ONLY FLOWERS CAN
SPEAK TO STRANGER.
MAN THOUGHT TO BE BUL-
GARIAN LIES IN HOSPITAL.
No One Has Been Found Who Can
Talk With Him and Learn
His Home -- Bouquet
Brings Tears.
If any one in Kansas City can talk the Bulgarian language, he will do an act of charity if he will call upon F. H. Ream, religious director of the Helping Hand institute, and assist him in learning the identity of a Bulgarian now at the general hospital.
The unfortunate man has been tried with Polish, Slav, Russian, German and many other European tongues, but to all he is dumb. He has indicated that he can speak Bulgarian. On April 12 the man was found at the Union depot, suffering from a badly injured left hand. He was taken to the general hospital, where it was discovered that a circular saw had ploughed its way into his left hand between the second and ring fingers. It became necessary to amputate both the index and second fingers. The saw tore through almost to the man's wrist.
All day long the poor fellow sits in his ward, unable to say a thing but "Arkansas," "sawmill" and "me much sick," when spoken to.
While in the flower store of Miss J. E. Murray yesterday, Ream told the story of the melancholy Bulgarian with the injured hand.
"So far from home," he said, "badly injured, and can't speak a word of English, but the few he says all the time."
"I wonder if flowers could talk to him," Miss Murray said.
"They speak to all nations alike," said Ream, "especially to the unfortunate."
Miss Murray fixed up a bouquet f roses, bright red American Beauties, carnations of all shades and interspersed them with violets. She told Ream to take them to the injured man. He did, returning to the hospital to do so.
"It was the most pathetic scene I ever witnessed," said Ream last night. "When I went in I walked up and laid the bouquet in the man's good hand. Without looking up he said, 'Me much sick,' but when he felt the damp flowers he grasped the stems and looked up as if to say some mistake has been made. I indicated that the flower were for him and said so in Polish. His face flushed, bowed among the flowers. 'Me? Me?' he asked, excitedly, still clinging to the blossoms. I had to indicate again that they were all for him.
"Once more the poor fellow buried his face among the flowers," concluded Ream, "but when he lifted his head, big tears were streaming down his cheeks. The flowers had spoken to him."
The unfortunate is between 39 and 45 years old. From signs made by him, the nurse, who has been attending him, believes that he has two daughters somewhere. He will point to her, hold up two fingers and then pat his own breast.
It is believed that the man was injured at a sawmill somewhere in Arkansas and was sent into Kansas City to be cared for by the city.
"If I can find someone who can talk to him," said Ream, "I think we will learn where his people are."
