The Nashville globe. [volume], August 29, 1913, Page 2, Image 2

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2
NASHVILLE GLOBE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1913,
UNHONORED
AND UNSUNG.
ANTHONY WILLIAMS HERO OF BAT
TLE OF LAKE ERIE FALLS AH
UNMARKED GRAVE.
?imv
mot In r.
Facts in the Life ot An
thony Williams.
Cfcance some times rescues from
blivion the name3 of some of the
world's grandest heroes. "Unhonored
and unsung," have gone down into
saint less graves many men, whose
valor on gorey battlefields, whose
influence for good, whose mrntyrdom
for truth and right should place
fueir names, if known, far up in the
temple of fame.
The shoulder straps on which
blares the. generals star always at
tracts attention to a military parade,
and we a-,k, "Who is that fine look
ing officer?" while the blue-coated,
nalnlcd. with armless sleeve, limps
'
by unnoticed.
We admiringly Raze upon a mag'
nificent painting of some great bat
tie, so true to life that we can almost
hear the dying groans and see the
lin as they, for the last
breathe the name ol wne 01
v. :.sk unci are XOiQ u-
name of the wounded general fall
ing from his horse, ami the name of
the brave colonel vvno has fallen
.. .!..,! ,.t;hie of the forhucatious ;
but none can tell us, even it we thm
lo a,k the names of the brave men
who, facing death, are carrying their
wounded general from the field, or
who have leaned over the parapet,
facing; bayonet ami shell, and at the
nsk of their own lives, rescue their
ble-eding colonel fiom death or capture.
How many or tne millions 01 men
Hud women who have gazed in silent
nwe at that great painting on the
wall of the nation's capitol, showing
that daring passive of Commodore
Perry and eight others in an open
boat, from the Hag ship Lawrence to
the Niagara, during the terrible bat
tie of Lake Eire, September 10, 1S13,
remember of noticing anyone except
Commodore Perry and his noble
son? Yet, there were, seven other
heroes in that boat, and mere chance
has -brought to light the name and
history of one of them.
On lookine at this painting, or at
Its photographic reproduction, one
will see a colored oarsman on uie
left side of the boat with uplifted
hand. The name of this Afro-Amrei-an
is Anthony Williams, and, as the
sequel will show, no braver man
fought under that Immortal hero
who said on the afternoon of Sep
tember 10. 1813: "We have met the
enemy and they are ours."
Anthony Williams was born in
Salem, Mass, and "went to Erie, Pa.,
in 1813, with Capt. Elliott, who com
manded the Niagara in the battle of
Lake Erie until the Lawrence was
disabled, after which Commodore
Perry made It his flagship. Anthony
Williams as brave as a lion
was possessed of more than ordinary
intelligence, which Commodore Perry
mas quick to perceive and at once
r gave him a position at one of the
- guns, ' nd his duty was to "ram
;-nomo,, the load. He soon famlllar-
ieed himself with every detail, and
- before the memorable battle he could
fill, acceptably, any postiion at the
gUMS. To give a jusi account vi
part that Anthony William took in
this engagement will be to give a
v.fcistory of this memorable battle.
Jt will be remembered that the
flriMsh fleet was commnaded by Com
modore Robert . J
skillful and experienced naval officer
Sho had nerved with Nelson on the
Ni and at Trafalgar, and consisted
of nix vessels, inciuuiuB
Ttrongly-built Detroit, manned with
102 well drilled officers and men and
SarrK OS guns, 35 of which were
?"J L .Sii,. the American squad-
5 6 con 1st of nine small vessels car
?ng hut 54 guns of shorter range.
Anthony Williams was born in
Salem, Mass.. about 1792 or 93. the
exact date of his birth is not re
corded. He left Salem and went
to Erie. Pa., in company with Capt.
