The Republican journal., 1898-09-01
ere rendered almost impossible by daily

were ltuueIeu dItloSt I'LL pdsSdUit Uy udilN
rains and heavy army wagons. Those who
were least injured assisted their comrades,
and hundreds died by the wayside. Had
not the Sternbergan theory been inexor-
able, the Red Cross would have been
promptly on hand with ambulances,
equipped with every convenience, and the
first hospital camp would have been close
by the field of battle. Those of the
wounded who lived to reach the place
and efficiently as possible, by the half
dozen army surgeons, who had nothing at
hand for their awful work. Some of their
instruments were in their pockets, but
anestheties, bandages, medicines aud
food we're entirely lacking, and 50 INSULT
cient was the surgical force that numbers
of the wounded lay unattended for days
before their turn came. The soldier S
clothes were soaked with rain and stiffen-
ed with mud from the trenches, so that
they had to be removed before an opera
ton and could not be put on again Men
were taken from the operating table. per
haps minus leg or an arm, or with
bodies desperately torn by Mauser bull
let's, and laid on the wet ground, naked
as the minute they were born. without
shelter, and in the majority OF cases with
out even a blanket.
And there they lay suffering, dying,
unattended without food or water, for
two long, awful days. To add to the hol-
rors of that Golgotha, it rained necessarily,
and the army hospital corps, like the
foolish virgins OF the scriptures, had
forgotten to provide oil; SO there was no
light but THAI OF the weeping skies and
an occasional tlickering candle by which
to saw human bones and cut into CULVER
ing flesh. without the blessed boon of
Red Cross finally forced its way to the
spot, the ladies of the party wading waist
deep in the surf to reach the shore. and
walking miles inland-Mss Barton knew
exactly what to do. Asking leave of
nobody, she directed fires to be built as
quickly as possible with the rain soaked
materials at hand, and over them were
put her big granite kettles, filled with
water In some of them good, strong
cruel was made, and cans of condensed
milk stirred into others. Plenty of oil
and lanterns were provided, and
with her usual wonderful foresight,
Miss Barton had brought along quantity
of cotton cloth. This she tore into strips,
the length of a sheet, and sent the men of
her party ahead with lights to cover the
naked sufferers. The women quickly fol-
lowed, each with tin cup and 4 steam
ing bucket of milk or Cruel They found
many of the soldiers unconscious, others
delrious, or raving, bowling and cursing
in agony. Kneeling beside each, the lit
tie band of workers lifted the poor heads
in their arms and put between the parch-
ed lips the first taste OF food they had had
for days.
Gradually consciousness returned to
many Who had passed almost beyond the
border line of the Unknown, and the light
of reason returned to eyes filed with
frenzy. Thus hundreds of mother boys
were saved, who in a few hours more Of
srernbergism would have been beyond
mortal aid and the last moments of Others
were soothed by the knowledge that they
had not been utterly abandoned by
God and man. No wonder that BEARDED
men wept like children and blessed the
Angels of Mercy as they passed. ,All night
and all day, and another night and day,
the devoted little band worked unceasing-
ly, without thought Of rest or food for
themselves; and to-day many mother S
boy is in the land of the living. who but
for the unwelcomed Red Cross would be
slee ping the long sleep in that modern
Golgotha. FANNIE BRIGHAM WARD