The Dermott news. (Dermott, Ark.) 1910-1977, 1916-05-04

withal TO pay the modest fees in ef.
feet at the private bathing places,
Uncle sam bids them welcome al his
bathing house ON the hill After the
formality of certifying that they own
no property, and are possessed OF less
than twenty-five dollars in cash. the
government bathhuuse IS open to
them. Here $500 persons were cared
for last year, taking total OF To-
9SS baths at Uncle Sam expense.
The majority of these persons had no
medical attention whatever. except the
ordinary advice given by the govern
ment employees Yet Doctor Parks
states that 30 per cent OF these people
left Hot Springs cured Of their az
fictons which in the majority OF
eases were rheumatism in is various
forms
It naturally IS to be supposed that
out Of this large number of people
there were a few who were not eli
titled to partake Of tuele sam 5
bounty It should be expected Tat
among the 100000 annual visitors L
the resort there would he many With
the saving instinct. THE employees
Of the bathhouse. for instance say
they never could have believed therc
were so many people in the world
with only 81 If they had not heard
the statements made under oath
Uncle sam, however. IS jealous ~
this water. and whtle he gives il free
ly, he hates to have it taken away
from him under false pretenses. II At
any time 4 case looks suspicious. he
thinks nothing Of shipping an tusper-
tor half way across the continent to
secure the facts only last winter the
conversation OF a man At his modest
boarding house did not chime har-
moniously with his appearance in the
water line" at the government bath
house An inspector was sent mp into
Michigan. aud visited the little town
from which the man had registered
When h. returned he announced that
tho INDECENT owned four farms in
his home county. and had mortgages
on most of the others Ii cost that
man nearly one thousand dollars for
the baths he had taken. and only his
old soldier record saved him from
having a trip 10 a federal pcniten-
tjary in addition.
Tho record OF Hot Springs as a
fountain of youth is a long and hon
orable one Vet the strange part or
it all Is that no one has ever been able
20 discover what IS the property Of
the waters that effects the cures.
Old Traditions OF the Springs.
Away back in the early DAYS. accord
Ing to traditions. which are connect
ed with all places OF this kind, the
Indians ascribed the power to Mani
tou. the Great Father They said that
when the war chief OF great tribe
lay wounded in the shadow OF the
Ozark hills. the Great Father took pity
on him. opened up the mountain and
poured the healing waters on his
wounds. Since that time the waters
have worked similar wonders for all
A somewhat similar story is told OF
Hot Springs. Va. though that is one
Of discovery and not of miracle work
ing. According to this yarn an IN
dian pursued by his foemen fell ex-
hausted into the springs. He lay
there for q while. and the waters so
revived him that he scrambled nimbly
up the side OF a perpendicular ctff,
and thus eluded his foes. Boln OF
these are pretty tales. yet probably
carry lower percentage of truth than
the story of horse sense attributed
to Mount Clemens. Mich.-that a
broken-dowu. swollen-kneed, rheumat-
ic old plug was turned out in a pas
ture to find for himself. Immediately
immersed himself to his withers in
a warm bog and in week grew four
new legs.
Now there is plan. backed by east
ern capital. to erect at Hot Springs
the largest sanitarium in the world.
Already options have been secured on
ten acres of property lying in the heart
OF the city nearly opposite the reser-
walton. The option price is $1,000
600 and the project is said TO have
sS,000,000 of capital behind It.