The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-08

Ours was q leisur'Iy. hut triumph'li'
progress. At trim little stations. set u
flowers and surrounded by "a dozen or more
houses of red brick and ;he inevitable cor
rugnted zink. the station hands came OUT
10 cheer the American ambulance corps
and the naked Swaz' boys. who turned the
switch boards Srinned a welcome. AS this
welcome continued, the appearance OF my
fellow passengers underwent CURIOUS
and mysterious change.
Little Frenchnen in Tam o Shanters and
red sashes. who had been shy and inc0n-
spicuous in the presence OF the Portuguese
Governor and his naughty clerks. now
staggered along the platform at each new
stopping place. in costumes which became
by hourly additions more ana more warlke
What apparently had been an ahashGG and
obtuse German farm hand developed into an
alert artilleryman with skull ard cross
bones on each button Of his uniform. A
Russian Count. who had passed ~ an at
tache. appeared suddenly IN the full skirts.
boots and silver cartridge cases Of COS
sack officer and showed the wound he had
received in the Roer trenches Coats OF
arms and ribbons of the Transvaal. which
come apparently from nowhere. began to
fast.n themselves on the soplhrerOs 81 my
companions. and medals OF foreign wars
were suddenly sprouted upon their breasts
The Chicago Ambulance Corps laughed
and winksd. Already the men had found
that the Red Cross bandage had become
burdensome and bound them too tightly
II was stopping TN. circulation of tho
fighting blood in their Irish veins Two
days later all but five Of the bandages had
been ripped off forever. ! am only report
ing what happened. II / were expr. ss!ng
opinions / would be forced TO say that il
Is not becoming that the Red Cross flag
should be used to cover fighting man.
l like these particular men for them
Ga1T
miles TO risk their lives for people fighting
for their Independence. but / 90 not like
the garb in which they came. IL gives our
critics the right to say that the Irish-Smer-
leans tricked and deceived. and abused an
emblem which Is the protection of the help
less and the wounded. Even some Of the
Beers shake their heads and say, 1T is a
pity they came So"
Tho Irish-Americans had. however the
noted example OF a Mr.. Webster Davis.
who, because he was q member of our Gov
eminent. was treated by the English with
the greatest considerst ton, but who. before
he resigned his official position, which he
could have done by cable from Lorenzo
Marquee. had himself photographed In the
Boer trenches. with the Transvaal flag in
one hand and a rifle in the other. In spite
Of the evidence of the rife. / have not
heard that he faced anything more danger
Gus than the camera. As "a frcc-horn
American Citizen Davis had every right
and every reason TO assist the Beers in the
field. or. as he Seems to prefer. from the
lecture platform at slOb night. But "a an
official OF our Government his conduct in
the Boer lines threatened peaceful relations.
on the English side the Irish-Americans
had the distinguished example of the Earl OF
Rossiyn, whose conduct was even more dis
ingenious than that cs Webster Davis.
Rossiyn told me IN Ladysrnith few weeks
he. tn IA
correspondent ard had been given Il COM
mission IN Thorneycroft's Horse. He was in
uniform at the time. He is now here in Pre-
toria as a prisoner and is crying the baby
act, pleading even over his own signature to
be set Mt liberty on the ground that he is a
correspondent, a ''noHcombaJant' and n
peer OF England" What makes his posi-