The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-03

How the Former Honolulan Grappied With
the Dread Disease and Came
Out Victorious.

Hello! Louis / cried as l stepped
into the place where a white-haired
man of perhaps fifty years was leaning
against the mahogany and holding an
animated conversation with two COM
panions. I'm glad to see you. You
look bad
YES" replied Louis, 81 don't seem
to pick UP very fast. The cholera is a
hard thing to beat, and the powerful
medicine they feed a fellow stays in
his system for long tina
IF you have time, Louis, wish you
would tell me all about it,
He did. Louis McGrew was an old
friend of mine. / had heard CT MS ter
rible struggle with the dread disease;
Of him being taken to the hospital
where the physicians pronounced his
hopeless case, telling him frankly
that he could not recover, as the dis
ease had attacked him in it's most vio-
lent form. There is good old Irish
blood in LOUIS He reversed the doc
tors verdict, reversed it by a will
power that is rarely equalled We
settled ouselves beside a marble-top-
ped table and he told me of his fight
with death.
You know that I was employed by
the Health Department from the time
the plague made its appearance in
March. A daily contact with the dis
ease had caused me to become careless,
and | did not realize that l had con-
tracted cholera until DR.. Hermann was
called.
Louis he said, you have cholera.
You are now in state of collapse
Collapse nothing!' replied.
Why, barring little weakness,
never felt better in my life
The doctor advised me to go at once
to the Santiago hospital, where I was
taken by an ambulance a few minutes
later. The ward in which they placed
me contained nine patients. My cot
was located between that of Sergeant
Moser and O'Neil, young men, strong
and vigorous, with a development
physically that made me look almost
like babe in comparison.
When the physician said, Louis,
you have no chance it made me about
half mad. Excuse me, DOCTOR I an
swered, I didn't come out here to die,
but to get WELL
That's right he exclaimed, and,
turning to one of the nurses, ordered
him to give me anything 1 ordered
You know my appetite for cham
payne is pretty we'll developed, so I
called to the nurse, You heard what
the doctor said?' He nodded in the
affirmative. Well, bring me a bottle
OF champagne and some cracked ice,
and be quick about it
'Then came the cramps and the
black vomit and the nurses with hot
water bags, while lay there stretched
out on my back with instructions from
the attendants not to move under any
consideration.
"But short time had passed when l
opened my eyes to see bending over
me the kindest, the most charitable
man that ever walked the streets of
Manila. 1t was Father McKinnon.
Hello, LOUIS he said, in his quiet
way, The doctor told me. Will you
let me pray for your
othSAt GU, anu d lump
that had nothing to do with the chol-
era came up into my throat, you can't
pray for me; I'm a Protestant and a
Mason
That makes no difference, my
boy! In what church were you bap
tized?'
81 told him the Episcopal. Then he
told me to repeat after him the Lords
D7sox TT.
a prayer-book from his pocket and
read me the service that l had heard
so many times when l was boy.
1T was solemn, it was impressive,
and it touched me stronger than any
experience of my whole life. But still
that feeling to beat the disease was
stronger in me than ever Father
said to him after he had completed the
simple service, I'm going to get we'll
You are right, my boy and he
laid his hand on my head in a way
that felt like benediction and bles-
sing.
After he left me my attention was
attracted by the two unfortunate boys
who occupied the cots beside me. They
were suffering intense agony, and
every now and then a groan would
escape them. 1 tried to encourage
them. Come, boys!' 1 said, Let's fight |
it. You both are younger and stronger
than 1. The doctor says that mine is /
a harder attack than yours. Now I'm /
going to get we'll
They were quiet for a time. Per-
haps half hour had passed when I |
saw the attendants come toward me |
with a screen. They placed it around /
Sergeant Moser's cot, and when it was
taken away the bed was empty.
When the full meaning of the