The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-20

ming his fingers through them from his
forehead backward. His physique was
striking and his manner somewhat tragic.
His hat was invariably a stovepipe, gen.
orally tilted back. When in the service
he suffered much discomfort when com
PEELED by naval regulations to attend some
function that required full-dress uniform,
with brass buttons and gold braid. He
liked civilians attire and never cared
whether the cut was fashionable or not
When he was in charge of the naval
hospital at Mare Island this cultured man
and tireless student liked the society of an
old stableman named "Barney" better
than that of most anybody else. He and
Barney would pace the stable-yard for
hours discussing the raising of chickens
and turkeys and such things as Barney's
experience and the doctors reading had
given them a common interest in. He
was always loved by his interiors IN the
service, ard while he was recognized as a
man of great executive ability it is said
that he was never known to speak harshly
to any one.
The doctors aversion to cats was even
stronger than his aversion to women. In
a case of cats he would kill one whenever
he could, and he generally used small
rifle, with which he was expert.
The peculiarities most talked about
among those who knew him were, per-
haps, his gastronomic tastes. He was al
ways making strange experiments in the
kitchen. While serving on the Asiatic
station he learned to appreciate the deli
cousness of the Japanese cells. Later he
proved by experiment that the American
rattlesnake is even a greater delicacy than
the japanese eel. 1t took considerable ex-
perimenting to acquire the highest art of
frying rattlesnakes, but he acquired it and
was happy.
1t is said that another toothsome dish
he discovered was afforded by young rats.
He would take rodents when quite Young
and feed them for forty DAYS on wheat to
fatten them, and then he would have
them served in ragout, for which he
found them superior to rabbits. He was
always great smoker. and his taste for
the weed was gratified by the choicest
brands of tobacco from all over the world.
Champagne was his favorite beverage, oc-
casionaIly varied with special brand of
good old French brandy.
During the years he spent in retirement
at Paso Robes he gratified himself to the
full, but his intellectual taste was in the
ascendency. He passed his time largely
N the study of abstruse subjects, and
especially of spiritualism ana the occult.
DR.. Robinson's belief in spiritualism was
quite strong, and about a year ago he be-
came so infatuated with its mysteries that
he was completely under the control of
the spirits. He said that the forms of his
friends had gathered around him and
beckoned him alluringly to their happier
world He trustfully tried to cross to
them, and not being willing to take his
own life in any of the usual ways he de-
cided to starve himself to death. In this
he would have probably succeeded had it
not been that an old naval friend happened
TO arrive at the springs at the time and he
induced his comrade to linger a while
among the living. A mutual friend, the
medical director at Mare Island, was
hastily summoned, and when he left DR..
Robnson's bedside the latter had been in
duced to resume eating. Since then, how
ever, he rarely LETT his house and his
physical strength failed gradually until he
passed away.
DR.. Robinson's only relatives reside in
Maryland. He owned considerable real
estate in the city of Washington besides
property here and in Vallejo.