The Night Doctors - Part 2

Working in the Clinic

The General Clinic at the Johns Hopkins Hospital is a service available for all-comers who have an injury or illness to be treated. Students work long shifts here as part of their internships, being exposed to a wide variety of treatable ailments. Our characters who are working here for their accommodation and meals will remember the place well. Several easily-treated cases will pass their notice before anything of substance happens.

At evening, a group of seven black men show up. All are weary and dusty from the road, having walked many miles to be here. They are seeking food, water and a moment’s respite, obviously having confused the clinic as some other kind of charitable institution. One of the interns becomes irate, annoyed at the fact that the men are here simply for a hand-out; however when the supervisor is apprised of their presence, he waves aside the protocol and decides that the Hospital can be of service in this matter.

The men are asked from where they have come. They are immediately vague and evasive; they indicate merely that they have come from the west and that the road has been difficult. Food is provided and the supervisor calls his interns (and our characters) into a huddle. He has concerns, he says: the next county over has been stricken with outbreaks of tuberculosis, and he fears that these men have come east to flee from the disease, possibly carrying it with them. He says that he’s happy for the men to stay the night as long as they submit to a health inspection, to ensure that none of them has contracted the disease. The irate student doctor will voice an opinion that he thinks they are escaped slaves, since they are so evasive about their origins; the supervising doctor is quick to shut this objection down, stating that it is none of their concern and quoting Hippocrates to remind everyone present of their oath to “do no harm”.

The group is split up after finishing their meal and our interns are put in charge of two of the men. As instructed, they must talk to their patients and get them to agree to an examination in return for a bed for the night. The men are hesitant and wary, unsure of what is expected of them so the character should try to be as persuasive as possible. Once they have agreed to the examination, they are told to take off their shirts and shoes.

It should be immediately obvious to our characters that these men have come a long way and that they have done so under duress. Old scars from shackles and whippings are present and evidence of having walked far in unsuitable footwear is visible: blisters cover both men’s feet and there are signs that one of them has broken one of his tarsal bones and that it hasn’t been allowed to heal. A nurse comes by with a tray on which are two small bottles (about 250mls each) filled with milk of magnesia – administration of this diuretic is part of a standard admission into hospital and is not unusual in the circumstances. She encourages the men to drink these completely, seeking the intern’s assistance if they seem unwilling. Her other duties are to take their temperatures with a thermometer and to check their pulses. She will ask if there are any supplies that our character needs with which to treat his patients and then depart to acquire them. Pyjamas are provided for the men and their clothes are taken away to be cleaned.

At this point there is a commotion near the entrance to the clinic: the crash of a steel tray is heard and running feet, voices raised in consternation and surprise. Over the sounds of scuffling, a voice can be heard crying: “De black bottle! Not de black bottle!” The door to the clinic crashes open and the sounds of struggle calm down. If our party members decide to join in, they will see one of the men careen towards the door, with an intern trying to dissuade him from leaving. The nurse has been knocked over with her tray and milk of magnesia is splashed across the floor tiles. Shirtless, the panicked man fumbles with the door then kicks it open, fleeing into the night. Restoration of order amongst staff and patients is now the order of the day.

If questioned, the intern treating this fellow will say that he seemed twitchy, nervous, but nevertheless willing to be examined in return for his meal. It was only when the nurse came in that he erupted into violence, pushing the intern aside and knocking the nurse over. His actions are ascribed vaguely to “negro superstition” and the business of settling the patients in for the night begins.

If the other men are questioned as to their comrade’s strange turn they just shrug. One of them says, that he came from “Loosieanna way, an’ dey truck wit’ some mighty queer hoodoo daon dem parts”, but will offer nothing further by way of enlightenment.

A Cruel Awakening

Our intern characters work until midnight and then retire to their quarters. The next morning, they begin their day at the student canteen and discover from their colleagues that some of the men from the previous night did indeed show symptoms of tuberculosis and that one of them succumbed whilst asleep. A search is on, he says, for the man who ran away, since he too, might be infected. Our characters can mull this over before starting out to meet their non-medical colleagues.

Meanwhile...

What of those colleagues? Accommodation is not hard to find in Baltimore. In the genteel parts of town are many large, multi-storey buildings – mansions, essentially. Many of the men who built these homes have been killed in the American Civil War and now their widows rent out the rooms in their family homes for long- or short-term boarders. These cost anywhere from 25 to 75 cents a week or part thereof, and include breakfast but not dinner (dinner is extra, and so is laundry). Ideally, the party should locate a residence not too far from the University, but also not that far removed from the mercantile part of town.

Wherever they have found accommodation, they will learn that things have not been particularly quiet in Baltimore, especially in the ghetto towns on the outskirts where black workers have congregated. A mysterious figure has been reported in that community, prowling after dark, and several people have been attacked, some of whom are now missing. Newspapers are busy reminding readers of an incident a year previous, where two black men approached the Hospital and asked if there was any money being offered in exchange for cadavers? When answered positively, the two men returned with the newly-dead bodies of a grown man and woman, two adolescent boys and a young girl, obviously an entire black family. Justice was swift in this instance and the two executed men - along with their grisly stock – were dissected by the Hospital students. The press wonders out loud if this latest villainy is also connected with the Hospital and its demand for fresh victims?

With such speculation ruining an otherwise pleasant morning repast, the characters are free to make arrangements for their day.

Out on the street, they will discover a commotion: people are hurrying along and an air of excitement is palpable. If they stop someone to ask what is happening, they will meet Elihu Lomax, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun. He tells them that an escaped slave has holed up in a root cellar, having taken a young girl prisoner, and there is a stand-off between him and some stewards from the hospital. Members of the constabulary can also be seen hurrying by.

