The times., 1899-03-19

were attended as rapiuiy ana .eliclently as
possible by the half dozen army surgeons,
who had few CT the most necessary things
at hand for their awful work. Their in
| struments were in their pockets, but an
! esthetics, bandages, medicines. and food
were utterly lacking, and go insufficient
| was the force that many OF the wounded
! lay for days before their turn came. The
| soldiers clothes were so soaked with ra n
| and stifiened with mud from the trenches
| that they could not be put on again, h1y-
| ing been removed for an operation. Men
taken from the operating table, perhaps
having just had leg or arm cut OFF. or
with bodies torn by Mauser bullets. were
| laid naked on the rain-soaked ground,
without shelter, and in the majority of
| cases without even blankets. And there
| they lay through two long days and nights,
| compared to which Dante5' inferno seems
like Paradise To add to the horrors OF
! the situation the skies wept incsssantly,
and the army hospital corps had no lights
but few flickering candles by which to
cut into quivering human flesh. without
| the blessed boon of chloroform. When the
| Red Cross finally forced its way to the
| spot, Miss Barton knew exactly what to do.
She directed fires to be kindled as quickly
| as possible, and over them hung her big
| granite kettles, filed with water. In some
Of the kettles matted milk was prepared,
in others good strong cruel made.
With her usual wonderful foresight, she
brought along plenty OF lanterns and oil,
and quantity of cotton CLOTH Tearing the
latter into strips, the length of a sheet,
she sent the men OF her party ahead to COW
er the naked sufferers; and the women
quickly followed, each with pail of steam
ing milk or cruel. They found many of
the Cuban soldiers unconscious; other de-
lirious. bowling, cursing in agony;
tirte< thaf t.yN ~,
er, the little band tenderly lifted the poor
heads in their arms and put between the
parched lips the first food or drink they
had had for days. Gradually consciousness
returned to many who had passed almost
| beyond the border line into the great un-
known and the light of reason replaced tho
glare of madness. Thus thousands OF
mothers boys were saved who in a few
hours more would have been beyond NOR
tai 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 babies and blessed the Angels of
Mercy as they passed!
The Olive Branch In Santiago.
One of the most dramatic incidents Of
the war was the entrance of the Rsd Cross
into Santiago a few days later. Recog-
army officers experienced almost change
of heart and the relief ship State of Texas
was put ahead of everything, even General
Shafter, Admirals Schley and Sampson
following respectfully in the rear. There
were the two armies the conlueror5 and
| the conquered. the wrecked ships CT Spain,
| the starving Cubans The silence of the
grave hung over all. the memory of hor-
rors gone before-of battle, murder, terror,
and tragedy; and now was coming the
| first CLEAN of hope to perishing peop e.
Said Miss Barton, Can somebody sing the
doxology?" Praise God from whom all
| blessings flow" rang out in the quavering
! chorus from the dozen men and women on
| the deck of the Texas taken up and re-
! peated here and there on battleshps and
shore, until the green hills that environ
| Santiago re-echoed the song OF thanks
giving, while gallant soldiers were not
\ ashamed of tears and the dying waved
| their feeble hands.
The world is familiar with the great
work subsequently, accomplished by the
1 Red Cross in Eastern Cuba, and how, when
| it wished to carry its benefcence later to
| Havana where the need was heartrend-
ing. the Spanish authorities made it impos
/ sible. and the society was compelled to
withdraw reluctantly from the island. But
now that American authority is establish
r
ever the Red Cross is coming back TO
complete its well-begun work, in compli
| ance with the expressed wishes of Presi-
| dent Mckinley, the War Department, and
Surgeon General Sternberg himself. as well
as in response to a multitude of appeals
from the islanders The service will be
auxiliary to other relief work by the
United States Government, and of pure
ly hospital nature-to shelter the home
| lpSc nd "a fCr ha acc nd
American. 1t is proposed to at once es-
tablish in the city of Havana a much
needed institution which it has never had,
viz, civilians hospital designed espe-
cially for Americans, who, if taken Sc
riously ill in Cuba, may there receive the
same care and attention they would get
in similar institutions at home. Shipping
stations will presently be established at
New Orleans, Tampa, and Savannah, with
receiving depots at New York s.. Louis,
and other places. The Government has
given free transport service to the work.
also Western Union telegraph, postal,
cable, and other facilities. The first care
of the society in Cuba will be preparations
to meet the demands sure to be made upon
ii in the near future, when yellow jack
gets about his annual business.
In carrying out its present. mission, the
Red Cross depends entirely upon the ac-
tive cooperation of its generous country
men-a support which has never for a
moment failed or faltered throughout the
eighteen years of the society's existence
as national American institution. One
of the most remarkable evidences OF gen.
eral good will has been shown by the
banding together of nearly the entire relief
force of our country as auxiliary TO the
Red Cross. At the first cry they rose like
Scots from the heather, and forgetting
their own interests, their comforts. even
life itself, they have stood in the Red
Cross ranks, as faithfully as any soldiers
in the ranks of war. and have done 4 work
whose magnitude was probably never
equaled in the same length of time. The
need is as great as ever. and now all these
auxiliary societies, in every city, town. and
village throughout America, are earnestly
invited by Miss Barton. Founder and Per-
petual President of the American National
Red Cross to become legitimate and per-
manent part of the parent society, to help
mitigate the woes of war scourged hu-
manity. FANNIE BRIGHAM WARD.
THE ELKS' BENEFIT.