The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-16
HOTEL CORRIDOR STORIES
WHITE-ROBED, GUEST WHO
WANTED AN EXTRA COVER.
Governor DurbiD Relates a Peculiar
Incident-Dr. o. c. Pfan Tells of
Surgical Operation.


Last Friday night wslen a reporter was
haunting the lobby of, the Hotel English.
watching for Governor Durbin to emerge
from his apartment up stairs and go to the
Statehouse to prepare the official proc
lamation on receipt of word that the Presi-
dent had died, a group of men seated in
soft leather chairs at one side of the lobby
invited him to join them. In the group
were two travelling men, a merchant OF
New Castle. Ind. and the manager Of the
hotel. As Is quite natural when persons
are awaiting news OF a death, the CONVEX
sation drifted into greEsOme channels
II had experience once in hotel in
a little Indiana town that almost turned
my hair white" suddenly observed one of
the travelling men. The hotel was small
and it was the only hostelry of which the
town could boast. When the incident to
which | refer happened l was sitting in the
lobby of the hotel late at night chatting
with the clerk. In order TO make my story
complete | will have to preface it with
some information that's 1 gained after the
thing happened. II seemed that early in
the morning of the same day guest OF the
house committed suicide in Room 81, and
mis- body was laid out ia a small room that
belonged To that apartment. Early in the
evening, but while IL was dark a traveller
pr esented himself at the clerks desk and
applied for logging. When the clerk wen,
up stairs with the new guest to show him
mis- room, which was 81 he made mistake
and conducted the mar into Room "a.
Whine the clerk and were sitting there
chatting a bell rang ana ne turned TO the
annunciator to see the number or the room
from which the call h.ad come Nnen ne
saw the number at ynlch the indicator
pointed the clerks face ssew asneu pale
and his hair rose GA emu. 'My OoI! he
eJa culated.
:. hats the matter i said calmly.
shouted, that call came from a.
And what or mat" 1 ietorted. The
man in that room probably wants a pitcner
OF ice water or covel or something else
That Is nothing.
But 1 tell you there is no man in that
room, declared the frightened fellow.
That is, there isn't live man an it, me
guest that had that room committed sui
side this morning ana his BODY is iaId out
In the adjoining room.
However that may be-. l returned
there Is man IN that room and he is very
much alive. You see # the bell does not
ring in a few minutes again
Sure enough. in abeUt i've six min
utes the bell did ring, ana II rang fu!iCusiy
too. The clerks face became paIer sill.
Why don't You go up anu see what that
Il.
g Not on your life he gasoed i would
not go to that room for thousand dol
lars
. All right. 1 will go up with svu. / SAID
5ravely.
Accordingly weCstarted up the stairway
the clerk carrying lamp, but before we
coming from the hallway towards us and
to our CONSERVATION it opened its mouth
and roared out Why in the H.
But We did not wait for the ghost TO
complete its observation. The rapidly
with which we got 10 the bottom of those
stairs was amazing: 1t is a wonder the
clerk did not drop the lamp he was carry
Ing. When we got to the Office we heard
the remainder of the remark. 1t was
don't you come up here and give me an
extra cover. 1 am freezing TO death Soon
the matter was cleared up. the man got his
cover anu We resumed our converse ton
but when | finally went up TO bed l felt
trihe shaky, I'll admit
The same evening Governor Durbin mar
rated an incident that had once come under
his notice, showing thai 1t is never safe to
say a man is dead until he is actually dead.
The cause that led TO the narration of the
story was the issuing OF extras by some of
the local papers making premature an
nouncements CT the Presidents death
THE case Of mail carrier In Anderson
impressed on me the conviction that a man
IS never dead until he is actually dead -
said the Governor. 1.-THE mail carrier in
question badly hurt in street-car
accident. hlS head was mashed in and they
carried the poor fellow TO the hospital
Wnere an operation was performed. The
surgeon said as he rolled up his sleeves
preparatory to beginning the operatfon-and
viii never forget the remark. This poor
devil can't recover anyway, and / am go
ing 10 so contrary 10 the books I'm oper-
attng on him. l think the books are wrong
and l am going To see If that is not true
When he had made an inclsion i'm the moor
fellows skull he found that he had made
a mistake and then proceeded to adopt the
line or procedure laid down in the medical
books. The postmaster called TO see the
carrier and was 80 firmly convinced that he
was dead that ne went back 10 the office
and notified the department at Washing
ton that Carrier So-and-So had died
Well" said the Governor sententiouslv
that man Is carrying mail in Anderson to
vive such operation. but he did In taxes
a good deal more 10 kill some men than
others"
Speaking OF persons that have had dan
Eerous operations performed or them and
recovering when the chances were seem
tnsly all against them" said Dr. O. @
Pfan. II once had such a case myself. 1
performed an operation. a part OF which
consisted OF cutting out a segment of an
Intestine and joining the ends together
with sutures. | had made preparations 10
go East the following day. and so certain
was I that the patient could not possibly
recover that / actually heaved a sigh OF
relief when | stepped on board the train
the next morning after having left care
fui INSTRUCTIONS az TO the mode OF treat
fnent 10 be pursued In the case.
when | came baC. imagine my surprise
10 md that notwfthstand ing a nurse had
Violated my instructions and given the pa-
ticnt medicine that / believed would he
Injurious. the erstwhile suffering and dying
one vas able 70 sit up In bed and eat solid
food almost with impunity"