Contemporary unsigned carbon copy of a two and one-half page Typed Letter to M. M. Deschamps, Superintendent of Police (for the railroad company) about an Incident at the Train Station in Florence on September 11,1946, involving African American Soldiers

Letter dated September 13, 1946. 28 cm. Carbon copy on thin Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company letterhead stationery. Substantial chipping around edges (no loss of text) on first leaf. Our unnamed Captain of Police reports on an incident which began when around 200 African American soldiers were changing trains. Local police arrested two of the soldiers for intoxication and took them to the local Police Station. When police returned to the railroad station, they found six of the soldiers assaulting two military policemen and intervened to help the MPs, using the butt end of a riot gun, to break up the fight. When a large number of other soldiers came to join the fight, they were stopped at gunpoint by the local policemen with assistance from the MPs and military officers. The African American soldiers marched in formation to local Police Headquarters where 133 soldiers were charged with disorderly conduct and five others differently charged. Almost all pleaded not guilty but all were found guilty the next day and remained in jail another night until their fines were paid -- $17 each for the 133 soldiers and up to $100 for the five who were differently charged. All 138 soldiers were then marched back the the train station and departed. One wonders how accurately the incident was described to our unnamed Captain by those he interviewed. There is nothing in his letter to suggest that he interviewed any of the African American soldiers.…