Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-07-20
Mother Raguln and pet
Fletcher fire H0n0red at
Reunion of Emory UNI
by WARD GREENE

In the shade of little grove of
oak trees four miles beyond Buck
head, Madame Henri Raguin stood
Saturday afternoon and looked into
the faces of the Emory unit men,
bers she had travelled 5000 miles to
see.
They were grouped Derore her on
the slope of the hillside, seated on
chairs and benches and on the leafy
ground itself-Atlanta doctors, At
lanta nurses, Atlanta boys and boys
from other parts of the state, their
wives and sweethearts with them
their relatives and friends.
Here was an ex-private she had en-
tertained in her home and mothered
in his loneliness. There was an ex-
long into the night in the bloody
hospital wards. One after another,
men and women, boys and girls, she
looked at them who had worked with
fered with her at Blois, France, the
summer and winter of 1918-19.
On the front row was DR.. Fritz
Hodgson, whose right hand she was
in many dangerous operations Be
side him sat Albert Jelks and Jake
whose help and comfort she had
been when that was what they want
ed most. And between them, square
shouldered and indomitable on the
stumps that serve him for legs, his
tanned face wreathed in a smile so
whole-souled and hearty it seemed a
miracle for it to be there, Lieuten-
ant Robert Fletcher's warm gray eyes
met hers.
DR.. Hodgson held in his lap the
silver loving cup he had presented
her in the name of the Emory unit
and Albert Jelks had the certificate
of apprecia ton from Emory universe
ty and the American Red Cross
medal just given her. And in her
they had said when they voiced the
simple love and gratitude of the
Emory unit for their mother"
Simple, Heart-Warning Speech
She tried to speak. In the silence
the words, in her own musical
terpreter to translate the feeling in
them.
'L'enfant" was one of them, and
those who knew knew IN mad DANES story q6s
daughter whose death early in the
war, with her husband at the front,
sent her into the service, where the
happiness she had lost she gave to
others.
The voice broke for a moment, and
then the speech was over and madame
was back in her place at Lieutenant
Fletcher's side, and DR.. Frank Bo-
land was shouting stentoriously for
the quartet, and everybody was
laughing as heartily as possible, so
as not to cry outright.
That was the scene which will be
remembered always by those at the
Emory units second annual reunion
and the speech of Lieutenant
For lieutenant Fletcher, pet pa
tient" of Base Hospital Forty-three,
was honored, too. They gave him
the Emory unit book because that
could think of. And when they
called for Speech! Speech" he.
whipped around on his stumps and
smiled that miracle smile at them
and said:
I'm not much af speechmaker.
In fact, 1 guess the only kind Of
speech I could make would be
stump speech! But 1 just want to
say it's been the greatest privilege
Of my life to be here with the MEM
for me so many months after 1 was
wounded"
You'd have to know Lieutenant.
Fletcher to appreciate that speech;
you'd have to meet him face to face
and let him smile at you while the
to him swept your heart in quick,
hot wave. Then you'd agree with
Eugene Black, who said, simply, "It
was a sort of sacred speech"
~, Barbecue and watermelons
The reunion drew a full attendance,
Emory vets from all over Georgia
as well as from Atlanta They had
a ,corking time, first at the barbecue
tables, smoking with meat hot from
the pits; and next at the water
melons, dripping cold from the
spring, and finally all over the place,
meeting old friends and new friends,
and not half as anxious to be "back
in Blooey just for little WHILE" as
they pretended to be.
The Camp Jesup band was there,
and darktown symphony orchestra
DR.. Ed Green Communicated from De-
catur street. 1t played the blues"
as only a black man can play 'en,
mated she could hardly tear herself
away when they crooned into Let
the Rest of the World Go By"
The presentation. ceremonies were
simple, and, therefore, sincere to a
was offered by Captain ]. l.. Algood,
the unit chaplain. S. Twyman Mat
tingly forgot the speech he had pre-
pared on behalf of the enlisted men,
and made up 100 per cent better
Miss Ruby Falls spoke for the nurses,
and then came the presentations
DR.. HanselI Crenshaw gave the
book to Lieutenant Fletcher. Bishop
Gamblers chancellor of Emory, deliv-.
cred the university's certificate of
appreciation, engraved on vellum, to
Madame Raguin, and Eugene Black,
touched the hearts and the risibili-
ties both of his audience with his
"a 80 ~zn m