ELMER McCOWIN--WINNING
WAR CROSSES--VERDICT OF THE FRENCH--THE NEGRO'S FAITH.

A most conspicuous Negro hero of the war, and for that matter of any
race serving with the American army, was Sergeant Henry Johnson of
Albany, N.Y. His exploit was shared by a company mate, Needham Roberts.
For pure bull dog grit and tigerish fighting, the exploit has seldom, if
ever, been equalled in the annals of any war. It resulted in the War
Crosses for each with a special citation, and the whole French force in
that section of the Champagne lined up to see them get the decorations.
Across the red and green ribbon of Johnson's decoration was a golden
palm, signifying extraordinary valor. Johnson was the first private of
any race in the American army to get the palm with his Croix de Guerre.
Here is the story as told in Johnson's own words after his arrival back
in New York:

"There isn't so much to tell", said Johnson with characteristic
modesty. "There wasn't anything so fine about it. Just fought for
my life. A rabbit would have done that.

"Well, anyway, me and Needham Roberts were on patrol duty on May
15. The corporal wanted to send out two new drafted men on the
sentry post for the midnight-to-four job. I told him he was crazy
to send untrained men out there and risk the rest of us. I said I'd
tackle the job, though I needed sleep.

"German snipers had been shooting our way that night and I told the
corporal he wanted men on the job who knew their rifles. He said it
was imagination, but anyway he took those green men off and left
Needham and me on the posts. I went on at midnight. It was
moonlight. Roberts was at the next post. At one o'clock a sniper
took a crack at me from a bush fifty yards away. Pretty soon there
was more firing and when Sergeant Roy Thompson came along I told
him.

"'What's the matter men' he asked, 'You scared?'

"'No I ain't scared', I said, 'I came over here to do my bit and
I'll do it. But I was jes' lettin' you know there's liable to be
some tall scrappin' around this post tonight'. He laughed and went
on, and I began to get ready. They'd a box of hand grenades there
and I took them out of the box and laid them all in a row where
they would be handy. There was about thirty grenades, I guess. I
was goin' to bust that Dutch army in pieces if it bothered me.

"Somewhere arou