The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-07-13


worth's plucky, and any one who fools
with him may get hurt" The nervous,
why, black bearded, overworked deputy
coroner, DR.. Schaeffer, was evidently
anxious Ainsworth should leave the
scene, but he would not and forced the
inquest to adjourn.
AS he sat at the inquest, Ainsworth
looked ablo to care for himself against
ordinary odds. He is nearly feet tall
and weighs about 100 pounds. 1t is said
that he taught boxing when IL young
man. However that may he. he is an
athlete, and his bullying chest pushes
plainly against his garments His hair
and mustacho are black, complexion
rather sallow, features good and strong
and plainly showing logged will.
Ainsworth is a Vermontcr. In 1874
he entered the army as an assistant sur
geon by examination after graduation
from Columbia college. Five years later
he was Il captain serving meanwhile in
the far northwest, Alaska Lower Cali
fornia and Arizona. AtFort Macintosh,
in the southwest, there is il little gym
nasium, and persons stationed there say
Ainsworth was a handy man with his
ilStS ohlllllil OH TIC DuTS.
In 1880 he was assigned to duty at
San Antonio, Tex, and siaid there five
years. He was accounted the best sur
geon in tho state and companionable
fellow. There he married sweet, re-
fined woman, a former Washingtonian
and sister-in-law of Colonel Haywood
commandment of the marine barracks
here. His own disposition is that of a
good friend or bitter enemy, with little
regard for feelings.
The opportunity which il said to come
to every man at least once in lifetime
came to Colonel Ainsworth in 1856. Ey-
cry time pension was applied for the
surgeon generals Office was asked for the
hospital record. These pension calls were
10000 in arrears. There were about G. 600
big hospital ledgers, arranged on no sys-
TEN. Each call was answered by search
ing through the ledgers until the name
wanted was found. Sometimes the search
took three months. The records from
constant thumbing were becoming indie
cipherable. Once obliterated, the records
Were gone irretrievably. Secretary En-
dicott wanted some one to bring order
ont of approaching chaos. Choice fell on
Captain Ainsworth, then in New York.
Colonel Ainsworth invented no new
system. His merit consists in the appli-
cation of something that had not there
tofore been devoted. He applied the
card catalogue system to the hospital
records He had the hospital rolls gone
through and the entry made against each
mans name placed on separate cards.
These were all placed in great hopper,
and everything as to each man assem-
bled and his whole hospital record trans
ferred on n single card. These cards
were then properly arranged. Now, if a
mans record is wanted, the card can be
obtained in All instant and it's contents
transcribed and put back in place. The
system is wonderfully accurate.
Colonel Ainsworth is believer i'm mill
tary discipline and is probably ambi-
tious. During the past winter he told
the house appropriation committee,
which asked about pension reforms, that
the commissioner Of pensions had no
more authority over his clerks than a
country schoolmarm. The way to run
Che pension business, he said, was to put
it under the army. The chief should be
at least brigadier general. Colonel
Ainsworth protested that he would not
want the place even at that.
G. III. MERrLLAT.