Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-03-30
THE TILE OF A SHIRT.
A Relic of ahc Johnstown Flood That
Turned Up In Cuba.

1.-The tale of shirt is an old one and
has often been told, but l have new
chapter to add to it-a chapter of my own
experience in Cuba last summer" volun-
tccrcd II member Of an Ohio regiment to q
Star reporter. "Somc years ago, follow
ing closely upon the Johnstown flood,
there was an appeal made for clothing for
those made destitute by the flood by sew
eral charitable associations, among them
branches of the Red Cross society. was
in Cincinnati mt the time and had just
purchased IA half dozen undershirts Upon
opening the bundle on arriving at my
house my mother made remark that I
should share the shirts with some Johns
town sufferer. The idea seemed a good
one to me, and put three of them in a
box and left it at n drug store where col
lcctions were being received for the Johns
town sufferers. l wrote my name on
card and pinned it on the inside of tho
sleeve of each shirt. The card used was
tho business card of the drug store. That
was the last I heard of the shirts, and
had no reason to think l would ever hear
from them again.
"Wcll, time went on with its whirligig,
and soon the Johnstown flood became u
thing of the past and was forgotten. In
the same whrligig Of time war was de-
clarcd against Spain, and last spring found
me n soldier IN an Ohio regiment. In tho
summer | was ono of the many volunteers
in Cuba, i'll and about destitute of cloth
ing, having lost my knapsack and the
stock of underclothing it contained An
agent of the Red Cross society visited our
camp hospital and distributed quantity
of Undertaking that had been sent him
for distribution.
at was my fortune to receive a full suit
of Undertaking, which l assure you was
very highly appreciated, for like the 9TH
crs who received similar gifts, was very
badly in need of it. In trying to put on
the shirt l had difficulty in getting my
arm into the sleeve. On investigating tho
reason for 1t ! found that it had been pin
ned up. Judge of my wonderment when
pulled out the card from the sleeve, the
very card had myself written and pinned
there at the time of the Johnstown food,
nine years ago, in June, 1889. Never be-
fore was there more striking excmplitl-
cation of casting bread upon the waters
and its return hundredfold. AS read
the card l thought Of my saintcd mother s
advice to share my shirts and how l felt
on doing So Little did / ever think that
the shirt would ever como back to me or
that 1 would ever welcome it as gladly d
did But it came just the same and,
from all appearances, had never been
opened.
1.-The Red Cross agent could not explain
it then, but later on, on his return from
Cuba and to this city, he ascertained that
the Red Cross received a great quantity OF
clothing after they had made all the dis
tribution necessary at Johnstown and had
slowed some of the surplus in this city
1t was from this surplus that some of the
clothing that was sent to our regiment
came-that is, few of the pieces-and
among the lot was my shirt returned tC
me, and at time, too, when l needed II
as badly as any of the Johnstown sufferers
ever did What became of the shirty Well
l wore it for several weeks and on my re
turn to Ohio on furlough put it away.
came on to this city to attend my SON
wedding, and a part of the clothing h,
will wear on that occasion will be thai
identical shirt. And he will be as prout
Of it US l am "Washington Star.