Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 262, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1915 — FATE’S QUEER TURNS [ARTICLE]

FATE’S QUEER TURNS

Coincidences Which War Has Brought Forth. First Man Bouth Sea Islander Speaks to in London Is Man He Is Looking For—Other Interesting Cases. London. —While E. H. Janes, a prominent resident of Fulham, was at Charing Cross a few days ago he noticed a number of men clad in khaki getting out of the train. He learned they had just arrived from the far off Fiji, where they had given up good situations to offer their services to the motherland in her hour of need. Mr. Janes asked if any of them were from Suva.

“Sure,” replied one of the stalwart young fellows. “I come from Suva.” “Do you know Harry Janes?” Inquired the man from Fulham. “I should think I do. He and I are overseers on the same plantation. I have a letter of introduction to his brother, E. H. Janes, of Fulham.” “You can hand it over now,” said Mr. Janes. Both were amazed to learn that the first man the South Sea Islander had spoken to on reaching London was the very man in all England he wished to see.

This is but one of the extraordinary coincidences which the war has brought forth. A London hospital had another remarkable illustration: A young soldier was severely wounded in the fighting “somewhere in France.” He lost consciousness, and when he regained it he was lying comfortably in a bed in a ward of a large hospital. His first words were — “Where am I?” The nurse told him that he was in London, that during the period of his unconsciousness he had been transported across the channel and that his wounds had been tended. He asked the name of the hospital, the number of the ward, the day of the week and the hour. The nurse told him. “I say, nurse, you might tell my dad I am here.” The nurse looked at him, thinking the poor lad was in a delirium.

“All right, nurse, my dad’s in the next ward now. You know he is the surgeon there and this is his visiting day.” And so it was. The father was in the next ward performing his work, thinking all the time that his son was in France. He did not even know that the boy was wounded, far less that he was being tended a few yards away. Writing from the front to friends at Llangollen, Private S. N. Jones of the motor transport A. S. C. relates a peculiar coincidence concerning himself. He was a driver on the Llangollen-Wrexham motor bus route and enlisted soon after the commencement of hostilities. In France, strange to say, he was drafted to the identical chassis of the motor he had been driving on the Donbigshire route, it having been purchased, with many others, by tjie government

The manager of the road car company has written to Private Jones stating that, if it should be possible, they will repurchase the car after the war and place upon it a plate recording the circumstances related. David Henderson, a Bowhill soldier belonging to the Black Watch, has a remarkable story to tell of how he was able to pay back on the field of battle the services of a man who saved his life in this country in the piping times of peace. About a year ago, when taking part in a regatta at Wemyss, his boat was capsized and he was, thrown into the water. He had been swimming towards the shore for some time when he was picked up in an exhausted condition by a passing boat belonging to Dy« sart.

Strange to say, after a fierce day’s fighting in France, Private Henderson saw a wounded soldier lying in front of the trenches, and on going to his assistance he was struck by something familiar about the wounded man. Henderson then asked his comrade if it was he who had saved “Davie” Henderson from a watery grave at Wemyss the previous summer. "It was,” came the reply. ‘Then I am Davie Henderson,” was the dramatic rejoinder. Henderson then took his wounded comrade by the arm and, under a heavy fire, led him to a place of safety.