Elliott, who was appointed com
mander and who served as such on
the Niagara in the Battle of Lake
Erie. He enlisted and served from
1812 to 1S15 in the Navy and died
in Meadvillo. Pa., in 1833 The
only facts of his family mention a
son by the name of John Williams
who was born in Erie, Pa., July 4,
1S24 and who said to have lived
there years, afterwards, then moved
toCorry, Pa., where he engaged in
the restuarant business. He kept
and was proud of the documents
presented to his father from the
United States Government, ana
he kept them and exhibited them
with much pride Here practically
all trace is lost of the family until
it i3 taken up and re-estabtished in
one C. A. Dickson, after whose
death the Anthony Williams family
will be extinct, as Mr. Dickson is
said to be fifty-odd years old and
has never been married.
ron, and on board the Lawrence dur
ing the whole engagtnient, told me
that in a conversation with Dr. Per
son about the time be delivered his
memorable addre33 at. Cleveland, the
doctor, in describing the battle of
Lake Erie, told him of the prodigious
acts of valor performed by a colored
man by the name of Williams. The
writer was also told many years ago,
substantially the same facta if a
friend who had learned them from
Dr. Taliaferro ana Lieut. Yarnall of
Commodore Perry's flag ship. These
facte had entirely slipped from the
writer's memory until last summer
while on a visit to Corry, Pa., he, by
chance, met John WTliarns, the only
surviving child of Anthony Williams,
who showed him some old letters
and documents, dim and yellow with
age, that not on'y brought to mind,
but corroborate beyond the possibility
of a doubt the information received
many years before in regard to these
most wonderful deeds of valor of
Anthony Williams in the great battle
of Lake Erie.
Anthony Williams died In Mead
ville. Pa., about the year 1834.
t ! It niMv owm Him n rtl rres.sinn . hilt
we should not close this article with
out giving a little space to his wor
thy sou.
John Williams is a respected and
prosperous restauranteur in the
hustling city of Corry, Pa. He was
born in Erie, Pa., July 4, 1824. There
is white and Indian, as well as Afri
can blood, in his veins1; his mother
wa3 descended from the "Six Na
tions'," whilt his maternal grand
father was a Dutchman. In 187G
! a small white spot appeared on his
the better understand the, part that 1 wrist, other white spots appeareo
our hero. Anthony Williams, took in J0
ta.it terrible carnival of death.
As has beeu iated, he was a gun
ner on board the Hag ship Lawrence.,
The lirst and second lires from the j
liritish ships killed or wounded seven J
men at his gun. The gun was ;
manned as before and sent her bolts '
of death into the British flagship,'
uisinounting one of her guns, and
and face, until now he is almost en
lirely white. Nature see msotbe bg
lie, Uf lucst lann aim iigmrs iu
prose, in poetry or in paintings. Af
ter a lapse of seventy years, which
of iLself was thirty years after the
battle, agitaclon has practically
ceased that will give this black hero
credit for anything or any part tak
en in the conflict. It would seem
that a quiet and persistent process
ot elimination was Inaugurated years
ago, as it has been forty years since!
that have been put rorwara in me
Mr. A. D. Colgrove, the proprietor
and editor of the Correy, Pa., Jour-
nnl, permitted an extensive article
to acpear under the caption of;
"Colored Heroes' that gave the last ; J
description of Africa s aescencient, a
born American, and an enlisted sea
man, who was given some attention j I
and every possible consideration by
Commodore Perry himself, who, dur
ing peaceful sailing upon a placid
lake, recognized by all of the sea
men and who during the dent of the
terrible conflict was confident that
the words of Captain Lawrence, t
"Don't give up the ship," that were ,
inscribed upon the flag which float-
ed upon his battleship, was sufficient
to encourage his men on to -greater
victory, which resulted in a complete
capture of the British squadron.
Among the brightest stars in the
history that shine firth with 6uch
lustre, though their faces have been
handed down or painted a black,
will appear that of Anthony Williams,
horn in Salem, Mass., who enlisted
with Commodore Perry on January
20, 1S13. As a school boy remem
bers the name of Hannibal the great
Carthagenian, who Is said to have
scaled the Alps and fallen upon the
Romans and stripped their fingers of
bushels of rings as he remembers
the great General Toussaint L'Ou
verture, who struck at the English
Naval Department on An
thony Williams,
Record of Anthony Williams as Found
on the Rolls of the Lake Erie Stat
ion for 1812-15 now In the Lib
rary and Naval War Records
Found at Washington, D. G.
Aathony Williams, boy.
Entered on the rolls. Lake Erie
Station No 247. January 20. 1813.
"On Board" (ship's name not given)
May 27. 1813.
Aathony William. Boy.
Entered on. roll of the "Niagara"
at Erie. No. 325. February 26. 1814.
Anthony Williams, Roy.
