The Key West citizen., 1952-12-31
Drum Head Court Martial
At Turn OF Century Recalled
C. v. LUNN TELLS
OF 1899 YELLOW
FEVER QUARANTINE
AND VIOLATORS
BY SUSAN McAvoY

6I SOSAN MSAVOY
Key West has had everything in
It's long and colorful history, in
GLIDING drum head court mar.
hal.
Charlie Lunn of sos Grinnell
Street whose middle name is Val.
entine and who will be rs years
old on Valentines Day told The
Citizen the other day about the
time So years ago when Key West
was in the grip both Of yellow
fever and martial law.
ION September 6, 1885," Lunn
said, "yellow fever broke out on
North Beach where Senator Ar.
thur Gomez widow lives now.
''The commanding officer of the
Army Barracks Immediately put
a quarantine or a chain guard
on our post here. We had q sem
tries around the barracks. No one
was allowed in. No one out. Our
orders were to shout halt once.
If they Jidn't halt shoot"
One night Lunn and his battery
B we're waiting for transportation
to take them to New York. One
of the non-commissiOned officers
discovered that 2 of his men were
missing out Of the battery. The
commanding officer ordered "Call
to Arms" blown. So the men all
fell in grabbing their guns, bare
footed, and disheveled.
The First sergeant called the
roll. The two men were definitely
missing. Lunn explained that they
had sweethearts in town living
close to the barracks.
These two missing heard the call
to arms and tried to get back into
the Army barracks the same way
they had gotten out, through a hay
loft, manure pit, through the grave
yard, and over the fence that was
then at Newton and White Streets.
AS the two offenders tried to get
back in over the fence they were
captured. Six officers tried them
in ten minutes. The verdict was
simple and concises. Dishonorable
discharge! They were then and
there kicked out of the Army In
what is called q drum head court
martial.
Lunn in reminisicing about these
days said tina one of the most
heart breaking cases Of the quar-
antine was the cooks wife and
child. They lived outside the Army
barracks. He was locked up in
side. The cooks wife cried con-
stantly outside the fence, and then
returned to her home On Angela
Street. The cook had to leave when
the Battery left on the Clyde NAL
lory freight boat, Sam Martin.
The boat has scarcely left port
when the. wife died Of yellow fever
on October and the child on
October IL. The cook out at sea
never saw his wife and child again.
They are buried together In Key
Vests Catholic cemetery.
Of the battery, 10 men volun-
TERED to stay behind and keep
charge of the Army post. Five out
Of the 10 died in the yellow fever
epidemic.
The bulk Of Lunn's Lattery pro-
ceeded to New York to quarantine
at Swinbourne Island in New York
Harbor. then to Fort Terry, Is
miles from New London, Conn.
1--WE were in the Admiral Dewey
parade when he came back from
Manila" Lunn said.
He and his battery were ordered
back to Key West after the yellow
fever subsidized. But fever had
broken out once more in the is
land city. SO the battery never
reached here.
Lunn reenlisted in 1902 and was
once again sent to Key West.
Something new had been added to
his life, then, native Key Wester
Mamie Stickney. She was up in
Newark, N. ]. at the time. Lunn
md she were married in the same
.hurch there in which her father
md mother had previously been
married
Lunn has been In Key West ever
iince. He worked On the Florida
East coast railroad. One day be
vas underneath one of the cars.
A eo-worker took 4 derailer down |
he tracks Lunn 'crawfished" TO
set out from under the wheels. |
The fellow worker didn't know that |
.unn was underneath the train. He |
itarted II crushing Lunn beneath |
{. He loast his arm just below
the elbow receiving 81 900 dam
81