The Washington times., 1915-09-29
G. AR. SHELLS GUIDES
WITH MANY INQUIRIES
Some Humorous, More Pathetic,
Questions Asked+0ne Old
Soldier Loses His wife.

A little, stopped, weather beaten man.
wearing the blue. set down q carpet
bag by the gates at Union Station. and
began peering at the floor. police
man told him to keep close. watch
on his luggage. He grasped the bag
absent mindedly and kept on his scru-
tiny OF the moor.
Lost something?' inquired the police
mo. but I've heard tan Of th3s star
here In the station whers Gern9io w.
shot. and I wanted to take q loek.4e N:''
Tho veteran was told thai the Penn
sylvania station, where tho star was
located, had been torn down. and that
even before that some vandal had stolen
tho star that marked the spot where
Garfield fell q victim to the assassin
bullet.
This was only one example OF the
questions asked by many OF tho oid
veterans, some Of them funny. many OF
them pathetic. because they indicated
aged men were living. for the most part
Ouestions about old landmarks In the
Capital sty.. long since passed away
One veteran asked for the old Camp
bell Hospital. once used during war
days. and long since torn down. An
other inquired for the Frits Reuter- Ho-
tel. saying he intended to stop there.
march Of progress, and on its site the
new Ford storage rooms are being
built.
Some Of tho high school cadets. doing
service a. guards. who had hoped to
show the veterans their way around
were promptly squelched.
Can I help you fnd your stopping
placer politely inquired one Of vet
eran who arrived this morning.
Help me boy: why. I was here hfty
we fellows knew all about this town
before you were born"
Cadet Has His Reward.
But the cadet had his reward when
he followed the old veteran to the
street cars. He gazed around a min
ute. in awe. and then. in a different
tone, said to the volunteer guide:
Guess you'd better help US out. after
all. Time has changed this place some. "
One veteran from Illinois spent most
Of the night hunting his wife. He had
stopped to arrange about tickets, and
his wife went ahead to the boarding
place with a group OF women. When
found himself at the right number. but
in the wrong section Of the city. and
he searched until a late hour. He came
back and asked an information booth
attendant to help him.
His wife had come back to the station
and they met and started forth to-
gether.
There are about half q dozen gates
at the station used for incoming pas.
sepgers and a dozen or SO special po-
licemen and gatemen about them.
Each railroad company has sent its
! special policemen to help handle the
crowds. Many Of these arc plain
clothes men. and they shifted about un.
easily In the uniforms they were com
pclled to don for this occasion.
Courtesy and helpfulness is the rule
among every employe and special po'
| liceman at the station. Many of the
veterans and their families have to be
taken personally to their stopping
places. and the cadets who act as guides
are sent with these.
Many Of the places asked for not only
! have been torn down. but have passed
from memory, and occasionally the
guards are berated by veteran fol
! knowing nothing about the city because
they are not aware of some structure
that long since ceased to exist.