The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-06
OLD KENEsAw's LAST BATTLE.


] ti-iIuSn TIE cOfrlOCIS anu WdlUS OF the
| great hospital. therc would have been no
more shuddering among the hundreds OF
! patients than was caused By this whis-
per.
odd ''Kenesaw' is dyingv'
/ The attending physician. summoned
( hastily by the alarming symptoms. had
/ stopped but a moment TO hand his snow
/ covered cap and ulster to the receiving
nurse. A glance into the contorted, ag-
/ onized face Of the venerable patient, a
( touch of the pulse, the briefest study OF
/ the paroxysms.
No hope, doctor?" The head nurse
! Rad Witnessed other death struggles. and
! il is said that nurses become Injured 10
such scenes. But the girls Interpretation
/ OF the doctors manner left her present
1 ing picture OF abject misery. oh
Gear, dear. TO think that kind Old Kene-
! saw must suffer So" Through her wet
/ eyes she looked at the poor, wasted old
BODY, writing and twisting upon the cot
/ on. doctor if you are quite sure he car
J not recover. is there no way-can't you
make The end less paiaful2"
/ Dr.. Blank had turned away from the
/ scene and was looking vacantly out OF
/ the window. If he made no immediate
( response TO the nurses appeal IL was be-
/ cause he was revolving the same per
/ picking problem IL his own mind Al
/ though he had grown gray in the hospital
service, DR.. Blank was, for the first
( time, face &c face with a most violent
/ case Of angina pectOris, but ne rccog-
| nized it as hopeless beyond all human
means.
/ What could BE- done to case Old Kene.
saw in losing struggle with Death
( The battle could end but one way. and
I was tearing the very heart from the
I victim and subiecting him to the worst
/ torture man can experience.
Aside from the means Of the diving mar
/ the little room was quiet The few sec
/ onds that the doctor stood there ponder
! ing seemed an age 70 the nurses and in
/ terne, who first glanced in sadness and
terror at the patient, then in appeal to
/ The silent man at the window. Presently
! the Doctors dark, hopeless countenance
changed and hope was discerned in his
/ quick command:
Send for Ainsley Take my horse and
/ buggy and get him here quickly as pos
sible."
Tnen. as an inferno FASTENED through
/ the hall to carry out these instructions
me sad news spread over the great
buildings, whispered by nurse to nurse
by patient to mis- neighbor in the next
cot:
"Old Kenesaw' is dyine,'
Never was a man more truly loved
/ Many years before he had come TO the
hospital, suffering from old age and the
ailments contracted in the southern
swamps during four years service in the
civil war. Broken in health, without a
home or relative, depending upon his
scanty pension 10 hold strong soul and
shattered body together he drifte1 into
the free clinic and asked for treatment.
! As mo. a. he had first become known
to he nurses and internes, but after he
| had related his war experiences to them
I 4 80 al
eyes, Of his greatest battle, his title was
changed to odd Kenesaw Mountain, "
and, in time. TO "Old Kenesaw." When
/ odd kenesaW" enlisted with the army
Of patients, it was thought he would
eventually be relieved and discharged.
After two months Of good care the old
warrior was again fairly comfortable, but
he evinced no desire to depart from the
hospital, and, in fact. no one wanted him
to go. He had become a sort Of general
factotum and his services were regarded
as well worth his bed and board Old pa
| TENTS and new, internes, nurses, medical
students. the entire hospital stan and
even the visitors at the institution came
to know him familiarly.-I slow, shut
! fling step and the CHEEKY click of his cane
on the hard wood floors were as familiar
rs the scheduled visits of the nurses, and
always as welcome, if not more so.
"Old Kenesaw' had access to every
nook and corner OF the hospital The pa
tents drew inspiration from his kindly
old face, and his stories OF camp and
battle served as a tonic. To the children
in the hospital 'Kenesaw'' was the in
carnation of all that was good. kind and
| helpful He was their chum, their never
failing friend. He would creep TO the cots
Ct the little sufferers, chase away
thoughts OF pain and bring smiles to their
wan faces with his inexhaust,bie fund
Of stories. Once when a child, scaling
the dizzy heights between life and death,
! had cried for some golden-rod, Il was
Of record that "Old Kenesaw' had
trudged eight miles to find large bunch
of the flaming yellow flowers and place
them where the child could see them.
He lured the little patents TO sleep with
his quaint old lullabys when nurses
words and doctors opiates had failed.
Small wonder they all loved odd Ken
esaw. the friend, the comforter and the
confdant
The shadow that had fallen over the
hospital when his fatal illness was an
nounced was momentarily lifted. There
was unusual activity in the halls. An
attendant had driven DR.. Blanks horse
TO the entrance almost at a gallop. A
tall man. with coal-black hair and pierre
ing black eyes jumped out and FASTENED
into the building. \ nurse was waiting
to show him 20 the patients side.
Just outside the door Of "Old Kene-
saws room DR.. Blank met the new ar
rival-John Wibert Ainsley. the cele-
brated hypnotist There was a hasty con-
versation in whispers. a brief history
Of the life OF the patient. and Professor
Ainsley knew what was expected OF him.
We must hurry. said Dr. Blank, and
for Gods sake. Ainsley. don't faili
The hypnotist nodded his head and the
two mon noiselessiy entered the room.
The great specialist recognized in this 4
supreme test Of his skill and resolved
that his brilliant record should not SUI
fer he stepped briskly 20 the bedside
and took the wrinkled hand az the pa
tient en- his own. Then. without 2 word
ne eazed fixedly into the eyes Of the dv-
ing man. The veteran. half unconscious
by reason Of the terrible pain he was
suffering. at first paid no heed 10 the
powerful figure bending over him. For
a few moments he groaned and tossed
about, but slowly, surely. the stronger
one was gaining the mastery. "Oid Ken
esaw now glanced into the penetrating
eyes and turned away. but again he
looked. and again. He seemed powerlesS
To look elsewhere. Gradually the moan
ing ceased. he became less frantic. Pres
entity the bod was motiOnelss. The thin
li0s moved. but no sound came from
them Only his rapid. lab0red breathing
could be heard
Thus FAR the hypnotist bad said Moth
i1g His dominating mind and intent
gaze alone had silenced the cries VI
pain. qu!eted the tortured body ana made
THE mind 90 his subject insensible % the
Terrible process that was fast bringing
his Hfe 10 an end. But he was going
further Selling both the patient hands
I'D his own. Be shouted
"Here carrade. c0mradet Wake un
Come. come. Sc VIII never do 20 ~ there
Come on or the ambulance cofps VIII
he picking sou up. The bullet o7iv s-sn-
ri rnu. u nan Cone on. Ih.r neel