The San Francisco call. [volume], June 19, 1898, Page 22, Image 22

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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22
PICTURE STORY OF THE TRANSPORTS AND VESSELS ON THE WAY TO MANILA
ON May 25 last the first fleet of
transports sailed out of the
Golden Gate on its way to Ma
nila, and on June IB the second
fleet sailed. To-day is June 19, and a
glance at the accompanying diagram
will show approximately where each
and every one of the vessels on the
Pacific station is at this time.
It will also show the progress of each
vessel, day by dajfc until it reaches its
destination.
At the present moment the vessels
are scattered, owing to the different
dates of departure* But all are work
ing toward a common point, and In due
time will reach Manila.
On the 25th o£ last month the fleet
RISKED HER LIFE
TO SAVE THE NORTH.
Exciting Career of Pauline Cushman. Actress
and Spy — Lies Buried in a San Fran
cisco Cemetery,
THE Civil "War bequeathed to us
a list of nearly 400 women who,
during those four years of inter
necine strife, served the Federal
Government either as soldiers or
as scouts or spies. In the records of the
War Department in Washington there
are preserved the dry bones of many
romances that sprang from a woman's
love of her country, love of some one
of its brave defenders, or. love of rov
ing and adventure, and an overmaster
ing desire to be a part of the stirring
events of the time instead of a mere
looker-on.
Many a woman fought bravely under
the Union flag, and only returned to
the ways of peace when the war was
over, or when a wound sent her to the
hospital and betrayed her secret. And
doubtless where so many are on rec
ord there must have been some who
were fortunate enough to carry out
their deception without detection, bo
that the names handed down to us
probably by no means represent the
entire feminine fighting force of the
Northern army.
The spirit that could Impel a -woman
to leave her usual place in the world
and her ordinary avocations for the
hard fare of a soldier, the rough life of
the camp, and the horrors and dan
gers of the battlefield, was a brave
on©, no matter what the underlying
motive may have been. But It was a
braver spirit still that led not a few
feminine patriots to take up a branch
of service in which all the perils of war
are incurred without the hope of gain
ing any of Its glory— a service which
1b as necessary to the army as it is
hazardous to the Individual perform
ing it.
Of the small band of women who
were of material assistance in the "se
cret" branch of governmental work
there were none more faithful, more
efficient, and more worthy of the grate
ful remembrance of her countrymen
than one who sleeps, undisturbed by
the war alarms of the present. In the
Grand Army plat of the City Cemetery
In San Francisco.
"Pauline Cushman" this heroine liked
to be called, even In the later days
u-hpn another name was hers by right;
for It was as Pauline Cushman that she
won popularity In her youth, and af
terward distinguished herself by her
devotion to her country in its hour of
need. And best of all did she like to
be addressed by her rightful title of
major, since she earned her commis
sion — signed by the martyred Lincoln
himself— by deeds of daring which
gained her at the time not only the ad
miration of the army of the Cumber
land, to which she was attached, but of
the entire country as well.
Pauline Cushman was born in New
Orleans in 1833. Her father was a
Spanish refugee of excellent family,
and her mother a French creole noted
for her grace and beauty even in that
The Routes, the Distances and the Probable Position of Each of the Transports on Each Day Till It Reaches Admiral Dewey's Fleet, Philippine Islands,
at Manila consisted of the Olympia.
Baltimore, Boston, Concord, Raleigh
and ' Petrel. This fleet is still there,
waiting for the arrival of the trans
ports and convoys. On the same date
the cruiser Charleston was several
days out of San 'Francisco on her way
to Honolulu. The transports that sailed
on May 25 were the City of Peking, City
of Sydney and the Australia. These
three vessels carried nearly 4000 men.
On June 2 the first fleet of trans
ports reached Honolulu after a pleas
ant voyage, and found the Charleston
already there. After a day or two
spent In drilling on shore all again pro
ceeded to sea, convoyed by the Charles
ton.
Calculating on the time spent in
reaching Honolulu and providing there
was no trouble at the Ijadrones, the
first fleet must now be very close to the
city of graceful and beautiful women.
From her parents she inherited the
charms of face and figure, the ardent,
impulsive, emotional temperament, the
brilliancy of Intellect, and the fascfna
tion of manner, which particularly
fitted her for the role she was destined
to play In the drama of the preserva
tion of our Union.
