The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1938-09-24
MATARO

m" ft@t h"~' ttAs ttiR7s aUt'
comes McDaniels. Hero OF the
Ebro. He y among the white ard
colored wounded now recovering ia
the Military Hospital at Mataro.
He s black.-as black az human
skin ever eets.-and black all over,
every inch OF him.
When saw him a nurse was
dressing the wound in his left thigh
whore a Fascist bullet went in.-
and he had not a rag Of clothes on.
40 time for the conventions Of fools
in this hospital. And this girl. she
is an American. white, from Nc
Daniels own country. There are
many nailonalilies lin this hospi-
tai. among patients. nurses and doc
tors. In the worsi--case ward | met
an English girl just two weeks in.
nursing men OF great war fractures
some OF them crying out with pain.
But back TO Mcdaniel. He was
smiling. as the nurse swabbed the
red bullet hole in his black hide.
The bullet il still in there. in three
pieces II was hellish explosive
bullet, used by devils and Fascis,s.
They thought they had bette.
get me from the distance said
McDsniels This was not a boast: II
was no sruth. This black boy. ol
San Francisco. put to route whole
compnv Of Italian Fascists by
thriving so-odd handgrenades at
them. Next time said L. III they
will give You 2 truck load ~ gre
nades. you'l drive our the whole
Fascist army Thai deepened his
smile. He IL itching 70 get back 70
the front.
When tho Loyalisis were retreat
ing over the Ebro. IN an earlier en-
garemenf. he carried his machine
gun. with bullets FIXING past him
10 the Ehro and was going over The
bridge with H. Part Of the bridge
hlew M ahead nj him and this dark
Hercules actually threw the ma
chine Gun towar the forward bank
of the river. stripped of all his
clothes and swan across faster
than the Fascist bullets which came
after him
No wonder that the Spanish arm,
has literally carried him or :heir
shoulders and hguratiyely IN heir
hearts ever since.
There are few other black boys
in this military hospital. hut
want 10 speak Of one, Of Joe J >e
TAYLOR OF ST. Louis when ! APP
preached one hig ward heard sing
iny. great group singing and said
70 commissar. "Ah. Negroes IN
that ward. singing But when
opened The door. there Was Joe
Taylor. The only Negro in the
place, All the resi- being Spanish.
English and other white boys and
the girl nurse all sitting up on The
beds. and Joe leading them in a
song about Come on Mule
Al The piano was a white hoy
with an injured shoulder or hack:
and orhor white hoye had griiars
and mouth organs--and they.
Spanish. French male and female.
were following Joes lead in ,he
good American Negro songs. They
have II surgeons many nurses aud
chemists ana attendants in this
hospital. hut Joe Taylor Is better
medicine" than all the others put
together Not a person in the
place. including the surgeons and
nurses. would dispute that proposi-
iion.
There il no way for me 10 con
vev this situation 10 any one else.
II must he seen and felt 10 10 half
understood There are all wrecks
Of The human body: broken feet
broken legs. broken arms. fractur-
ed heads. shattered bodies --some
hair dead. some dying. Some OF the
head injuries leave permanent
nerve injuries. some violent minds.
And what Is II all about? These
people are on the defensive. tell
you.--defendine their homes. fami-
lies. lands.--iuture. Their defense
rs the defense Of the oppressed
evs rywhere. Their failure would
be he general loss OF all who are
down. The Negro belongs in this
fight.
Oscar Hunter. once STUDENT Of
West Virginia State. Ia political
commissar here to which position
he rose In months after coming
here.
l.sc Spanish fight Is a world fight.