On Roll of the "Lake Erie" stat
ion. No. 82. May 17. 1814. Trans
ferred to the Roll of Purser Timber
lake November 22, 1814. Expira
tion of Service.
Anthony Williams Ordinary Seaman.
Entered No. 82, Roll of the "Law
rence" with "Lieut. Yarnall," No
vember 23, 1814. Term of service
expired March 27, 1815, Signed pay
roll with his "X Mark," name writ
ten in bolow.
In "Samuel Hambleton's story of
the distribution of the prize money
on Lake Erie.'Mt is shown that An
thony Williams, boy, received
$214.89. December 20, 1814, padi
to G. Sanford per order.
:
. iv . i ' r i t i e n f-:i 1 1 1 17 1 1 iv
the sick list, ano im l "
vere TOry small, carrying but one
But very few of Commodore Per--J;
m,n and had any naval experl-
Ja r tralninff whatever, and many
had never seen a ship or gunboat u
n fow rUvs before the battle. T.
o mntlev crowd of hunters, fron-
irrv, nnil militia, whose redeem-
omntprktle were bravery and
;.trmo to fiKht. The superiority
of the enemy in numbers and in phy;
trn nnd discipline was evi
dent to Commodore Perry, but the
e.a f hie men to lenrn their
' ii,oi onviptv to meet the1
OULItl), 111' 'I t"-w
enemy, and their prompt and hearty
' w ave. sir." when
,rsAr,r.. Prrrv. holding up hi
flaff, said: "My brave lads, this flag
nnn't cive up tne smr.
shall I h'oM It?" It save Commodore
Perry confidence In the result of the
t'i.l- fiif TTo believed that
eueh bravery and patriotism wouM
Tield to nothing except death, and
thp result showed that his confident
In his men was not mlsplacen.
rru rviMch incqpa were forty-On
killed and ninety-four woiindod Th
anrtoTK, inKt twenty-seven klllPd an
m;,wItv.KlT- wounded. Of the twenty.
irin onrf r,lnetv-s1x woiinde
tho Amerlenn fl.ot. twenty-two of
of th
hoard the fl-ig sni
lAvnn'rr. maklnt? eiehty-three ym
cA .Tiri won-ndod out of one hiinnre
, rrnmrted fit for dutv 0
bonrd fh- Lawrenre on the mornitier
tile fb.lVile. 1 "Hirr" vjw two kiH'-i
find 'tptvthrer- wonnrted on on.un
wu wuiJirrr twrn1v-twr rrf'.'wnnrrn
t.ljr- 1 " -
'moflorp rerrr tonv comd of--hr
We have refers to th""e h!-tnrl-ffI
firt in the hh-ndv battle of T,
r ?n order tht the reader may
i. 4.1 '
uiiiius uiosl ol Us ciew, out me nw.v
iiibtaiit nine men from Williams' bat-j
ury were swept off by the British
fire. Our hero cu'oly and tenderly!
ivuioved the dead and wounded from:
aunil the gun aud began t' reload,!
as it was being rcmanned for the
third time. Six times this battery
.sent its missiles of death and de
struction into the British ships and
wa.i about to give them another
round when a welt-uirected fihot from
the enemy's guns killed or wounded
eight men, leaving only Williams and
one other man at the gun. The deck
was drenched and slippery with
blood and was literally covered with
the dead and wouuded. Amid the
slorm of shot unci shell and flying
splinters and the vessel disabled and
unmanagable, slowly drifting away.
Anthony Williams carefully stepping
over the bodies of the dead and
wounded, cooly proceeded to "swab
out" and reload his gun, crying out
to Commodore Perry, "Send me
enough men, if ycu have them, to
pull out the gun and we Will give
them another shot." The gun was
manned for the fourth time, but most
of the men had been wuonded and:
were weak from the loss of blood,'
and while pulling at the ropes a heavy
broadside from Commodore Barclay's
flag ship, dismounted their cannon,
killing every man at the gun except
Anthony Williams.
, The Lawrence, having become un
manageable, was allowed to drift out
of the range of the British gun,
while Commodore Perry, having se
lected seven of hi3 bravest survivors,
was being rowed with his son to the
Niagara. This daring movement was
safely accomplished, although shot
and shell from the combined British
fleet was falling thick and fast
around. Truly the same Providence
that shielded the Hebrew children in
the fiery furnace protected these
brave men.