An early removal to Grand Rapids,
Michigan, gave Pauline the advantage
of a. childhood and youth spent amid
surroundings which developed the lat
ent force of her character, and so
strengthened her physically that the
delicate Southern-born girl soon rivaled
her Northern mates in vigorous health.
Carefully educated, and environed by
the somewhat irksome though entirely
loving watchfulness characteristic of
high-class Southern households, the
elf-like child grew into a pirlhood so
bf-.'iutiful that she became the envy of
her girl friends and an anxiety to
those who love her best. She early
showed an impatience of control and
an Independence of spirit which marked
her strong individuality, and when she
arrived at the ace of 18 a girlish re
bellion occurred against domestic rules
and regulations.
Quite against the wishes of her right
ful guardians, who shrank from the
idea of a public career for their idol
ized daughter. Miss Cushman insisted
upon entering the theatrical profession
for which she felt herself particularly
fitted. Being fortunate enough to find
a manager who recognized and appre
ciated her undoubted talent, she was
soon advanced to the front rank of
vaudeville actresses, depending upon
her Southern birth to gain her the ini
tial good will of her audiences, made
many trips alont* the Southern circuit
of that day, and established herself as
a prime favorite with the theater- going
public on the lower side of what was
afterward known as Mason and Dix
on's line.
When war was declared Miss Cush
man was playing a succersful engage
ment through the Middle and Western
States, but went South the next year,
playing in those cities which had not
as yet ranged themselves openly and
boldly on the side of the Confederacy.
Having always, for professional rea
sons, made a boast of her Southern
birth, the charming actress was sup
posed to be at heart an adherent of the
"Stars and Bars," and in every town
where she appeared she attracted
around her a circle of Southern sympa
thizers who delighted in showing her
all possible attention in public and
private, and doing everything in their
power to prove their admiration of her
nr.d her supposed sentiments.
In March, 1863, came the turning
point in Pauline Cushman's life. Here
tofore she had been only an ordinarily
successful actress, earning a good
salary and living in careless ease,
courted, flattered and envied as those
who are youne, beautiful and fortunate
always are. She had never experienced
a hardship nor known a real trouble;
her ways had all been ways of pleas
antness, and she had lived like a but
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 1898.
Philippines and should reach Manila
sometime on Tuesday.
After the departure of the first fleet
the next vessels to leave this port were
the Bennington and Mohican. These
are both in all probability bow at Hon
olulu. Then followed the Monterey and
the collier Brutus. These went first
to San Diego and left there a few days
before the second fleet of transports
passed out of Golden Gate.
i The four vessels that left here on
■last "Wednesday, the 15th, were the
China, Colon, Zealandia and Senator.
Among them they carried about 4000
men.
These vessels will proceed at the rate
of about ten knots an hour. As it is
2100 miles from here to Honolulu, the
troop ships should reach there about
June 23. It may be that the trans
ports will catch up with the Monterey
before reaching Honolulu, in which
case all will proceed together.
At Honolulu coal will be taken aboard
erfly in one long day of sunshine.
Strange, was it not, that she should
urn from all this to brave dangers the
hought of which might well cause
itout-hearted men to hesitate before
aclng them? That she should of her
>wn free choice give up her career, her
uxuries, her flattering friends, all per
sonal comfort and all real assurance
>f personal safety, to become a scout
md spy for the Union forces, for the
;imple but to her sufficient reason
hat she felt that her country needed
tust the special work that she could
lo better than any one else who could,
it that time, be secured?
She knew that in entering this work
she braved more than the possibility
)f a shameful death, for the Southern
ers, though chivalrous, were never mer
ciful to spies, but her patriot soul look
?d above all this at the starry banner
that she loved, and so gazing she for
?ot all but the fact that she was needed
to help hold it aloft.
There are those alive to-day who re
member well the night when Pauline
?ushman made her dramatic exit from
;he scene of her many triumphs. She
nad been playing a long engagement in
Wood's Theater, Louisville, and had
had a brilliantly successful season,
both socially and professionally. The
:ity was full of carefully repressed se
?ession sentiment, and Pauline was the
center of attraction to the large con
tingent of paroled Confederate officers
who made the place their temporary
home. One of these gentlemen, with a
I'iew to making ~ sensation and anger-
Ing the loyal residents, dared the popu
lar actress to drink a toast to Jefferson
Davis In one of the scenes of the "Seven
Bisters," the play then on the boards,
and she gave him her word that she
would.
