He Found Friends
A Frenchman in Distress in Cuba Meets Brother Masons.
Private Jackson of the 25th infantry band met a comrade today on the west-bound train. The talk drifted back to Cuba and Private Jackson related the following little Masonic story:
One day while the 25th was in front of Las Palmas a well dressed gentleman came up to Jackson, looked at him and the pin he had stuck in the front of his blouse, gave him several Masonic signs and hailed him as a brother, but he could speak nothing but French and Jackson could not understand what he wanted. Jackson went and got a Brazilian whom he knew to be a Mason and he came and talked to the Frenchman. He told them he was a merchant, had plenty of money, but could not buy any provisions and his family was starving. He had a wife and two girls.
Jackson and the Brazilian went and rustled him a sack of hardtack, some coffee, sugar, flour and canned goods from the quartermaster and gave it to him. He wanted to pay for it but they would not accept any money. They told him whenever they saw a brother in distress their duty was to relieve him if possible; that that was the Masonic teaching they had been brought up on, and that they had only done their duty. The Frenchman could say nothing, the tears came to his epes and he only clasped their hands in silence and went away.