The same girl reported that in the lunchroom of the school she had witnessed a Negro boy sitting alone. "A white girl and boy of very high quality asked the Negro if he would like to sit with them," she said. "He got up, grinned at them, and I believe that he was very happy that they had asked him," she continued.

Although the situation in the school was well in hand, occasional flares of violence occurred several blocks away. D. F. Blake, 46, of North Little Rock, was knocked down and struck repeated blows with the butt of an M1 rifle when he refused to obey the orders of a sergeant.

Blake, who was later hospitalized, said, "This country fought for its independence, and now is the time to begin upholding it."

[The Associated Press reported that another man was bayoneted in the arm when he refused to move out of a soldier's way.]

In the other major incidents, a crowd of about 40 white teenagers chased and stoned two Negro boys walking together. The Negroes, John Williams and Lawrence Coley, both 17, said that they were taking a short cut to a friend's house. The Army took the Negro boys into protection, but did not deal with the white assailants.

The same group of teenagers continually caused minor trouble throughout the day. Cars driven by Negroes were stoned, and shouts of "There's a damned nigger" and stronger epithets brought only occasional remonstrances from soldiers.

One of the teenagers told this reporter, "Eisenhower is off playing golf at some fancy place, and telling the niggers, 'Well, boys, I hope you can make it.'" "Well, they ain't going to make it, and that's a fact," he shouted.

More Arrests

At least six white men were apprehended by soldiers during the day, but the arrests seemed to be more object lessons than reactions to specific guilt.

Persons who did not clear thorough-fares on demand were subject to arrest indiscriminately, and, at times it appeared that the least offending were marched off.

Reporters and photographers fared better than on previous days, and the newsman who shrugged his shoulders and said "I'm one of those guys from New York, but I want your story," was left unmolested.

But one elderly man with a cane told a group of reporters, "I've been living on this street for 35 years, and we never had any trouble with our colored people 'til you bunch of hypocritical nigger-lovers came down from New York."

The only other incident near the school came when a Negro delivery boy had the tires of his bicycle slashed by adolescent hoodlums. A group of photographers who recorded the vandalism collected twenty dollars to replace the tires.

Despite outbreaks of violence and destruction, the major achievement of the day was left intact: nine Negroes spent a full day in Central High School.

But the big question still remains: What will happen when the 101st Airborne withdraws from its positions around Central High School