Elihu Lomax – Erstwhile Reporter

char.	value	char.	value	char.	value
STR	13	POW	15	Age	29
CON	12	DEX	16	HP	12
SIZ	11	APP	14	Magic Points	n/a
INT	17	EDU	20	SAN	75

Damage Bonus: +/-0

Weapon: Pen (mightier than the Sword) 100%, reputational damage only; Pistol (2-shot Derringer; occasionally mightier than the Pen) 45%, 1d10

Armour: Thick Skinned, but None

Skills: Bargain 75%; Fast Talk 75%; History 80%; Law 60%; Photography 65%; Read/Write English 100%; Ride Horse 60%;

Spells: None

SAN Loss: It costs no SAN to see Elihu Lomax

The players may choose to ignore this event, seeing it as something less worthy of their time than other business which they might have. If they do, then they can learn about the incident after the fact, by way of the evening edition of the newspaper. If their curiosity gets the better of them then they can see the events unfold first-hand.

The Root Cellar

The incident takes place on the edge of the town – further out from here are several shanty-towns which house the impoverished and black communities. The house is wooden and rudimentary situated on the junction of two roads; the root cellar opens off the side of the house directly onto the roadside, while the front of the building faces into the main thoroughfare along with its neighbours. The side road is blocked by police and onlookers and two carts have been pushed into the street to block access to and from the cellar. When the party members arrive, they will see a camera on a tripod being assembled and the reporter arguing with some policemen for the right to get closer in to the action. They will also see several young men, hatless in dark suits with close-cropped hair, standing around in pairs; they all wear heavy Ulster coats, and any characters with American Civil War experience will make the link that these are medical men. A Spot Hidden roll will see that one of these men is talking earnestly to the policeman in charge: they shake hands and move away from each other. The sheriff then huddles with some of his men and they spread out, a couple leaving altogether.

Sheriff Jubal Compton – Corrupt Lawman

char.	value	char.	value	char.	value
STR	14	POW	16	Age	44
CON	15	DEX	15	HP	14
SIZ	13	APP	10	Magic Points	n/a
INT	13	EDU	12	SAN	65

Damage Bonus: +1d4

Weapon: Bullwhip 50%, 1d3 or Grapple; Fist/Punch 50%, 1d3+db; Kick (only if on horseback) 70%, 1d6+db; Revolver 75%, 1d8;

Armour: None

Skills: Chew ‘Baccy 85%; Intimidate 75%; Law 85%; Ride Horse 75%; Spit 100%

Spells: None

SAN Loss: It costs no SAN to see Sheriff Jubal Compton

(The Sheriff’s name has been chosen to be a hook for the players. “Jubal” is an Old Testament name, but some cheeky Investigators may choose to bait the Sheriff by calling him “Jew-boy”, which will really get under his skin. Also, ruminative players should surmise that they might not get anything “straight, outta Compton”.)

If the party members decide to work the crowd to find out what’s happening (perhaps using Listen rolls, or Credit Rating), they learn that “a naked black man abducted a child and hid in the cellar”; or that “a patient from the Hospital with a deadly illness was pursued into the root cellar by some medical men keen to return him into their care”; some will say that they heard “it’s a runaway slave that was spotted while trying to have his chains removed at the Hospital clinic”. The truth, of course, falls somewhere in the middle of all these opinions; what is definitely known is that the man was pursued here and took advantage of the open cellar and the child to make a stand against those trying to apprehend him.

The sheriff will call out to the object of all their attention and ask him to surrender himself. In response the man will appear briefly at the door, holding a small, grubby child before him and waving a short, rusty knife (useful for cutting the tops of beets, but hardly more than that). He will call out, saying “Ah ain’t gon’ die fo’ no stujents! Dey ain’t gonna p’ison me an’ tek me to no ‘sectin’ hall! Ah don’ wanna hurt no-one, but ah ain’t gon’ git cut up by no stujent men!”

The sheriff will make various conciliatory noises and reassurances. If the party wishes they may intervene, seeking to avoid any unfortunate consequences in this siege. (The Keeper is free to make the police seem inadequate or the crowd bloodthirsty, to provoke the players into stepping in on the fugitive’s behalf.) If the players try to get closer to the cellar to work out what’s going on, have them make Spot Hidden, Psychology, or Listen rolls. Two things will become obvious to them: firstly the child, whilst firmly held by the man, is not scared in the slightest, merely curious as to what all the people are doing outside, and content to sit on the fugitive’s lap while he strokes her hair and sings nervously; secondly, a successful Listen will make out the words of the song, which are as follows:

“Tek off dat nigger's han's an' feet,

His eyes, his head, an' all,

An' w'en dem stujent finish

Dey was nothin' left at all.”

The man himself is terrified, desperately trying to remain calm but losing all hope of a happy outcome.

The party can do what they can to help or hinder the events; they may wish to remain as passive onlookers and do nothing, seeing it as none of their business. The Keeper should let the incident progress as the players indicate.

However things pan out, as the fugitive is being taken into custody, a shot rings out and the man falls dead, bleeding copiously from a bullet wound to the chest. Onlookers panic and scream, fleeing the vicinity, but the sheriff and the medical men are unconcerned: the body is taken in hand, strapped to one of the carts and removed to the Hospital. Spot Hidden rolls might see the leader of the Hospital stewards slip some cash to the sheriff, or the sheriff wryly throw a salute for “nice shootin’” to the roof of a nearby dry-goods warehouse from which vantage a pair of bandanna-masked figures are seen descending. Let the party deal with their outrage as they see fit.

To Be Continued...