All over the town the news spread,
md on the appointed night the theater
was packed with both friends and foes
of the Confederacy, all eager to see if
the programme would be carried out.
The audience was a strange one, and
the atmosphere of the crowded hall
was like that which precedes a tropi
cal thunderstorm — deathly still, and
full of a foreboding which is almost a
promise of tragedy.
The play went on smoothly and quiet
ly until the fateful moment came. Then,
with brilliantly flashing eyes and a
smile that was scornfully triumphant,
albeit she was more than a trifle pale
behind the rouge that she had thought
best to wear for this one nicht. Miss
Cushman advanced to the front of the
stage and raising a wine glass on high
In her slender hand, said clearly, de
liberately and defiantly: "Here's to
Jefferson Davis and the Southern Con
federacy. May the South always main
tain her honor and her rights."
The house became a pandemonium on
the instant, and the terrified manager,
who had never believed that the dash-
Ing actress would carry out what he
considered an idle boast intended to
advertise herself, rang down the cur
tain before the wine glass touched the
laughing lips.
That night Pauline was discharged
from the company, and the next day
she was the idol of every Southerner
who heard the story. Every door and
every heart was open to her, and when,
after being lionized for some time in
Louisville, she was sent beyond the
lines on account of her openly express
ed disloyalty, the people of Nashville,
considering her a victim of Yankee
tyranny, welcomed her enthusiastically
and lauded her to the skies.
Not for many months was thaf truth
?ven suspected. No one save the ac
tress herself and those under whose or
3ers she was working knew that pre
vious to that sensational episode in
Louisville she had made a confidant of
Colonel Moore, the provost marshal of
the district, convinced him of her
stanch loyalty, taken the oath of al
and the boys given a run ashore for a
day or so. Then the long voyage of
4300 miles to the Philippines will be
gin. The Ladrones are 3000 miles from
Honolulu and the ships should reach
there about July 7.
As the exact state of affairs at this
point is now unknown the movements
of the vessels cannot be definitely stat
ed. It may be that there has been
trouble there and that the first fleet
had some fighting to do. In that case
the second fleet may have to remain
there for some time.
legiance and entered the secret service
of the United States.
All the while that she was being en
tertained by Southern admirers she
was gaining from them information as
to how they managed to send supplies
across the lines, the practices of the
guerrillas, the plans of the army, and
the names of those most inimical to the
Government. The Southerners kept no
secrets from her, since they believed
her fully in accord with them, and the
knowledge which she gained was al
most invaluable to the army at that
time.
Her thorough familiarity with the
roads and the different localities in
Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Missis
sippi 'and Alabama made her -—vices
as a scout most Important, and her
unfaltering bravery and unflinching
devotion to what she thought her duty
made her seem almost a second Joan
of Arc to her comrades in arms.
Her adventures were numerous and
exciting, but her histrionic ability and
training stood her in good stead many
times. She understood the- art of
"make-up" and character acting to
perfection, and her expressive face and
tall figure lent themselves readily to
many disguises. As a bent, wrinkled,
crack-voiced old woman; an over
grown, loutish country youth; a bux
om, sun-bonneted damsel, or a gray
coated soldier on sick leave she ex
plored the country, the forts and the
camps, afterward sending full reports
to her superiors, and through It all her
woman's quick wit stood her in good
stead and kept her from betraying her
self, no matter what the pressure of
circumstance might be.
Her narrow escapes were many, but
perhaps the narrowest was when she
was captured by the famous guerrilla,
Jack Morgan.
Out on a scouting expedition misad
ventures on the road had caused Mias
Cushman to seek temporary shelter in
the house of a small planter and Mor
gan, swooping down upon the place in
his unexpected fashion, had found her
there and straightway suspected her of
being what she really was — a spy. Not
wishing to take the responsibility of
deciding upon her case he concluded to
turn her over to General McKinstry,
the provost marshal, and she was sent
to the headquarters of General Bragg,
known because of his wiry, angular
physique and his cold, reserved, unim
pressionable manner, as "cast-iron
Bragg."
Beauty in distress had no effect on
this stern martinet. A spy was a spy
whether in petticoats or trousers and
whether handsome or ugly. He put the
fair captive through a searching cross
examination, then tried her by court
martial and sentenced her to be hanged.