After Commodore Perry took com
mand of the Niagara, Anthony Wil
liams was placed in charge of one
of her guns. The battle raged fierce
ly for nearly thirty minutes, between
the Niagara and British ships b
fore Commodore Barclay haul;d
down his colors, during which time
twenty-two of her men were killed or
wounded and thus ended one of the
bloodiest naval battles of the world's
history. On board the Lawrence
very man but seven reported able
for duty on the morning of the baltle
and was either killed or wounded.
I
--
4 $Kv5
A4 .
'AAtv
ONLY SURVIVOR
OF A. WILLIAMS
Continued Form Page One
TUB BAT I' I A- .OF LAKE ERIE.
tirely white. Nature seems to be
trying an experiment on him, in
turning him white, as a reward for
being a most worthy son of a noble,
heroic father. John Williams is
proud of his father's heroism, and
why should he not be? The world's
history of war.s records no greater
bravery, no more heroic contempt of
death, no greater devotion to the
flag, no more unsullied patriotism,
and no more miraculous escape and
preservation from wounds and death,
than the- above facts in regara 10
Anthony Williams. From Corry
Journal, A. D. Colgrove, Proprietor
and Editor.
NEGRO HEROISM
SAVES NATION
ONE HUNDRETH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE
Jhis voucher), 0. Sanford, per order.
This is under the head of page 215
of Samuel Hambleton's Account of
the distribution of the, prize money
jof Lake Brie."
i The writer of this letter assisted
: Mr. Dickson greatly, as will be seen
from the ouotation below: "I am
I taking the liberty to send a copy of
j your letter to Mr. James Cooke
I Mills, of Saginaw, Mich. Mr. Mills
ilias just published a most interest
I ing book "Oliver Hazard Perry and
1'he Pattle of Lake Erie." He has
j spent two years or more in careful
! research on the subject ana it seems
j ps though he, if anyone-, would have
j seen some reference to the man An
. thony Williams. His book, contains
Ian illustration which clearly shows
ja colored man In the small boat and
you would enjoy the book, I am
- sure." ' -.!
In Mr. Dickson's effort to get In-
and they fell, who confronted the ; formation from the state depart
Spaniards and they disappeared andiment at Erie, Pa., he was not siuc
put his feet upon the proudest of cessful. There are other interest
the French soldiers, became conquer- ing facts pertaining to the life of
or and dictator of one of the greatest' Mr. Dickson, especially that side In
isles in the Antilles, Haiti, so should which he shows confidence in the
he be taught to honor and revere race.' He was prominemitaly con
the name of Anthony Williams, nected with the Union Transporta
Bringlng about this will not be ac- Hon Company of this city and Is a
complished any more than were the ! subscriber and a stockholder In
facts brought about except by tne n,ore Negro banks in the United
dint and courage and the persistency gtate8 than any other one Individual,
search that has been going on un-i,T hag lSOwevet. never put foot on
ceasingly for a number of years. the soll jn the sont neither has he
More historic and more interesting ! ever crossed the Mason and Dixon
than the average mind would con- unei but ihas steadfastly shown by
ceive is the very fact itself that one the investments made and the ao
hundred years ago, while in some ; quaintances formed the loyalty and
sections of the United States chattel dev)tion for ,the people he Is identl
slavery existed, a black man was , fie(j wjtjj
perrorming aeeas or vaior unuer iuc
Through the enterprising efforts
of a distant relative of Anthony
This was not only a great but a
most important victory. Through an
inexcusable blunder, if not treachery
of Gen. Hall, .we had lost Michigan
and the northwest. This victory not
only checked the P.ritifh in the north-1
west, but restored this region to us
and was virtually the turning point
of the war of 112, and the fact that
this dociisve victory was the first
one our neet ever gainea over a
snuadron and was achieved over a
superior force f well disciplined
men, commanded hv an officer who
had served under Nelson, and bore
upon his person marks of that ad
nifrnl' erentest victory, will ever
r.it the brightest luster upon every
American hero who participated in
the battle of Lako Erie.
It has been said, "that Nelson trl
uniphed over Frenchmen and Span
lards and Perry was called on to meet
the connueror of these, led, more
nvnr. hv a veteran formed In th"
school of Nelson, that the battle o
Trafalgar was won by the whole Brit
ish ficet over a part of t'jat of the!
allies, and the battle of Lake Erie
was won over the whole British
squadron by only a part of ours."
