Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-09-21

OF the cars In this train there was a
Red Cross big enough to be seen from
miles In the air. The German ayiators
accepted them merely as excellent tar
gets. Their bombs quickly knocked
three or four cars from the rails and
killed several Of the helplessly wound
ed men. The rest of the patients, weak
and nervous from recent shock and In.
jury. some of them half dellrious and
nearly all Of them absolutely helpless
and In pain, were thrown into near
panic.
TWO of the nursing sisters In charge
Of the train were the coolest indlvid-
uals present. They walked calmly up
and down its length, urging tho pa
tients to remain quiet, directing the
male attendants how to remove the
wounded men safely from the wrecked
cars and paying no attention whatever
to the bombs which were still explod-
Ing nenr the trnin. I did not have the
privilege of witnessing this scene my
self, but know that have accurate
ly described 1t, for the details were
told In IN official report when the king
decorated the two sisters with the Roy
al Red Cross for valor In the face of
the enemy.
The trip from Contay to Rouen was
a ightmarc-twenty-six hours travel
ing $50 miles on train which was
forever stopping and starting, its jerky
and uncertain progress meaning to us
just hours and hours of suffering. l do
not know whether this part of the sys-
for H.
been improved now. Then, It's incon-
venlences and imperfeetions must have
been inevitable, for in every way after
ward the most thoughtful and tender
care was shown us. In the long rows
of huts which compose the British gen-
eral hospital at Rouen we found our
selves IN what seemed like paradise.
In the hut which constituted the spe.
cial ward for leg wounds l was lifted
from the stretcher on which had trav-
eled all the way from Poizers into u
comfortable bed with fresh, clean
sheets, and instantly found myself
surrounded with quiet, trained, cfii-
Gent care. l forgot tho pain OF my
wounds md the dread of the coming
operation when tray OF delicious food
was placed beside my bed and q nurse
prepared Inc for the enjoyment of Il
by bathing my face and hands with
scented water.
On the following morning my leg
wns Y rayed and photographed. told
the surgeon I thought the business OF
operating could very we'll be put off
until / had had about three more
hut I, .
that way. In the afternoon l got my
first sickening dose of ether, and they
took the first lot of iron out of me-
suppose these were just the surface
deposits, for they only got Ave, or six
pieces. However, they continued sys-
tematically. had five more opera
lions, and every time came out Of
the ether the row of bullets and shell
scraps at the foot of my bed was
little longer. After the number Ind
reacneu twenty-five they told me tnsJ
perhaps there were q few more Il;
there, but they thought they'd betee7
let them stay.
My wounds had become septic, and st
was necessary to give all attention to
drainage and cure. 1t was about this
time that everything for awhile seem
ed to become hazy and my memories
got all queerly mixed up and confused
I recollect conceived violent dis.
like for a black dog that appeared
from nowhere now and then and be.
gan chewing at my leg, and 1 believe
gave the nurse n severe talking to
because she insisted on going to look
on at the ball game when she ought to
be sitting by to chase that dog away.
And L was perfectly certain about her
being at the ball game, because saw
her there when I was playing third
base
The Alarming Cablegram.
1t was at this time ION Nov. %, 1910,
ten days after had been wounded)
that my father in Lexington received
the following cablegram from the Off.
Ger In charge Of the Canadian records
in England:
Sincerely regret to inform you that Ser
gcant Alexander McClintock Is officially
reported dangerously I'll In No. s Ngenernl
hospital from gunshot wound In left thigh.
Further particulars supplied when re-
ceived.
1t appears that during the time OF
my adventures with the black dog and
the inattentive nurse my temperature
had assembled to the stage when the
doctors began to admit another method
of treatment might have been success
full. But 1 didn't pass out. The one
thing most regret about my close call
is that my parents in Lexington were
La unrelieved suspense about my con
dition until myself sent them a cable
from London on Dec. 10. After the
drst official message, seemingly pre-
pared almost as preface to the an
nouncement of my demise, my father
received no news of me whatever
And, as didn't know that the official
message had gone, cabled nothing tc
him until I was feeling fairly clipper
again. You can't have wars, though
without these little MISUNDERSTANDING
IF ft vUora nocelkIo ,I,o,,Y.1