Evening star., 1932-07-29
FLAME AND SWORD
WIPE OUT NOVELS
Women Weep on Hilltop as
Their Men Make Last
Hopeless StaEd.

Continued From First Page)
the weird sprawling city of tents arc
novels f1ickered with smoky ligh
through the black cover of the low.
hanging Summer night Only an occa.
sional curse or excited threat rose out
Of the silence of approaching doom tC
the ears of the little crowd of onlookers
gathered on the Anacostia hillside above
the camp. where the women and chill
dren hastily evacuated bv the veterans
were hudd'ed about little piles of al
their worldly possessions.
The ramShackle city below was like
some wounded. primeval monster lurk.
ing on the south bank of the Anaccstia
River. breathing heavily. now and ther
emitting a sharp cry of rage or pain
Gusts of its fetid breath rose over thc
hillside. The groteSque beast-hungel
and despair which had found embodi-
ment in these 10 acres CT junk-pile
hovels-was gasping in its death agony
The hunters were closing in upon it.
Impressive Surroundings.
The lights of the Navy Yard end the
AnaccStia Bridge, with the lights of the
city behind them, formed a luminou,
semi-circle in frcnt Of it. A little way
" tAAC HCSI lOSe lIlG OOIIlb Vi lUe zap
1tol. A solitary airplane flew low ovel
the novels and then rose until its lights
seemed to mingle with the few din
stars in the heavens.
The monster was hurt, fatally hurt
But 1t might be capable of one supreme
effort when the hunters came Veterans
crawled cut of the darkness.
such futile, pathetic gesture it was
this naturalization which for weeks
past has enabled them to keep high
sense of human dignity under their
rags. They had rationalized themselves
into the belief that they themSelve7
we're the legitimate defenders of the
Tag, the true representatives of the
American traditions of which it is the
symbol. Their enemies were fighting
under false colors when they displayed
it. Even now the veterans-some of
them-were ready to die for their
flag"
The children were excited. Just
once more, mamma" pleaded a little
boy running back into the camp. The
AnacoStis citizens who had gathered on
the hillside were excited and apprehen-
slve. In their clean white linens they
stood in vivid contrast to the ragged
yemen. Their SympathieS were with
S1e women and their husbands.
The way 1 look at il" said a VOL
groomed Anacostia business man, lis
that these people have been treated
like a tramp cog some man picks up
IN the alley, feeds gives a bed in his
mouse. and then shoots the next morn
Ing when he finds it hes got lice. "
Tnere was a chorus of approval.
Ragged Women Apprehcnsive.
The ragged women were apprehensive
not only for their dntrrr, -,
the dark. This night meant the end of
their home3-for these filthy novels
we're the only homes many of them had
IN the world. Here they had found
shelter Of sort for themselves and
their children after months on the open
reads and in freight trains, sleeping at
night in fields under the stars.
They had come here and brought
WITH them the homely touches of
0onesticity which they retained from
happier days. They sobbed-and all
around them rose the mcurnful cry of
th1 crickets on the hillside.
I. was a forbidden city down below
Along the edge of the hillside walked
the military police" OF the B. Z. F.
Tacy were the spread claws Of the
wounded beast, extended to the edges
o. It's dca.h lair in the darkness.
But once the club-carrying Gordon
was passed and the descent made into
the darkness of the camp much Of the
mystery disappeared. The men were
standing around in confused, angry
groups. They had no plan of defen-e.
Some we're bcasting loudly Of the knives
and guns they had in their pockets.
Others were urging the futility of put
ting up any defense against the 1nfan-
try and Cavalry on the march some
where beyond the luminous seni-circle
across the river State commanders
were striving to get their men in groups.
Orders had been issued that everybody
stand close to his tent or hoVel. There
was a little group in frcnt of head
quarters. man and woman we're
arguing with somebody who seemed 10
ke IN authority.
Woman Refuses to Go.
''For Gods sake get her out Of here.
There1l be shooting in few minutes,
the person in authority was telling the
men.
II won't CO." the hysterical woman
cried. IF he's going to be killed I'm
going to stay here and be killed with
him"
The newspaper men passed on as sus-
picious glanceS began to be cast at
them. Their clothing, dirty and sweat
soaked as it was, was conspicucusly not
that of members Of the B. E. F. Men
were busy in the novels, rolling up tnelr