Evening star., 1932-07-29
VETERANS CUSTER
DRAMA TO CROWD
Spectators in Holiday Mood
as Troops Clear Men From
Lower Avenue.

avenue to await developments yester-
day afternoon. The difference was NJ
one knew the next event on the pro-
gram, and hair-trigger suspense kept
the crowd on its toes.
Curiously enough. women and chill
dren mingled everywhere, apparently
urimpressed by violence only few
hours old, or the potentialities of fixec
bayonets and 6raWn sabers. They were
out to see the show in its entirety, ano
there was a goOd-natured Shift and
scramble for vantage points. first on
the sidewalk before the occupied build
ings, then in the Avenue and north
sidewalk and finally on the vacant lots
to the north.
The soldiers. already heralded by
newspapers hawked through the crowd
were overlong in coming. The crowc
vas restless, good-natured almost to
hilsrity. and very hot under the after
noon sun.
Cavalry Is BoOed.
Sidewalk salesmen did a land-office
business. Hundreds of them sold
lemonade. snow balls" and souvenirs
from vantage points, or threaded the
crowd peddling frozen pudding and
Eskimo pies. Sun-tanned. dilapidated
veterans hawked the bonus marcherS
newspaper.
The stage was all set for the big act
and a good-natured cheer arose from
the spectators, with a mingling of
"boos,' when a line of cavalrymen ap-
peared up Pennsylvania avenue, their
accoutrement glittering in the sun.
Over the scattered shout which went
up from the crowd came unified cheer
from the veterans packed in the win
doWs of the occupied buildings, The
Cavalry. for all the noise the veterans
made might have been riding to their
rescue
No one in the crowd. any more than
the veterans from their high percheS
seemed disposed to take the Cavalry
seriously.
Rather. they might have been wait
ing in a vast open-air theater, for
the soldiers to gallop to the rescue in
some semi melodrama.
Wise Cracks Fly Fast.
1t was a signal for the great Ameri-
can wise-crack
Hold that line, you rookies" bel
lowed a huge veteran. with voice sur
prising like that of a top sergeant.
A trooper riding the line near the
sidewalk started and grinned foolishly
What you got in them pop guns?"
'Whered you get the frog -sticker?"
The cavalrymen were perspiring, their
olive drab shirts dark under the arm
pits, sitting bolt upright on their
horses in a self-conscious manner. OBJ
viously, the crowd remarked, the busi-
ness was new to them.
Ride 'em, boys" heckled veteran
pauSing to make change as he sold an
ice cream bar, Il was a cowboy once
myself" People grinned at the man
and, emboldened, he stepped to the edge
of the sidewalk-"I was holdin' a real
gun before you boys was dry behind
the ears!"
The wisecrack, however, seemed to
awake no rancor. Every one was grin
ming, the veteran, the spectators and
the troopers in a strained sort OF way.
Tanks Are Surprise.
When the tanks numbered up, tht
crowd fairly caught its breath with sur
prise. This was good, this was great
more, even, than they had hoped.
Cheer on cheer volleyed from thu
crowd, as people strained from the side
walks, so eagerly they almost spoiled
the shots of the sound movie men
That, it seemed, was not to be permit
ted, whatever else might happen.
The cavalry and tanks proceeded
through the lanes Of veterans and spec
tators, to rafting accompaniment OF
cheers and the old American raZZberry
brisk and good-natured as If the home
town catcher had muffed fast one
Someone N one of the grim tanks
as if inspired by the raillery. thrust a
wire through an opening in the arnoI
and waved derisive handkerchief al
the crowd This was greeted by another
volley Of cheers.
Up the avenue toward the Capitol q
few blocks, the military had drawn UP
to stand facing the crowd. apparently
while officials went into huddle.
ITS a frame-upl" grinned a veteran
"Come and get our ice cream cones
They're bonus cones and they'll melt
before 1945!"
Troopers Get Orders.
Suddenly a hush ran through the
crowd. The soldiery was approaching
the big show was on! Troopers urgec
their prancing mounts into the crowds
on either sidewalk. ordering the spec
tators to withdraw.
Dfen, women ard children fled. laugh
ing and shouting before the soldiers
back from the north sidewalk, across
the vacant lots TO the north, where
steam shovels bent upon tearing W
pavement for a new street stood idle
at their task The workmen, like the
spectators, were intent on the big show
Hundreds fed across lots, taking
vantage points on fences which linec
construction work and scra milling
aboard dirt trucks and steam shovels.
Feet soldiers we're proceeding up thf
sYenue at double time, confronting witt
fixed bayonets the veterans in their oc-
cupied buildings Soldiers filed in one
side Of either of the two buildings while
veterans began an orderly exit on op-
posite sides.
It was a colorful panorama under thf
rft-rncon Sun-SOldierS with glintils
t2vCnets. the veterans gazing dowT
from the windows of the besieged build
ing. and the Cavalry and tanks drawr
up a few hundred yards up the Avenue
"a panorama which the crowd en-
toyed TO the fullest
Gas Bombs Thrown.
Presently the whisper went arounc
that the men were donning gas masks
Soldiers were seen to unlimber theI
arms, like base ball pitchers warminl
up. Tiny discs glittered in the sun a!
they rose toward the windows or de
scribed arcs IN the direction of veteran
masSed IN the rear. Little puffS O
smoke began 10 float within the partial
ly dismantled buildings and among tn;
breaking ranks of veterans at the rear
Presently. while the spectators shout
ed approval and criticism from afar
the puffs of smoke blended in a sloWl,
moving haze, which rolled along be
fore a southerly breeze and PRESENT.,
reached the spectators two blocks t
the north
Spectators by the thousands. even a
the veterans had done a moment beto.
fed the diffusing vapor, which en-
veloped them in light cloud severa
blocks wide.
Laughing and sneezing, men, womel
and children. fed before the gas Wit
tears streaming from redeemed eyes.
Gas Gets Results.