The mirror., 1914-04-02


the shrinking, half nude forms of
hysterical, sobbing women.
1 saw husband and wife, devided
many years, unite, driven by one
mutual love. in a frenzied. heart
rending search for their offspring.
Oh, Captain sights to make a man s
heard bleed.
But enough of this. You will
see for yourself tomorrow. Today
has been He'll unrestrained. To-
morrow----God help us. With
the robbing of the dead, pillaging,
no water and No food that is bound
to follow, we will have our hands
full"
AT this point the battalion was
reported equipped and ready to en-
bark.
On deck Capt. Bliss gave few
brief instructions to his officers while
the men were boarding the tug.
By eight o'clock they were quar-
tered in the spacious barracks of the
training station all preparations for
the early morning landing had been
completed. The men, with their
blankets spread around the immense
drill hall and accountrements be-
side them, sat and talked of the pos
sibilities of the morrow. The men
of the Marblehead had been distrib-
uted throughout the two battallons
of the recuits. These for the most
part were all youngsters between
the ages of eighteen and twenty-one;
recruited principally from the farm
and small inland cities. Untried
and unframed, but who in the fol-
lowing days, steadied by the more
experienced men of the Marblehead
proved themselves worthy of Uncle
Sans blue and wore it with honor.
Next morning when the bluejack-
cts landed at Folsom Street dock
they were greeted by sight vastly
different from that of the day be-
fore. The fire had practically all
died out. with the exceptions of
few places where 1t was allowed to
rage unchecked, as the buildings in
it's path were not worth saving.
The Generals Orders
Major Phillips was on hand and
addressing Capt. Fletcher as the
senior officer present. said: Your
orders are to police the water front
from the Greek to the Sea WALL"
taking charge of all warehouses and
docks. and conserving all food and
clothing you find. Allow no one
near them. All food and clothing
will be issued from the supply sta
tions that have been established.
Confiscate and destroy all liquor.
You are to shoot, and shoot to kill,
anyone caught stealing, attempting
to enter any building or in any way
acting suspicious. You are also to
send detachment of fifty men to
report to Lieutenant Boles in China
town; / would advise that you
choose your most reliable men, men
who have seen service before. We
expect more trouble in Chinatown
than anywhere else. If you will
detail the men, will take charge
and deliver them"
The squad was soon made mp
comprised mainly of short timers
from the Asiatic Station who had
taken part in the Philippines during
the unsettled period just after the
war, and in the Boxer uprising of
Northern China.
Led by Major Phillips they were
soon making their way rapidly up
Market Street. In vain they search
ed that familiar thoroughfare for
we'll remembered places where they
had spent many pleasant hours.
Now all was ruins; desolation COM
plete. What had once been mag
nificent business fronts and beautiful
facades, lay in crumbled heaps. In
many places they were confronted
by the almost unsurmountable block
ades of stone, brick and mortar, so
mixed with fragments of glass as to
make it impossible to pass without
taking chances of being severely
gashed.
Shoots a Looter
Just before reaching the corner
of Market, Third and Kearney SITS,
the Major, who was some distance
in the lead, raised his hand calling
halt. Motioning Cox'en Harvey,
the petty officer in charge, to ad-
vance, he pointed down Third street
and said something in tone too low
to be overheard. The cox'en raised
his rifle and taking careful aim,
fired. Then the roder to proceed
was was given, Harvey dropping
back in line. Some poor devil
trying to break into a store down