The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-03-30

5 = NJ; y s ss%s Is f. a. s ~
1.s Prescription aud also the Pleasant Pellets
Inc Pleasant Pellets act like a charm"
sun and heavy rain. You know how our
boys went into the fight hungry, lay for
two days in the trenches, almost without
TODD; and how the wounded were after
wards ordered to make their way to the
rear as best they could. Men with desper-
ate wounds had to walk or crawl. perhans
mile, perhaps five or six miles, over the
Wild, rough country; those who were least
| injured assisting their comrades, and hun
dreds dying by the wayside Had the Red
| Cross been allowed its way in the begin
ring, many Of these horrors would have
been avoided; ambulances would have
been on hand when so sorely needed
equipped with every convenience, and the
first hospital camp would have been close
| by the battlefield. 1t is no use now to
crlticise men or methods Suffering. sick
ness, confusion and death are the INSOFAR
no human foresight can wholly provide.
| Those of the wounded who lived to reach
the places designated were attended as
rapidly and efficiently as possible by the
half dozen army surgeons who had few
of the most necessary things at hand for
their awful work. Their instruments were
in their pockets, but aDaesthetics. band
ages, medicines, food, were utterly lack
ing, and so insufficient was the force that
many of the wounded lay for days before
their turn came. The soldiers clothes
with mud from the trenches that they
could not be put on again, having been
removed for an operation. Men taken
from the operating table, perhaps having
just had LEG OF 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 with
out even blankets. And there they lay
through two ing days and nights, COM
pared to which Dante Inferno seems like
Paradise. To add TO the horrors of the
situation, the skies wept necessarily, and
the army hospital corps had no lights but
few fiickering candles by which to cut
into quivering human flesh, without the
blessed boom of chlorotorm. When the
spot, Miss Barton knew exactly what to
do. She directed fires to be kndled as
quickly as possible, and over them hung
her big granite kettles, filled with water
prepared, in others, good, strong Cruel
made. With her usual wonderful fore
sight, she brought along plenty of lanterns
and OIL and IA quantity Of cotton cloth.
Tearing the latter into strips, the length
of a sheet, she sent the men of her party
ahead to cover the naked sufferers and
the women quickly followed, each with
pail of steaming milk or Cruel. They
found many of the soldiers unconscious;
others delirious, bowling or cursing in
agony. kneeing on the ground beside
each sufferer, 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 Gradual
ly consciousness returned to many who |
had passed almost beyond the border line
into the great unknown, and the light of
reason replaced the glare of madness |
Thus thousands Of mothers boys were |
saved, who in a few hours more would |
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
One of the most dramatic incidents of
the war was the entrance of the Red Cross
into Santiago few days later. Recognz-
ing the great service rendered, the army
officers experienced almost a change of /
heart, and the relief ship estate of Texas
was put ahead of everything, even Gen
erals Shafter, Sampson and Schley follow
ing respectfully in the rear There were
the two armies, the conquerers and the
the wrecked ships Of Spain,
the starving Cubans. The silence of the
grave hung over all, the memory of hor-
rors gone before-of battle, murder, ter
ror and tragedy; and now was coming the
first CLEAN of hope to perishing people.
Said Miss Barton, "Can somebody sing
The doxology?" praise God from whom
all blessings flow" rang out in quavering
chorus from the dozen men and women
On the deck of the "Texas,'' taken up
and repeated here and there on battle
ships and shore, till the green hills that
environ Santiago re- echoed the song OF
while gallant soldiers were