Appalachian History

Part 2 of 2
Continued from yesterday...

"It was a trying hour indeed," said Mrs. McFerrin. Lorena learned of their predicament, and fearing that she would be permanently separated from her kind friend, trembled with emotion, saying in Spanish, "Do not leave me! Please do not leave me!"

The situation was explained to the officer in charge of the health office, with an earnest appeal to give Lorena a good health certificate, as she had not been exposed to small pox. "No, she must be vaccinated; and she cannot be vaccinated until office hours, 2 to 4 p.m.," was the stern reply. This would be two hours after the departure of the steamer.

Mrs. McFerrin learned of a mission home in Havana. She hurried with Lorena to the home. Here arrangements were made to have the child vaccinated and remain there until she could be sent for. It was all made clear to Lorena and Mrs. McFerrin bade her an affectionate farewell and hurried to her steamer, not expecting to see her again for several weeks.

That dear little orphan girl should not have been separated from her loving protector. We sometimes find foolish rulings, with fools to execute them-fellows that will strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. If the official who refused to issue a good health certificate to Lorena had been a broad-gauge man he would have ignored the fool rules, precedents and red tape and given her a good health certificate; and if that were impossible, if he had been a sympathetic and resourceful man--a man big enough for the place--he could have put the child in a big basket, covered her over with the stars and stripes, and had the basket and contents carried on board the steamer.

But all's well that ends well.

Fortunately the steamer was detained as stated above, and Lorena received a vaccination certificate in time to join her protector before her departure. I shall never forget, and the passengers who witnessed their meeting and greeting will never forget, how this affectionate and appreciative Cuban child threw her little brown arms around Mrs. McFerrin's neck and shed tears of joy--tears that were more eloquent than words.

The above narrative was written in May, 1889, after my return from Cuba for an Ohio journal. This summer I sent a copy of the narrative to Mrs. McFerrin and wrote to her making some inquiries about the little, dark-eyed Cuban damsel. The answer follows:

Oliver Springs, Tenn., July 31, 1906.

"My Dear Mr. Mann:--Of course I remember you and have often wondered if I should ever again see any of those who came over from Cuba with us, and can assure you I was so glad to get the copy of the newspaper article you sent me.

"Yes, Lorena is still with me and she is considered one of the most beautiful girls in our village, and she is as good as she is beautiful. Her devotion to me is truly lovely; but I will lose her now, as she recently married Mr. John C. Walker, a corporal in the Tenth Infantry, United States Army. So you see Lorena is 'under the flag of her lovely beloved America.'

"After I brought Lorena home, she said: 'Mama, America dead," (You know it was a late spring, and the trees were dead so far as the leaves are concerne,d especially to Lorena, coming from a tropical and always green island). 'No", I said, 'America is not dead, but sleeping.' A few weeks later she ran into the house and said: 'Mama, America waking up, come and see,' and she pointed to the trees which had begun to put forth their green leaves.

"I do wish you could see her, Mr. Mann. We would be glad to have you repay us a visit. This is a beautiful wild country and you could find much to interest you; so just pack your trunk and come down. We will give you a hearty welcome. Come soon, as Lorena leaves in a few weeks for Chattanooga.

"My son, Colonel H. Hannah [torn] of Tennessee I enclose you a photograph of Lorena. It is not as good as it could be, but I send it to let you form some idea of how she looks. Will send you a better picture as soon as we can have some taken. Also send you a clipping from the Nashville Banner. You will see by the engraving that I am veteran of two wars. My husband wore the gray, my son wore the blue; and I thank God there is no South nor North; no West nor East, but one great America, and I pray it may be so forever.

"Hope you are well, and with best wishes for your success, I am you friend,
Mrs. R.A. McFerrin."

Colonial Hall, Oliver Springs, TN. In this house, Elizabeth "Lillie" Gerding Hannah raised her two sons, Harvey Horatio and Gerald (by her first husband, Maj. John Hannah), her daughter, Bernice McFerrin (by her second husband, Dr. R.A. McFerrin), and the orphaned Cuban girl, Lorena Maria Lacarada Paidrone, whom she brought from Cuba following the Spanish-American War.


