“Pages of history” features excerpts from The News Journal archives including The Morning News and the Every Evening.
April 3, 1917, Every Evening
U.S. actually at war; Congress certain to back Wilson’s stand
The United States really is at war with the German Empire today, the action awaiting only the formal recognition of Congress.
The administration resolution declaring a state of war exists with Germany and directing President Wilson to prosecute a war…was presented to the Senate today.
Sen. Hitchcock, for the Foreign Relations Committee, asked unanimous consent for its immediate consideration. Sen. La Follette objected and it went over under the rules for one day….
House leaders predicted unanimous support to the President….
Every agency was moving to gird the nation against the German government which President Wilson in his address to Congress last night characterized as a natural foe to liberty.
The cabinet, at a war session today, was to discuss the extension of credits to the nations already at war against Germany; the raising of money by taxation for use of the United States in the war; the equipment of the navy to the fullest state of efficiency to cope with the submarine menace and the raising of a great army – the first increment of which is to be 500,000 men….
Wilmingtonian on torpedoed Aztec
When the story is told of the Aztec, the second armed American merchant vessel to sail from an Atlantic seaport, sunk by a German submarine Sunday night, it may be a recital of the bravery of 26-year-old Herbert Collins, engineer of the boat, whose home is at East Fifth Street, Wilmington.
What fate he met when the U-boat torpedoed the Aztec is not known yet….
When Collins was 12, he took a great liking to the water. All of his spare time was spent on the creeks and rivers around the city.
He was a well-built boy and soon succeeded in getting work on a United Fruit Company steamer. His first trip was to Jamaica. The vessel encountered a severe storm. Some of the crew became frightened and refused to remain on deck. Young Collins told the officers he would do all that was possible and in spite of the rough seas and the desertion of the older crew members, the boy remained at his post until the storm passed.
It was this same determination and devotion to duty that won him quick promotion….
He has been on voyages to Australia, China, Japan, Alaska and “around the Horn.”
On the east side of this city, where his mother has made a home for a number of years, everyone speaks highly of the “fine young seaman.”
The freighter Aztec steamed from New York for Havre March 18 with a full cargo of foodstuffs and supplies. She was less than 100 miles from port when torpedoed. This fact has given hope to her owners that all the crew may be saved if they had an opportunity to take to the boats….
SUBMARINE IN WILMINGTON:A nuclear submarine bearing Delaware’s name is coming to Wilmington’s port. What to know
April 5, 1968, The Morning News
Dr. King slain by sniper in Memphis
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Prize-winning civil rights leader, was shot fatally in Memphis last night while leaning over a second-floor railing outside his motel room.
Four thousand National Guard troops were ordered into Memphis by Gov. Buford Ellington. A curfew was imposed on the city of 550,000 inhabitants….
The 39-year-old Negro leader’s death was reported by Frank Holloman, director of Memphis police and fire departments, after King had been taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Police broadcast an alarm for a “young white male, well dressed” who was reported to have been seen running after the shooting….
Police reported that a Browning automatic rifle with telescopic sights had been dropped by a fleeing suspect.
King had come back to Memphis yesterday to organize support once again for 1,300 sanitation workers who have been on strike since Lincoln’s birthday. Just a week ago, he led a march on behalf of the strikers that ended in violence with a 16-year-old Negro killed, 62 persons injured and 200 arrested.
Violence erupted again shortly after King was shot….
CATCH UP ON HISTORY:From The News Journal archives, week of March 6
April 9, 1968, The Morning News
City unrest quelled after 4-hour burst
Police restored order in Wilmington last night after a 4-hour outbreak of sniping, looting and firebombing that put the city under a state of emergency.
A 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was imposed. Helmeted officers had little trouble clearing the streets. The curfew will begin at 7:30 tonight, according to Mayor John E. Babiarz….
The wave of violence left 12 persons injured, one seriously. At least two persons suffered gunshot wounds. There were 13 firebombings and 19 reported lootings, mostly in a 12-block area of West Center City. Fifty-one persons were arrested.
About 50 state troopers were ordered into the city by Gov. Charles L. Terry Jr. and 1,200 National Guard troops were activated. Neither the troopers nor the guardsmen were needed to quell the disorders. Terry issued an order that sent 1,100 of the guardsmen home.
The disturbances began just before noon yesterday as gangs of young Negroes roamed Market Street following a memorial service in Rodney Square for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
