The Washington times., 1918-10-20

pleaded that she be taken to a hospi-
tai and an effort made to save her life
The motor corps girl and her orderly
carried the patient into the ambulance
and started for the hospital The re-
ceiving doctor Immediately declared
the woman was dead.
We cannot receive the body" he an
nouRced grimly. Our duty is with the
the living"
There Was nothing TO do but take
the body back to the home. There,
the husband, hardly able to lift his
own head from the pillow. with the
two sick children to care for. begged
that his wife's body be taken to an
undertaker's.
Il; cannot bear to have the children
see their mother brought in dead" he
pleaded. To the nearest undertakers
the girl started. The undertaken was
sorry but he could not receive body,
without a certificate of death Be-
sides his mOrgue was full. He ad-
iVised the. girl to take her charge to
the city'morgue. First il was neces-
sary to return to the hospital and get
death certificate. 1t was that cold
and eerie hour when human energy
and human spirits are at their lowest
ebb that the girl headed for the city
morgue. II took. her several minutes
to rouse the keeper. Then and only
then was she permitted to transfer
! her CHASTITY burden to other hands
l. That occurrence is not typical, but
ut demonstrates the problems these
women encounter. 1t indicates TOO.
how they meet their problems, no
I two OF which are ever alike.
Captain FaIrchIId in Charge.
As 1 sat in the motor corps head
quarters watching its activities.
watching Capt Marian Fairchild an
swering two telephones at once, maxi
ing out reports, and writing orders
for drivers at one and the same time.
a hurry call came from the George
town zone. 4 lieutenant was sum-
mOned, called by her last name only
military regulations being the rule
OF the corpsD, and given the order.
This woman who knows social and
diplomatic Washington like a book
and is just now learning how the
other half of the greatest nations
Capital lives saluted and was gone.
Having 'nursed in France for six
months. she was just the man" for
the case. In the rush of work she
was hardly missed before she re-
turned. She reported she had found
the woman dead. lying in the same
bed with the husband also critically
i'll. The case was reported to the pub
lie health service. Back came the
order to remove the man to the hos
pital
This time l went along. The ex-
terror of the house was above the
average in its appearance of neatness
and respectability. Inside the dead
and the living lay side by side The
room was dark and unventilated. The
frenzy of grief had replaced common
sense, and relatives refused to have
the young man moved. The motor
ambulance women were in guam
Diary. From the standpoint of the
individual patient, the safety OF at
least seven persons in the house eN-
posed to the disease and the welfare
of the community, it was their duty
to take the patient to the hospital at
once. They argued and pleaded. The
young sister OF the sick man was
alternately stubborn and fearful.
She had sent for her father. Nothing
could be done until his arrival. The
motor corps women waited. In a few
moments a motor containing one of
the volunteer women workers from
the Red Cross sanitary zone arrived.
carrying a thermos bottle Of hot soup
and accompanied by a young naval
doctor.
Naval OnIcer Interviews.
at is our duty to separate the Iiv-
ing and the dead" the naval officer
told the relatives. He removed the
body to another room. 1t had been
lying beside the living for three hours
Soon the father arrived. Then the
family skeleton was revealed. The
boy had married against his fathers
wishes. They had not met in hVe
years. Now, in the hour OF death. |