Commodore Perry, from the first, en
caged the enemy at close quarters,
in order to eel the benefit or his
c;monado . following the advice of
Lord Nelson: "If you lay your rnrmv
close alongside, you cannot be out
Of yntir place."
Ml will be .asked, perhaps, hv ihe
writer 'learned the above sta'M f:iets
In regard to Anthony Wiliintv.- ana
why they were- not hianV knosrn to
flie' World long apo. . ' ' " . " ;
thirtr
.in
A the one hundredth anniversary
of the battle of Lake Erie approach
es, more facts, more data and more
information have come to light to
show that a Negro by the name of
Anthony Williams was one of the
tight heroi'3 or the battle mentioned
with Commodore Perry, and that this
same. Negro exercised bravery, hero
ism and gallantry Indescribable. The
naval records are -very clear on An
thony Williams, and yet notwith
Maudins one hundred years have
passed since this gorey conflict on
Lake Erie stirred patriotism through
out tln Union, it has been forty years
since any publication or any articles
have appeared in magazine or news
paper that would cliarly show th?
part that this black man took in
this naval demonstration, recorded as
oiu- of the world's greatest battles
On the sea. A movement was set on
foot months and months ago by the
only surviving relative of this fam
ily, who now resides in the western
part o
Stars and Stripes. The war of 1812
was practically won by the decisive
vlntnrir nt Pnmmniliir Pfrrv on Take
k-h.. nnrrv-a Journal ndmit, that Williams, the Buffalo, N. Y. Ceniten
but for the fortitude and the courage nlal Commission, having in charge
of Anthony Williams, who was the for a big 100th anniversary celebra
sole survivor of his ship, who was j tlon to be held In Buffalo, has de
courageous enough to stick tojeided to recognize dn this celebra
his post of duty, and who.tion the merits of the claims of his
afterwards joined the Commodore, ! only eurviving relative. Anthony
the story would have been different j Willams, who was one of the eight
and history would have recorded oth- j heroes responsible for Commodore
er facts. The paintings of artists, j Perry's great victory In the Battle
the writings of historians and the : 0f Lafce Erie.
data compiled by statisticians are Announcement of the Perry Cen-
suDDosed generally not to know I ton nlal celebration was made some
color or creed, nationality or racial itlme a?:0 an(j jn connection with It
differences, but to record the achieve-1 . 4. RatA to ave forgotten
mcnts of American citizens. Werewllole of the united States to get
it not, therefore, for Mr. C. A. Dick-, lnisinesg and SCOured almost the
son. who Is the only surviving rela-l , f f-matirvn ttint would
tive of Anthony Williams, historians bflck tQ the mlndg of
the American people the true ana
1 .1 J M
in years to come wouio. oe poiiuti'
inc over hidden facts that are al
1 1 I - -1 lit. XlJ HAn.M
ready now nunea wiui iuw t,wnu , , ,. mpn hn wfl t1le sole repre.
'renl identity of at least one of the
nnu nave omy Deen nrousin uuiu iu ; - . a rao. m, niimherin2
archives of hidden mystery by Mr. " ' lp n is
ny Williams as he wns, when he en-
ll-t-d. Anthony Williams xnrougn
it not been that there appears to-be
an underlying current at work to
the wars of 1813 and Anthony Wil-1 discredit the recognition given ana
liamq a retired oeamnn, whose ser-Uo discount all of the honor accorded
A. N. JOHNSON TO REMAIN IN NASHVILLE.
I suppose It Is one of the part ol
competition to take advantage on
every occasion and in every way, to
succeed. Such has not been my prac
tice during the twenty years of my
business experience. The rumor
that I am to give up any of my busi
ness Interests in Nashville is abso
lutely false and without a particle
of truth. My success In Nashville
has teen phenomenal and exceeded
my expectation. The people have
given me hearty support, and have
not only trusted me with their fun
erals but have signally honored me
on many occasions. When I first
opened business, the opposition said
I would not succeed; but I have suc
ceeded. They said I would not re
main here, but having acquired the
most centrally located and best busi
ness property, right down In the cen
ter of the city, they quit such false
rumors and raised the cry that I was
no born In Nashville and appealed
to every specie of prejudice known
to burden the rapid progress I was
making. Instead of retarding my
progress, every knock has beea a
boost and I have revolutionized the
undertaking business In Nashville
and given the public the highest
class service of any competitor In
the business and done the business
at the most reasonable price.
