July 7, 2025
NEGROES MAINTAIN GUARD.
Grizzled Veterans With Springfields
Patrol Dynamite District.
Two ancient negroes, A. L. Jones and Percy Williams, last night did sentry duty in front of the row of cottages on Highland avenue, between Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth streets. It was in this vicinity that a house was wrecked by dynamite early Monday morning after it had been let to negroes.
The negroes who mounted guard last night had both seen service in the civil war in the capacity of teamsters. They were armed with old regulation Springfield rifles. As they paced slowly up and down the plank sidewalk they swapped stories of war times, or kept step to "hay-foot! straw-foot!" according to a system said to have been employed by the drill masters of '61.
"Seems powerful lonely out here," said one of the sentinels, bringing his weapon to parade rest when accosted by a lone reporter in the twilight of a flickering arc lamp.
"When are you relieved?" was asked.
"Not until morning."
"Going to carry that heavy rifle around with you all the time?"
"Certainly; this is soldiering," was the answer.
No clues as to the dynamiting have been discovered by the police of No. 6 station.
Labels: Civil War, guns, Highland avenue, race, Seniors, Twenty-eighth street, Twenty-seventh street
