Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-01-08
IN THE HOSPITAL.
A PATIENT TELLS WHAT HE SAW OF A
BAD CASE.

NeV York Sun.
"There's the ambulance bell" said
a patient Nov. IL, as the omipous
"kling, king was heard. The cot
nearest the door was all ready, as US
ual. The sheets were turned down.
The swing-doors were hooked back.
A young man, apparently lowering
between life and death, pale and in.
sensible, was broughtin on the stretch
er and deposited on the cot. The
surgeons came in with the stretcher.
AS George" the male assistant of the
ward, passed down the aisle he whis-
perod run over. Bad case. Hurt
inside" ! have forgotten to mention
zone of the most indispensable adiuncts
of the ward. It was a large screen.
It was covered with brown cambria,
and looked not unlike large clothes.
horse. When extended and eacir-
cling the foot of cot, with it's wings
along the sides of the bed, it afforded
privacy for three or four persons.
George set this screen around the new
comer's bed. For some minutes moth
ing could be heard beyond few whis-
pered remarks Of the surgeons.
At last a very faint moan was
heard. The man was not dead, but
the voice was so weak and thin that
what he said was not Ineligible. A
little later the voice seemed to regain
strength. TIE means would increase
in volume, and articulate words were
heard. Then the voice would die
away altogether. After six or eight
minutes one of the surgeons thought
he heard the sufferer whisper the
word "priest." A priest was sent for.
The head surgeon OF the hospital could
not be found. The ward surgeon
tried in vain to learn from the pa
ttient his name and address. Not long
afterward priest entered. He had
whispered conversation with the
ambulance and ward surgeons in the
aisle, and then went behind the
screen. George and Dolly the nurse
came out, leaving the sufferer alone
with the priest. The priest quickly
learned the mans name and address.
When the priest came out messsn-
ger was sent for the mans wife. A lit
tie later messenger returned with a
crucifix on pedestal and two can
dlesticks with wax candles. George
and Dolly assisted the priest To. inn
provise an altar out Of the locker near
the sufferers cot. The lighted can
dies were set upon it, and the priest
began,to administer the last rites Of the
Catholic church. / caught pax vo-
biscum once, and heard him pronounce
the last syllable "coom, as though
he had imblbed his Latin at Douai or
some other French institute. / caught
the shadow on the wall thrown there
by the candles on the altar--of
"The waving of the hands that
blessed
At last the chief surgeon came in.
He went at once TO the bedside of the
sufferer There were groans from be-
hind the screen. After apparently
satisfying himself as to the extent Of
the injuries the surgeon put questions
to the injured man, and little by lit
tie learned the particulars Of the ac-
cident. The man was a hack-driver.
He had had row in the street with
the driver Of cart, and had been
knocked from his box and run over.
Were you tightY"
"a low Eyes"
He was the only patient who had
ever admitted it.
The chief surgeon then left the
ward. The doctors, as they went out,
looked very serious. One Of them
shrugged his shoulders in answer to
an observation by the ambulance sur
geon. II BODIED badly for the patient.
Dolly was told to keep hot water in
flannel. covered tin cans to his feet,
back, heart and stomach--he was get.
ting cold--and to give him come slim
uIant every ten or fifteen minutes in
small doses. The hot water appli-
cations were easy enough-the man