a talk on crime
And half past two when q spoutinE dub
Told of the work Of the Rotary Club /!
STILL LATER
1t was 3 a. m. the chilly morn
When fellow played on sour French
And ladx name Matilda Lnwe
Gave the radio fans harp solo.
LATER YET
# was 4 O'Clock when the Charlsstuwn band.
Then up ard gave mp some jazz just
But then our Paul let out siadt
And GUESSED the radio programmes oat;
And he cried I've got to horn i'm here
And speak my peace out loud and clear
Ii we don't well lose our esuntry dear!
You birds arouad your radio set
just take this tip AZ your one hest bet
The important news in the air tonight
Is this The British are out to fight!
For the past five hours they've been on
the go
I've been doing my darndest to tell you so
So spread the voice of Paul Revere
Broadcast in the night when his cry of
alarm
To every Middlesex village and farmi
The result of course, you fans all know
Twas blame good stunt fur the radio