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Spanish+American+War Roane+County+TN Elizabeth+Gerding+Hannah appalachia appalachian+history history+of+appalachia

Romance of the War.
Cuban Girl Who Was Brought to Tennessee by Gen. Harvey Hannah's Mother.

The Rockwood Times, Rockwood, TN
Thursday, 13 Sep 1906, Vol. XXVI, No. 34.

The steamer Whitney left Havana harbor April 6, 1899, for Tampa, FL. The boat was advertised to leave to 12 p.m., but did not leave until 6 p.m. The delay was caused by the late arrival of the Fourth Virginia Volunteer Infantry. A government official had secured transportation on the Whitney for the Virginia regiment. There were also several squads of Ohio soldiers returning home on the vessel.

The steamer was anchored in the bay and all passengers were brought to the Whitney in big row boats and small tugs. I was with the returning Ohio soldiers and was standing on the upper deck of the vessel watching the landing of the delayed Virginians, when I noticed a little Cuban girl in a row boat, accompanied by a lady and an oarsman.

The little girl was clapping her hands and throwing kisses to someone on board the steamer. An American lady who was standing near me was waving her handkerchief at the little girl while tears were rolling down her cheeks. When the Cuban girl and the American lady met on board the steamer they hugged and kissed each other and both were weeping--an unusual sight--an American woman and a Cuban girl fondly embracing each other and both shedding tears. What did it mean?

Loading camp supplies at Tampa, 1898. The scene must have looked quite similar from the Cuban dock as Mrs. Hannah embraced the young Lorena on the USS Whitney’s deck.

The lady was Mrs. McFerrin of Oliver Springs, TN. Her son, Col. Harvey H. Hannah, was Lieutenant Colonel in the Fourth Tennessee and commanded a detachment at Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. Mrs. McFerrin had been visiting her son. The Fourth Tennessee was stationed at Sancti Spiritus and Mrs. McFerrin occupied a tent in the camp. She was now returning to the United States on board the Whitney.

The little girl's name was Lorena Marie Lacarada Paidrone. She was the daughter of a Cuban patriot. Her home was at Sancti Spiritus (City of Holy Spirits.) Mrs. McFerrin told me that when she arrived at her son's quarters at the camp of the Fourth Tennessee regiment at Sancti Spiritus she "found this sweet, sad-faced child in the camp."

Through an interpreter she learned that the little girl's father was a Cuban soldier who died from the effects of a wound that he received in battle; that soon after father's death her mother became seriously ill. Lorena went to the soldiers to get a candle--the light of fate—to offer her dying mother, but when she returned with the candle her poor mother was dead.

Mrs. McFerrin became interested at once in the child and tenderly helped the little orphan and did all she could to relieve her distress. Lorena soon began to love the kind American woman and Mrs. McFerrin loved the Cuban dearly. Love begets love. She wanted to adopt her, and as Lorena had no home she shared her tent with her for two months.

On March 29 Mrs. McFerrin left the camp of the Fourth Tennessee, taking Lorena with her. She was going with her adopted child to her Tennessee home. At that date before leaving Cuba one had to go to the board of health and get a vaccination certificate. Mrs. McFerrin did not learn of this until she arrived at Havana the morning of the day she was to leave on the steamer. Her vessel would leave at noon.

She went at once with Lorena to the health office and was told that the child could not leave for the United States until she was vaccinated. Mrs. McFerrin was exempt, having been vaccinated just before coming to Cuba. Tickets had been purchased for passage on the steamer Whitney and the arrangement for their departure had been made in such a way that it could not possibly be postponed without considerable additional expense and great inconvenience to others.

The boat was soon to leave, and the Cuban girl who had learned to love this kind American woman, could not leave because she had not been vaccinated. What was the poor woman to do?

Part 1 of 2
Continued tomorrow...

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Spanish+American+War Roane+County+TN Elizabeth+Gerding+Hannah appalachia appalachian+history history+of+appalachia