Salt Lake Telegram | 1918-06-11 | Page 8 | Colored Soldiers like to Use Bayonet

COLORED SOLDIERS S LIKE TO USE BAYONET I Are Proving Their Worth in inFighting inFighting inFighting Fighting on n Front in France Copyright 1918 Press Publishing Co By ROBERT EDGREN NEW YORK June 11 The H-The The American negro soldiers are already giving the Germans a taste of ot their fighting quality ity Men of their race can feel extremely extreme extreme- ly Iy proud of Private Needham Roberts and Private Henry Johnson both extreme I fron from New York who have received the French Croix de Guerre for heroic fighting The performances of Roberts and Johnson Johnson Johnson John John- son were just what might have been ex ea expected I petted Down at Upton the other soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers watched the negro regiment stationed sea sta sta-I sta there a couple of ot months ago with the tho greatest Interest I Those boys certainly do love th the bayonet bayonet bay bay- onet said an officer to me orie one day when we were watching the d darkles ai at work And they certainly did Cold steel Is the natural weapon of the African He has been bred to handling it during many centuries of ot hand to hand fighting fight fight- fight I ing lag with assegai and heavy knife The negro negro regiment went ent through bayonet i practice with all the fury of or actual combat com- com comI I bat t I IThe The negro regiments will do great i fighting in this warThe war I I The feats of ot Roberts and Johnson already already al al- al- al ready described in the news deserve fa b. place In history Surprised in an outpost outpost outpost out out- post by two dozen Germans on patrol and after prisoners Roberts was knocked down and wounded by bursting hand grenades Lying g on the ground he threw I I i st grenades at the ga a advancing Germans m with f his left hand his right being disabled Meanwhile Johnson Killed one German with a rifle shot and another with his clubbed dubbed gun sun and was struck by three revolver bullets Three Germans seized the wounded Roberts to drag him awa away and Johnson turned and rushed at them Killing two with his heavy bolo knife This broke up the party The remaining Germans panic stricken by su such h furious Curious r resistance retreated Johnson before he lie I I collapsed hurled one more grenade I i All of these negro infantrymen are trained boxers and wonders with the I gloves