The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-27

deathly sick and it was supposed at first
that he was fatally wounded. The sur
geons and some of his associate officers
gathered about him. anxious and nervous.
A surgeon opened the Generals coat and
vest looking for the wound, which seemed
to be in the vicinity of the stomach He
found between the vest and the under
clothing a rifle ball that had not broken
the skin.
He said quietly, "A spent ball The
General opened his eyes and looked up
wrathful and indignant. What's that?
What's that? Somebody hit me with
spent ball? 1 won't stand it. Bring me
my horse And fairly throwing aside all
the people about him, he sprang to his feet,
climbed on his horse, and with his cloth
ing In disarray and his hat banged on his
head, started for the front, swearing at the
man who had hit him with a spent ball.
But the old General after that probably
had more sympathy with the men VINO
we're struck by balls that seemed to fall
from the air or that came with as little
force as a stone thrown by a vicious boy.
Sometimes these would strike a man on
the foot and fairly craze him with pain.
Sometimes they would drop on his back
as he lay face down on the ground kicking
up his heels, and he would writhe as
though he were in the agonies of DEATH"
Gases of malingering were so common"
SAID the doctor that surgeons were suS-
picious over wounds that had any mys>
terry about them. Sometimes a man would
come from the battlefield pretending to be
dazed or unconscious, and would shrink
from the touch as though he were sore all
over There were so many cases of fraud
among the men who acted in this way
that surgeons we're in danger of doing in,
justice 60 severely wounded men.
"One day man was brought back who
seemed in great agony. but upon whom we
could find no wound. He couldn't talk
coherently, but he pressed his hand con-
stantly TO his right side Close examina-
ton showed that he had been struck by
fragment to shell or a piece of rock so
large as TO make bruise two or three
inches across. 1t was, in fact, one of the
most difficult cases TO treat that came I'M
der my personal notice, and the man suf-
fering for weeks was intense And yet
probably no mark of a wound is on that
mans body.
while / was in charge of one of the
hospitals at Nashville the most difficult
cases to handle were those in which the
soldiers were influenced by Authorizations
or supersutions. The patients were
ranged in a large hall, the cots in long
rows, extending the full length of the
room. One night a patient about half
way down the hall died. The next night
the next day the third man in order died.
Immediately Nos A. 8 and 6 insisted on
being moved from the row and they were
so wild about 1t that they had to be
moved.
mo. z, 1 noticed, was a quiet, uncom-
planning man of equable temper. and, feel
ing that 1 must in some way stop the
panic and break the line of superstitious
dread, I went TO him and led up to the
point by asking him if he had any super
stitious notions. He said ne had not.
Then I asked him If he would be satisfied
to remain as he was, and explained that If
he did not insist upon being moved 1 could
quiet the excitement He smiled and said
he would trust himself in the unlucky row.
Trifiing as this circumstance was it had
the greatest influence on the patients in
the row. They watched that man for two
days with unfiagging interest and IL was
a great trial for him TO see, whenever he
was lifted up by the nurse, a dozen Wild
eyed men looking him over to see whether
death was on him or not; but he stood
his ground and stopped the panic. He re-
covered and has been as hearty as buck
ever since"