Complying with your verbal order to furnish you with an account of the use of the machine gun picked up here on the night of May 31st and its use on said night and the morning of June 1st, would report that this gun was turned over to me by Major Daley in front of the police station at about 1 o'clock a.m. June 1st. I had it mounted on our service company white truck at once. I asked Major Daley where it came from and he said "we dug it up" and I inferred that he meant it was the pro- perty of the Police department of which Major Daley is an officer. There was one belt of ammunition with the gun. Capt. Wheeler, an ex-service man, and two other ex- service men volunteered to operate the gun. I accepted their services and placed several of our local guardsmen on the truck and assigned Lieut. Wood to command the gun. Capt. Van Voorhis was driving the truck prior and following this incident. I then set out in the said truck for the danger point, North Detroit avenue. I deployed my men (about 30 of them) north and south on Detroit avenue, facing east. The skirmish line I marched by the right and left flank successively, north and south between Brady street and the foot of Standpipe hill. The truck was working in the same skirmish line and followed or proceded the skirm- ish line so as best to keep in view. The whole area was well lit up by nearby burning frame buildings. I used this method as a demonstration more than anything else. None of my men used their rifles except when fired upon from the east. The most visible point from which enemy shots came was the tower of the new brick negro church. This was some- time just prior to daybreak. On urgent message I left this skirmish line about 2;30 a.m.
Letter to Adjutant General, 1921 June 3, from Lieut. Col. L. J. F. Rooney, 3rd Infantry, Folder 16, Box 3, Record Group 8-D-1-3, Administration of James B. A. Robertson, 1919-1923, Oklahoma Governors' Papers, Oklahoma State Archives Division, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Oklahoma City, OK
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Oklahoma State Archives Division, Oklahoma Department of Libraries. For further information regarding the rights to this collection, please visit www.crossroads.odl.state.ok.us/cdm4/rights.php
Complying with your verbal order to furnish you with an account of the use of the machine gun picked up here on the night of May 31st and its use on said night and the morning of June 1st, would report that this gun was turned over to me by Major Daley in front of the police station at about 1 o'clock a.m. June 1st. I had it mounted on our service company white truck at once. I asked Major Daley where it came from and he said "we dug it up" and I inferred that he meant it was the pro- perty of the Police department of which Major Daley is an officer. There was one belt of ammunition with the gun. Capt. Wheeler, an ex-service man, and two other ex- service men volunteered to operate the gun. I accepted their services and placed several of our local guardsmen on the truck and assigned Lieut. Wood to command the gun. Capt. Van Voorhis was driving the truck prior and following this incident. I then set out in the said truck for the danger point, North Detroit avenue. I deployed my men (about 30 of them) north and south on Detroit avenue, facing east. The skirmish line I marched by the right and left flank successively, north and south between Brady street and the foot of Standpipe hill. The truck was working in the same skirmish line and followed or proceded the skirm- ish line so as best to keep in view. The whole area was well lit up by nearby burning frame buildings. I used this method as a demonstration more than anything else. None of my men used their rifles except when fired upon from the east. The most visible point from which enemy shots came was the tower of the new brick negro church. This was some- time just prior to daybreak. On urgent message I left this skirmish line about 2;30 a.m.
Oklahoma State Archives Division, Oklahoma Department of Libraries. For further information regarding the rights to this collection, please visit www.crossroads.odl.state.ok.us/cdm4/rights.php
Identifier
001_Letter Lieut. Col. L. J. F. Rooney to Adjutant General; Page 1