To the fact that the excitement and
anxiety which she experienced made
her too 111 to rise from the rough pallet
in her prison she owed the preservation
of her life. Even the grim general did
not care to hang a woman — spy though
she was — who was so sick that she
could not stand upon her feet, and tak
ing her cue from this unexpected leni
ency the clever actress grew worse In
stead of better daily. Her case seri
ously puzzled the skilled physician
called in to diagnose It; her captors
were beginning to suspect that she was
quite well enough to be hanged if she
wanted to be when General Rosecrans'
advance guard came rattling into town
and restored her to "life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness."
After that she was a little more cau
tious than she had been previously and
although she was wounded twice, once
so seriously that she never fully re
covered from the effects of it up to the
time of her death, she was never again
captured by the enemy. She served
faithfully up to the end of the war,
and the soldiers of General Rosecrans'
But, granting that, all Is well, the
second fleet wlllstop at the Ladrones
for only a few hours and then proceed
to the Philippines, which should be
reached on or about July 13. It is not
yet definitely settled whether the Ben
nington and Mohican will become a
part of this fleet.
On the Fourth of July the volunteers
on the first fleet of transports will be
going through the routine of camp life
at Manila. The second fleet will be
just about in the middle of the Pa
cific.
command fairly worshiped her.
A major's commission was given her —
honorary, of course, as it Is in all cases
where it is bestowed on women — but in
her eyes of inestimable value as ex
pressing something of the army's feel
ing regarding her.
Fate was not kind to her In the long
years that intervened between those
days of brave exploit and the dreary
December day in 189^ when the Lincoln
Post of San Francisco laid her to rest.
Trouble and misfortune came to her;
friends proved false or became es
tranged; and later generations forgot
the story of the past.
Though never adequately rewarded
for her heroic services she loved her
country to the last, unselfishly and
truly. It was perhaps a poor reward,
but It was one that she always desired,
that the flag of our nation draped her
bier, that soldiers as well as civilians
followed her to the grave, that a salute
was fired across the mound raised
above her. and that "taps" were
sounded when the curtain fell upon
the drama of her life.
■ ♦ ■
WAR'S GREAT LESSON.
THE percentage of volunteers who
are rejected by the surgeons
ranges from 10 to 20 per cent. At
Island Lake recently 700 men
were examined, and only 80 per
cent were accepted. Considering that
the candidates for enlistment are most
ly young men and that they have been
able to come up to physical require
ments of -the National Guard, this is a
discouragingly large proportion of in
capables. :
From other State camps the report
comes that disqualification is due in
the majority of cases to heart weak
ness, attributable generally to cigarette
smoking and not infrequently to ex
cessive bicycle riding. The young men
who belong to our militia are so cir
cumstanced in life that there is scarcely
any excuse for serious physical dis
ability. They are comfortably housed,
well fed, and adequately clothed. Of
recreations and fresh air uiey have an
abundance. They have only iheir own
lmmoderateness in vie t use of tobacco
or the wheel or excesses of other kinds
to blame for their failure to go to the
front with their fellows.
It is ! a safe guess that many of the
young men who get into the service
have more luxuries and more license
than is good for their physical well
being. Once under strict military dis
cipline they will realize the wholesome
results of simple fare, regular habits
and systematic exercise. It is re
grettable that any of our young men
must have to go to war to learn the
value of these simple rules of living —
the inestimable advantage of a self
restrained and well-ordered life.
As for those who have been set aside
by the examiners their rejection will be
worth more than two years in the ser
vice if the humiliating and disappoint
ing experience impels them to overcome
the cause of their disability, if it is
within their power to do so. The youth
who controls his own spirit in all mat
ters affecting his moral and physical
welfare is greater than he that taketh
Havana.
. ■ ♦ i ;
"What's the matter .with Holland? I
hear he's laid up." „,•
"Yes, he bought his wife a chafing dish
a couple of weeks ago."
"But surely that isn't responsible for
his Illness! Why that fellow can eat any
thing."
"Oh, It wasn't anything that he ate.
She hit him over the 'head with it."—
Chicago Record. bragaag
The third fleet of transports will sail
about June 25 next.
WILL SEE HER SON
BEFORE SHE DIES.
He Sailed Away to Manila, a Young Volunteer,
and the Doctors Say the Mother Can
not Live a Year.
NO women nurses to Manila," de
clare the military authorities.
"No women nurses to Manila
unless we send a ship for hos
pital headquarters," say the
ladies of the Red Cross Society.
"I shall go to Manila if I have to go
on my own resources and alone," says
Mrs. Mary Carman. And she says it
with the same determination as the
others, although there are quavering
breaks in her* voice and her eyes are
soft with suppressed tears.
