Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-29
OFFERED HIS BLOOD
chivaIrous Act Of a Naval Acad-
envy instructor.
vow OF VICENTE VALDEZ
Would Save q Stranger in . Newark
I. - Hospital.
DEPL0RES TIE PUBLICITY
Hospital Authorities Did Not Even
Take tho Trouble to Decline Els
Generous Proposal.
Special From a STAR Correspondent.

Special From a STAR Correspondent.
ANNAPOLIS. Md. January 28.-The spirit
OF the days OF chiyalry Is recalled by the
act OF Vicente Garcia Valdez, instructor OF
modern languages At the Annapolis Naval
Academy and the single remaining member
Of q family distinguished for ceaturies in
the romantic history OF Spain. who In fll-
fflhnent Of VOW. has offered q quart OF has
blood to the authorities OF st. James Hospi-
tai. Newark. to save the life Of q man he
has never seen. The offer was made In a
way that Mr.. VALDEZ believed would effee-
tuafly conceal his identity. When Mr.. VAL
deg was asked whether he had. in fact.
made such an offer. he was extremely en-
barrassed. and only after repeated aues-
ttoning would he acknowledge that tie
story of his chivalrous act of contemplated
self-sacrifce was true.
Last Friday Mr.. Valdez secured twenty
four hours leave of absence from the acad-
envy and journeyed to Washington. He
registered at the New Willard and while
at dinner that evening read a dispatch in
The Evening Star telling of dying man
In st. James Hospital. Newark, whose life
could be saved. In the opinion of the at
in his being Of a quart or more Of lne blood
Of q healthy man. This Is the dispatch as
1t appeared in The Star:
Why the Vow Was Made.
NEWARK, NJ j., October 26.-TAe st.
James Hospital authorities are looking for
some one who is willing to part with
quart OF blood. They want to transfuse
1t into the arteries Of Frank Fuery. who
has been lying unconscious and almost
dead since Tuesday morning. when he was
found lying in his bed at 122 Orchard street
asphyxiated by Illuminating gas. the fame
of which had been blown out by the wind
from an open window Large guam Lilies
of oxygen have been given the patient but
his response to that treatment has not been
satisfactory. Every means known to the
medical fraternity have been used to re-
store the mans vitality except the expedi-
ent of TRANSMISSION of blood. but this oper-
alton will be performed today II some one
can be found who is willing to part with
the blood"
Many years ago in Spain Mr.. Valdez's
mother was thought to be dying. when
her life was saved. on October 28. In an
almost miraculous manner. The sons
gratitude was so great that there and then
he made VOW that so ong as he lived
he would offer. on October rs Of each year.
an act OF kindness to some person In sore
need. AS he read the Newark dispatch In
was the anniversary he had never failed to
celebrate by some act OF chart T'thout
hesitation he determined to 90 ewarK
in an effort to save the life OF ,-a dying
man. In making the offer to the st. James
Hospital authorities he took what he sup
posed was the utmost precaution to pre-
vent his identity being revealed. He teie-
graphed the director Of the hospital that
he would allow his blood to be transfused
into the veins of Fuefy. the dying man.
and signed the telegram with the single
initial W" ~ --:'@ ~ 81.
Secret Leaked Out.
After sending the telegram he waited for
a reply until o'clock the next day. None
came and he returned to the academy Sat
urday evening. leaving instructions that the
answer when it came. be forwarded to
him. He made some social calls. attended
the officers hop. but limited to no one what
he had done.
When The Stars correspondent went to
the officers club in the Naval Academy
prompted him to make his more than gen.
erous offer, he was unwilling to discuss
the matter or even to acknowledge that he
had made such an offer. especially as 1t had
not been accepted. He feared that 1t might
subject him to ridicule. But when 1t was
explained to Mr.. Valdez that the story of
the offer had in some way become known,
he consented to make the following state
ment:
Il made my offer to the hospital after
reading of this case in The Evening Star
and / signed my telegram with the initial
" / gave orders to the day and night
clerks at the hotel to give my name to no
one. but to send such a telegram to me at
once when 1t should arrive.
Il am very much surprised and deplore
with all my heart that such a simple act
of Christian charity should be given such
great Importance by the press. This is an
act of my private life. in which no one has
a right to interfere. My mothers life was
saved on the Goth of October. as was my
own, on the 18th of March, and made q
VOW, as Catholic, that on these days
would do some act for my fellow-men.
read that the doctors needed a man to Of
fer his blood to save the life of patient in
ST. James Hospital in Newark. and made
the offer in such way that l was sure my
identity could not be learned
Himself a Newspaper Man.
This is an affair between God and my
SELF and If. as a gentleman. l am obliged
to keep my word toward my fellowman, as
a Catholic 1 am still more obliged to keep
my word toward God. This Is an affair
that IS perfectly personal and for this rea-
son / decline to give any further explana-
ton"
Mr.. Valdez is one Of the most popular Of
the instructors at the Naval Academy.
Socially he is liked everywhere in Annapolis
small in stature and of slight physique. He
Is known everywhere as a man OF chival-
rous character Of broad education and as
possessing rigid standards Of personal hon.
or. He speaks and writes French as fluent
iy as he does his native tongue.