Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-10-22
.FATE's QUEER TURNS.
Condolences Which War Has
Brought Forth.
First Man South Sea islander SPEAKS
to In London Is Man He 10
Looking For-other Inter
. estins Cases.

London. E. H. James, q
prominent resident of Fulham, was al
Charing Cross few days ago ne no
ticed a number of men clad In KHAKI
getting out of the train. He learned
they had Just arrived from the far on
Fiji. where they had given up gooo
situations to offer their services TO the
motherland in her hour OF need. MI.
James asked if any of them were from
Suva.
Sure" replied one of the stalwart
young fellows. II come from Suva.
do you know Harry James, IN
CURED the man from Fulham.
81 should think do. He and are
overseers on the same plantation.
have a letter of introduction to his
brother, E. H. James. OF Fulham.'
You can hand 1t over now, SAID
Mr.. James. Both were amazed to learn
that the first man the South Sea
Islander had spoken to on reaching
London was the very man in all Eng
land he wished to see.
This is but one of the extraordinary
condolences which the war mas
brought forth. London hospital had
another remarkable illustrations:
A young soldier was severely wound
ed in the fighting somewhere in
France" He lost 21sciousness, and
when he regained il he was lying com
fortably in bed in a ward of large
hospital. His first words were
Where am II" The nurse told him
that he was in London. that during the
period Of his Inconsistencies he had
been transported across the channel
and that his wounds had been tended.
He asked the name of the hospital,
the number of the ward, the day OF
the week and the hour. The purse
told him. II say, nurse, you might
tell my dad l am here" The nurse
looked at him, thinking the poor lad
was in delirium.
All right. nurse, my dads in the
next ward now. You know he is the
surgeon there and this is his visiting
day"
And so it was. The father was in
the next ward performing his work,
thinking all the time that his son was
in France. He did not even know that
the boy was wounded. far less that he
was being tended few yards away.
Writing from the front to friends
at Llangollen, Private S. N. Jones of
the motor transport A. S. C. relates
peculiar coincidence concerning
himself. He was driver on the
Llangollen-Wrexham motor bus route
and enlisted soon after the commence
ment of hostilities. In France, strange
to say. he was drafted to the identical
chassis of the motor he had been
driving on the Donbigshire route, it
having been purchased, with many
others. by the government.
The manager of the road car COM
pany has written to Private Jones stat
ing that, IL it should be possible, they
will repurchase the car after the war
and place upon it plate recording
the circumstances related.
David Henderson, Bowhill soldier
belonging to the Black Watch, has
remarkable story to tell of how he
was able to pay back on the field of
battle the services of man who saved
his life in this country in the piping
times of peace.
About year ago, when taking part
in a regatta at Wemyss, his boat was
capsized and he was thrown into the
water. He had been swimming towards
the shore for some time when he was
picked up in an exhausted condition
by a passing boat belonging to. Dy-
sart.
Strange to say, after fierce days
fighting in France, Private Henderson
saw a wounded soldier lying in front
of the trenches, and on going to his
assistance he was struck by some.
thing familiar about the wounded man.
Henderson then asked his comrade If
it was he who had saved "Davie"
Henderson from watery grave at
Wemyss the previous summer. 1T
was" came the reply. Then l am
Davie Henderson" was the dramatic
rejoinder. Henderson then took his
wounded comrade by the arm and,
under heavy fire. led him to a place
of safety,