Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-05-10

comes to mind in connection with
Poly's favOrite angel of mercy" in
the ranks of the Red Cross. Word
came to headquarters one day that one
of the soldiers stationed at the Preside
was lying dangerously ill in a home of
certain party in South San Francisco,
and that he would die if he was not
removed at once. In fact, the man
himself had implored them to send him
to hospital, or at least notify his cap
tain of his condition, and finally, in
desperation, had scrawled line stating
that he was seriously i'll with typhoid
fever, was receiving no attention
whatever, and that if he was not re-
moved he would surely die, and bribed
a small boy in the family to mail it for
him. The party who had taken the
sick man home with him, it seems, was
getting paid so much per week for tax
ing care of him by society that both
men belonged to, and he had no notion
of losing the amount if he could help it.
The ladies of the Red Cross, hearing of
the matter, sent an ambulance after
the sick soldier, but they not only re-
fused to let him go, but would not allow
them to see him, stating that he was
getting along nicely, was perfectly sat
istied and did not want to be removed.
The unsuccessful members of the Red
Cross reported their failure, and then
our "angel of mercy" with others took
the matter in hand, and the next day
stormed the fort. They met with open
resistance and hurried to the police sta
ton; but here they again met defeat
and were informed they could do moth
ing in the matter, as it was purely
military affair. Nothing daunted they
hurried to the only nearby telephone,
which proved to be in a saloon, and
phoned to the captain of the young
mans company the condition of affairs,
and his answer was to hold the fort
and that he would send detachment
of soldiers and take him by force, if
necessary. 1t was getting on towards
shutdown and the situation was not
very pleasant for the ladies, but they
vowed they would get the soldier out of
this mercenary mans hands if it took
them till midnight. Finally dozen
soldiers appeared upon the scene and
charged into the honse with drawn bay
onets. AS they went in the front door
the courageous man who had been
standing off the ladies of the Red Cross
so persistently fled from the back door
and took to the hills, leaving his wife
to face the enemy. They found the
soldier in deplorable condition. The
room as well as the house was in filthy
condition, and he lay burning up with
fever in the clothes he had been put to
bed in several weeks before. Wrapping
him in clean blankets the half-conscious
soldier was carried to the ambulance
and taken to hospital where proper
care could be given him. 1t was dark
before the ladies of the Red Cross
reached their respective homes, but
they were in high glee at the success of
their undertaking. The soldier got well
and the man who beat so hasty retreat
has made himself livery scarce" in the
vicinity of the Presidio since the event.
He didn't mind the face-powder and
artillery of words from the ladies a
little bit, but when it came to-the
charging of bayonets by the soldiers
well, that was different matter, and
ian ounce of prevention was worth a
pound of cure"