There should bo In the breast of
every parent a desire to help their
offspring. This is an age when every
father wishes to keep his son. Every
white man of business ability, either
takes his son as partner, or sots him
up in business when the boy de
velops a capacity for business. Tho
thinking men of the Negro race are
doing the same thing. Nashville has
taken the lead in that direction. It
has been a common comment how
that Dr. It. II. Boyd Is placing his
mantle upon the shoulders of his
son; how Hon. J. C. Napier upon his
nephew, Dr. E. W. D. Isaac upon his
son, and we might name others who
are doing the same.
Some twenty years ago, I establish
ed a modest undertaking establish
ment nnd n small newspaper in Mo
bile, Ala., both of which grew from
small to magnificent dimensions.
Seven years ago with two youn?
boys, I gave up business in Mobile
and brought my boys to Nashville
and went Into the undertaking busi
ness, and placed my boys In Meharry,
These boys are well known to the
Nashvillt public. The younger son,
A. N. Johnson, Jr., is engaged la
the practice of medicine, having
passed the Board of Medical Examin
ers of several States, and spent some
time under an older physician and
in hospital service before seeking gtn- .
eral practice. j
My older son, Lorenzo E.' Johnson,,
decided that he wanted to engage In
the undertaking business; following
the same profession as his father.
He recently married, as is well
known, and a,s a father should do
I began to prepare to put him in
business that he might' prove him-
sell a man and nave a man s cnance.
Upon the solicitation of the own
ers of the undertaking and printing
business, which 1 established In Mo
bile, some years ago, I' came to
Mobile to negotiate for its purchase
and launch my son on November 1st.
After reaching Mobile, where" I have
lived the most of my life, and where
the people know and love -jne best,.
I was induced to taKe charge of the
entire business at once, which I did.
Buying the stock of the People's Un
dertaking Co., the Acme Drug Store,
the Mobile Weekly Press and Press
Publishing Co.s I am necessarily
detained In Mobile to readjust the
machinery of these concerns and put
them in running order, which must
necessarily take some time. This I
possibly much detail, but all my life
I have concealed nothing in business
affairs and trusted the public -who
give me support.
The johnson-Allen Undertaking
Company, of Mobile, Is composed of
A. N. Johnson, president; C. W. Al
len, vice president; L. E. Johnson,
secretary; and is owned by A. N.
Johnson, L. E. Johnson, A. N. John
son, Jr., C. W. Allen and J. B. Allen;
Incorporated under the laws of the
State of Alabama, and is absolutely
nnd entirely separate and distinct
from A. N. JOHNSON UNDERTAK
ING COMPANY, of Nashville, Tenn.
In this age of progress a man
with business qualifications will In
vest in any place where it promises
him success, and with the paternal
love that is in every decent mans
breast, I have acquired the Mobile
business, to which my son i3 soon t
attach himself. It was in Mobil
where I learned the business, where
I met success, whtre I made a small
fortune and wher? thousands of peo
ple love me and esteem me and are
glad to give me and my son buslnesfl.
This method of creating false ru
mors Is in keeping with other forma
of opposition by people who want to
the r-ole
to the
oliserv"'
."ary of
Buffalo,
gotten
vices had not only Deen recognizeu , mis parueu.ar muiviuuui iu pd b olher methotla than nign
v.. r. onri nnch enn- i nnatoriv which is regarded as a . ' , , .
ny ivrtivuift u i" i i-w....j, -
Mo'" th-n!
old pioneer" of Erfr County. Pa., and
nn intimate friend of Dr. Usher
Persons, acting sur ; -m of tlif -iiad-
the state of New York, for
purpose, first, of presenting
Perrv Centennial, that will
the one hundredth nnniver
tlm Battle of Lake Erie 111
September 2-7, 1913, for
farts and long buried evi
dences of the galkntry of Anthony
Williams, who was a N''gro; s-cond,
to h. mil down to posterity and un
born generations historical data that
will convince beyond any question of
a doubt that Negroes have not only
taken part In all battles of note that
have been fought on American soil.
but tint they have distinguished
them-elvea on high seas wherever the
Stars nnd Stripes have floated.
