The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-11-16

young soldier who was
SHOT and killed 10y a comrade az one
of the railroad stations recently" said
an officer OF the army, was one OF the
most pathetic features Of that sorrow.
full case. IL recalled 10 my mind the
hard-luck case OF chief bo'Sun's mate
who served on seve-al OF the ships 10
which l was attached. This man had
tried 10 get 10 his home 10 see his peo-
ple at the wind-up Of seven straight
three-year enlistments; but twenty one
years rolled around before he got 10
his home. which was In 81. Louis
and then he didn't see his folks. Some.
thing always happened 10 him when
with his enlistment savings in his
pocket. he started off FOR home one
time he was drugged in Nagaski. ia
pan, and robbed OF all his money. The
next time he started he slipped and
broke his leg on the deck OF the Medit-
errancan steamer that was TO bring
him To the United States. He had 10
be brought 10 his ship and was in the
sick bay SO long that he had 10 re-
enlist in order 10 get his continuous
service certificate. Al the wind-up OF
that three years he started from the
Mare Island Navy Yard for San Fran
cisco. there to take the train for -
Louis. when the boiler of the ferry
boat blew up and badly scalded him
He was brought TO the Mare Island
Naval Hospital, where he was neces
.arflar I,nsv fhaf n 4,
preserve his continuous record he had
TO ship over again when he got out
lie was on one of the ships of the
American navy that figured In the
Samoan disaster, and he got blow on
the head while battling with the waves
on that occasion that put him out of
his mind for several months. When
he recovered his time was not only out
but il was necessary for him TO re
enlist, his three months Of grace hav.
lng about expired, too.
I've forgotten what happened TO
him on the other occasions when he
tried in all earncstncss To get 20 the
United States at the termination Of
his cruise, but whatever those acct
dents were they effectually kept him
away from home
He was on the China station. re.
member on the occasion before the
last when hc tried TO get home, and
he was one of the overtime men who
started back for the United States on
the Baltimore. The Baltimore got
into one of the worst typhoous ever
known on the China seas when she
started for san Francisco and this
chief bo'sun's mate was one OF the
men disabled in the tossing about
which the vessel got on that occasion.
He was patched up. however, and
when the vessel. after couple Il
months delay, did finally reach San
Francisco, he took passage on the
steamer Colima OF the Pacific Mail line
for New York, via the isthmus. He
went that way i'm order TO experience
for once the novelty Of being a first
class passenger and no work. The
COlima went down with nearly all
hands OF the coast Of Mexico. and the
bo'sun'S mate was one Of the few men
saved. He was picked of a bit Of
wreckagc, To which he had been hang
ing i'm a tcmpCstuous sea for more
than twcnty-four hours. The steamer
that picked him up brought him bnck.
with the remainder Of those rescued,
to san Francisco. and when he rccov-
cred from that batting about IL was
time for him 10 ship over again.
"In the spring Of 1896 his time ex-
pired while he was serving on one Of
the ships OF the Mediterranean squad
ron, and, with more than $1,000 in his
clothes and his teeth shut down hard
with determination. he started for the
United States He got TO New York
all right, but hen he got there lc
found n letter from his mother, an
nouncing that bis father, locomotive
engineer, who had been i'm continuous
service on one line for thirty-cigLt
years, bad, at the conclusion Of his
very last run, when ne was 10 retire
gone smack through an open switch
and been Killed. However. the bO'-
suns mate took a train and hurried on
10 81. Louis, with the idea Of being
present at his fathers funeral He
struck ST. Louis just I'm time for the
great cyclone. and he, his mother and
III. "a