The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-02-14
HEALTH DESERTS MIAMI MATRON WHO SAVED
 LIFE OF ROOSEVELT

Miami. Fla. .--Her health shatter- cd a. Victim of recuFfing niRhtmakes in which again she
 clutches the tense. nnurderous arm of an assassin
 Mrs W. F Cross looks back, nevertheless with shinings eyes to
 that night a year ago when her 0uiclx action in diyerting the aim of. Guiseppe Zangara, dangerous fanatic, saved the life of the. then President elect Roosevelt. But rewards have been few for this slight Miami unatron whose
 heroic deed catapulted her into the national limelight on Febru- ary IS, 1893. PRESIDENTS LETTER
 PRIZE POSSESSION
 Memories of her free trip to
 President Roosevelt's inauguration are her most cherished. Two other
 letter of appreciation from the
 rewards she prizes-the personal president and honorary member
 ship in the Safety Legion of Honor, granted her upon the presidents recommendation for distinguished service in accident prevention She has neyer received the gold Congressi0naI Medal of Honor pro posed for her.. Three sworn affi- davfts of eye-witnesses. attesting her right to 1t, are now in the hands Of officials who have prom ised to bring them before congress and a meastire according her the honor is expected at the next.&es- sion.
 Hundreds of letters from all
 parts of the world have, poured
 into her mail box. sone eommen-
 datory, others begging. They are
 still arriving at the. rate of three a day. Almost all of them ask an small fortune to pay the postage
 financially able to allow herself the luxury.
 OFFERS TO COMMEMORATIVE
 HER ACT REFUSED
 Some of the letters render Mrs Cross extravagant praise. One is addressed to Mrs w. F. Cross,
 Most Gracious, Marvellous and Wonderful and Most Brilliantly
 Scintillating Heroine of the World and of the Entire Universe" Off, fers have come from motion pic- ture studios, asking her to make brief appearances before the cam era, and from persons interested
 in realizing profits from a speak
 ing tour of the country they pro- pose for her to make.
 Modestly, she disclaims the praise teaped upon her, and as for the offers to lecture or appear in pictures, she says, 'T could never
 consent to commercializing my act"
 Mrs Cross home city of Miami has neglected to do her honor. She still lives, as on the tragic night,
 in a little cottage on a side street, housewifely duties and to helping
 where she devotes her time to her physician-husband, on occa- sion, in her capacity as trained nurse.
 It is the begging letters, some asking financial aid, others favors from the president through her, that have caused the nightmares and her increasing nervousness,
 Mrs Cross believes "They con- stantly remind me of the dreadful ness of that night" she says. Her A0ihhS uCdiSA iS d iIdttST lOr UScp concern with her husband.
 WISHES HONOR HAD FALLEN TO ANOTHER Mrs Cross does not complain about the loss of her health which occurred in the months after her
 heroic act and she says she has no
 desire for further rewards. On the night of the tragedy, she
 tried to escape notice by slipping away in the crowd, but was sight ed and called to the platform. As she said then, she now repeats:
 T didn't do anything for every