For Mrs. Carman is more than a
nurse anxious to help the sick and
wounded. She is a mother as well. And
a mother who saw her only son, the
sole comfort of her widowed age,
bravely shoulder his musket and march
off to battle for his country. Her most
intimate friends declare that she is de
termined to go to Manila because she
is fearful that she will die with con-
Bumption before her soldier boy returns
and that she may never rest eyes on
him again.
"They tell me," she said, sitting
straight and stiff, every muscle at its
utmost tension, walled in by an un
natural rigidity that locked the flood
gates of tears, "they tell me that if I
do not stop grieving I will break my
heart. But how can I break my heart
when I haven't any? I've sent it along
with my boy to Manila."
A wan, pitiful smile that was sadder
than tears hovered for a second on her
face, then clasping h,er hands her mar
velous self-control slipping from her for
a moment, she leaned forward and in a
voice vibrating with doubt and hope
and longing said: "Oh, do you think
they will send any women to Manila?
Surely if they do send any nurses they
will send me. See, I have dozens of let-
ters of recommendation- from doctors
that I have nursed under."
And so she had. All testifying as to
the character and ability of Mrs. Mary
Carman, nurse.
"I have never gone through a hospital
training school. But surely that can
not make any difference. I have had
fourteen years' practical experience,
nursing for a living, and the doctors
are always satisfied with my work.
And before I began to nurse for a liv
ing I had enough practice attending to
the sick, God knows. First there were
my two little children. One after the
other I nursed them through months
of sickness only to lose them both.
Then my husband was taken from me,
although I cared for him night and
day. I was all alone then with my little
Walter, and I had to do something to
support us. So I turned naturally to
nursing. That was fourteen years ago.
All this time I have worked, but I did
not mind it. I have seen my boy grow
up into a good young man and Just
when we could have been so happy he
is taken away from me."
"But he wfi come back to you," I
said.
"No, he will not unless I go to him.
I feel it. If Ik should escape all the
dangers and ptrils and come back I
feel that I woitd not be here to wel
come him. I ehculd have died of wait
ing. I could stani nursing the Bick and
wounded, the heit, or any amount of
discomfort. I wmld be near him. I
am strong enough to work, but I am
afraid I am not string enough io vrnit."
Perhaps Bhe night prove strong
enough to work. Not alone through
physical strength though, but supported
by her indomitable vill power and the
joy of being near h>r son. And per
haps she is not stroit enough to wait.
For of the two, worling and waiting,
which is the harder?
"It is only three weets now, they tell
me. since he left. It teems like thr»:e
months. I have lived over and over
again the last moments '. was with him
and the last glimpse I had of him
standing waving his cap. Oh, I cannot
explain my feelings. It U so different
for a mother who has other children to
go home to.
"They say that Manila vould mean
certain death for me. They .ed me that
I Mvill go into consumption. That does
not matter. If I could nurse the sol
diers, my own boy if need be, and hear
him say 'Mother' again, I -no-aid pay
the price. Besides I am stroieer than
I look."
Of a truth at first glance one wonders
how Mrs. Carman has managed to en
dure the toil and trouble that has al
ready been hers. But if one seeks for
It there is a suggestion of iviryness
about her that despite her thinness
Bpeaks well for her powers of endur
ance. There is a resolute light in her
blue eyes and unmistakable lines of
firmness about the mouth ana chin.
And above all there is calmness and
gentleness, an absence of all flurry and
bustle, which is the birthmark of her
profession.
"I was out at the Presidio every day
while Walter was there," she continued.
"I never missed one day. They told me
it rained, but I did not feel it. He wag
there and that was al! I knew. Now
he has gone and I feel nothing."
"Did you give him sour permission
to enlist?"
"No, I did not know until he had
signed. He knew that I would not con
sent so he did not tell ne until it was
over. It was the first mportant step
he ever took without consulting me.
But I did not upbraid hm. If he felt
he was right then I cou'd do no more
than try to make his l&st days here
comfortable. But I am determined to
go to him. If the Red Cross Society
does not send any nurses then I will
find some other way. Unless I find out
that no one will be allowed to land in
Manila I will go. Perhaps I can get
a position as stewardess or one of the
ships to China and then cross over from
there to Manila. If there is any possi
ble way I shall find it out and nothing—
not even certain death itself— shall keep
me back.