It Is reported thnt the fnmous
painting showing Commodore Perry
passing between the British lines in
a row boat manned by a parry oi
eight, of which Commodore Perry
and his son were a part, showing
conspicuously a black face. and
which picture hung In the National
Capitol for year", giving inspiration
to the black boy, nas Deen removeu
and It is said to have been. sent to
Columbus, Ohio, and to have been
ronifiead hv n nictu-e which did not
show a Necro at -all. It has- often:
been mid that figures do not .jie. )i
this Ik true, It can be well said that
fncts and records in the United
Statm Array and Navy should not
sideration for which he receipted distinee recognition to me isegro m
himself, but paintings from artists the United States,
whose heart nnd mind have been Tlie towns along the Lake have in
willing to give recognition to brav- tnoir respective turns given a week
ery nnd patriotism, wherever theyof festlvltJes in honor of the man
were found. The lat public speech j with . strained crew and
made that gave Antnony wim n cnin0iy built ships wrote his name
tne ivegro, any pn "i nnj oum
the Battle of Lake Erie was made
In 1813 hv Dr. Parsons in a memo-
-' . .i i j rt, ; I w
rn address at ' UmMed on Lake Erie, so very close
wnicn UP lit sei iio u- in'- ".-i
I so brightly upon the pages of his
I tnrv hv the achievements accom-
i ' " j j
plished in daring efforts.
Buffalo,
Erie. Among those wno nearn mis
address was Dr. Benjamin Grant,
who was the oldest pioneer in Erls
County, Penn., and who is said to
have been an intimate friend of
Dr. Usher Tarsons, who wa active
set Ik ant of the snuadron on hoard
the Lawrence during the whole en
gagement. It can therefore be een
hat from tenerntlon to generation
has come down, ns It were, "the fhln-
Ine way" the true story of Antnonv
Williams, the black nero who fought
side by side with Commodore rerry
in the Battle or Lake une. urn-ranees
nnd wrltlnei that were true
ctatements from Dr. Taliaferro nnd
Lieut. Yarnell, or Commodore Perry
fla shin, nre in pretence now br
their relatives and frlerfl-. In Nortn
nn ,PennvlvanIa.nnd Western .New
York that give evidence? of the hte;a
resneet nnd thf most .profound appre
ciation during their Iirelime oi An
thony Williams, the seaman and
hero.
to Niagara Falls, enjoys perhaps
no other city of its size in tne
T'nited States can boast of, 1. e., Its
close proximity to one of the won
ders of the world. It Is estimateo
thnt there are about two thousand
Negroes In this city and that they,
because of the ' establishment ot the
einlm of the survivor or Anthony
Williams, will be the beneficiaries
in point or attention brought about
1n the main by what Mr. C. A. Dick-
Ron has been responsible lor. tnou
sands of people will throng to the
rlty to take part In the celebration
rorward to eclipse even. "old home
u-ppk" because It will be a-national
affair. They will come from the
Dominion or Can ad av .Britain and the
Canadian will declare holidays, for
this, occasion and the r,enL, heroes -or
the 'Battle, of Lake Erie wM once
more, wltnout respect no mm m
color, be mentioned, honored and
revered as of yore.
class service. Instead of giving up
business in Nashville, I have Just
begun the fight, and with the help
of my sons I shall be more able to
render service of the superior kind
than in the past. '
My son, Lorenzo E. Johnson, Is In
charge of my business, and fully ca
pable to render any service In Un
dertaking. There are four graduated
and licensed embaimers in my Nash
ville business and they are experts
in their profession. My absence here
In Mobile is no longer than the vaca
tion of the successful business man,
and the thlnktng people will appre
ciate a man who spends the time of
a vacation in setting up a business
for his son, to the man who goes off
spreelng nnd blowing, shoving the
quew and making merry with wine,
womfn and song.
For th next few weeks I shall be
engaged nf Mobile as indicated above,
I shall then be relieved by my son,
who wiW then enter upon his busi
ness career here where his father
has made sucfors. I will then re
turn to Nashville and, as before, glvt
my constant and . serious attention
to my undertaking business.,, . ,
1 ask the .pohlle.to pay .no atten
tion to any rumors aboijt- my. Intentions,-
but 'if they, need fuperior.ifun
eral service 4 pc- tt kmy place, of busi
ness on Cedar street or ring phone
Main 7C3 and get the bet service.
, A. N. JOHNSON,