Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-05
GOOD KATE MARSDEN
Great Work lnauSuratsd Among the
Suffering Lepsrs Of Siberia.
ENDURED UNTOLD HARDSHIPS.
yIsked Her Life In a Thousand Ways
Among the Russian Criminals to
Alleviate Their Misery.
RhiladelphIa Press.)


endeared herself 10 all she came In con-
with. She became so interested In
she had read n heard OF the
horrible su~ferings OF the lepers. and was
~ thoroughly imbued with the idea that
II was her duty to do all she could Tor
them. hi any thought of sacrifice on
her part meyer suggested itself to her.
Her mind once made up, she solicited
an interview with Queen Victoria, which
was granted. The Queen was so pleased
with her. and was so In favor OF her
that she is turn interested the
of Wales. who Immediately
wrote her sister, the Empress OF Russia.
who responded at once. expressing great
pleasure that she could be OF any use
and doing everything in her power 10
assist. II was owing to her efforts that
Miss Marsden secured written recon-
TO all the authorities and
officers of the country. She left England
for Siberia the latter part OF 1890. When
she reached st. Petersburg the Empress
81 Russia gave her a reception, and upon
eaving presented her with a large sum
f money, TO be used at her discretion
WHAT THE EFFECT WAS.
What the local authorities failed TO ac>
:omplish in sixty-six years she effected
N a year and a half. There is a tone OF
~Iensationalism that runs through Ken
rams experiences in Siberia, making one
l little doubtful in regard to the hard
hips endured. The element of truth
which predominates In all that Kate
Narsden has had to say Of dangers
passed through leaves no room for doubt
mat what she suffered far surpassed
anything experienced by him. She left
Moscow for Siberia the LIST of February,
1891, her objective point being Jakutsk,
he extreme province OF Eastern Siberia.
She left the train at Slatust, and from
here had to travel by sledge. She wore
a peculiar costume Of furs. ~flannels. and
boots. and was so thoroughly wrapped
~ as TO be most uncomfortably COM
,Ortable. She was on these sledges for
months, travelling thousands of miles.
And then for a long time she used the
tarantas wagons. The trip seemed so
much longer on account of the miser-
able roads, the wretched post-stations,
and dinerept places where they were
obliged 10 put up for the night. She
stopped at the different capitals in or
Ter to rest as well as to gain the as
sistancc of the Governors, churchmen.
and other influential persons. and
through the recommendations which the
Empress of Russia had given her she
Mas enabled to organize several collsc-
lion committees. and was ASSURED Of SUBJ
stantiaI assistance.
JAKUTSK.
She reached Jakutsk in June. where
Official notice of her Intended visit had
preceded her. 1t is TO Jakutsk that the
Russian government banishes the most
dangerous criminals, and IL was here she
found so many lepers compelled to live
In the forests among such horrible sur
.roundiDes as TO occasion extreme suf-
fering. The inhabitants refuse to have
anything to do with the lepers. as they
believe the disease is not only contagi-
Gus. but "A direct curse of the devil. But
why that should brighten some of the
hardened criminals who infcst this re-
gion. and who have left neglected no
work allotted them by his satanic ma
Jesty. passes comprehension. Nothing
had been done to alleviate their suffer
ingS or to assist them In any way before
Miss Marsden's visit.
The poor creatures In the Baltic re-
gions of Russia, in Palestine. and Turkey
have been more fortunate i'm that efforts
have been made to make them less mis-
h'A' HiiAi ~ ldsA'tls II was lltSf
countries that Miss Marsden visited in
order TO find the best possible method
TO pursue in the work TO he carried on i'm
Jakutsk. When she left Jakutsk to visit
the leDcrs in that vicinity she was ac-
Companied by fifteen men. comprising
farmers, soldiers, and State officers. They
took with them thirty horses. and cover
ed 1900 miles before they made the
rounds. The inhabitants Of the districts
had IN gttf "a NatI, tl,A,.I ~. l-a- -
csts and marshes which bad never been
visited by a European, and this was
done for nearly one thousand miles. The
dangers and hardships of this unprece-
dcntcd ride were of so incredible a ma
turc that Miss Marsden carefully pre-
pared official reports and afldavits in
regard to them. The wildness of the.
Jakutic horses. the heat and dampness
Of dhe climate. the fear of insects. bears.
forest-fires. and storms made up a series
of adventures never before endured by
a woman. She consulted with the Off
Gals. who accompanied her, in regard
10 the best location for her future colo
ny, which should comprise cottages. hos
pltals, etc. and was so enthusiastic in
all that she did as 10 awaken the great
est confidence wherever she went.
LOST ALL CONFIDENCE.
The lepers had lost all confidence in
mankind owing TO the unsuccessful at
tempts made by the local governments
of Eastern Siberia to alleviate their con-
dition. The only assistance they had was
given them by one of the men from the
village, who visited their locality once or
twice a week. He never dared come near
the novels in which they lived. hacked
in to overlooking. all ages. different sexes
and in an atmosphere reeking with filth,
and sometimes rendered more terrible
than at others on account OF the dead
bodies, which the living had been too
weak to move. This messenger made
his presence known by loud cries, which
sometimes were answered Immediately,
but oftener were not heard for n long
time. He usually brought the most I'M
wholesome food and clothes that were
too ragged and dirty for use. Some OF
them had a COW which shared the %"jurta"
or howell with them. and was the means
of saving them from starvation while
waiting for these supplies. or course,
the messenger never saw the lepeys. but
left what he had brought at the APP
pointed place, and then these weak and
suffering creatures crawled. often on
their hands and knees. back and forth
till they had secured il all.
Kate Marsden, after a short rest. in
winch sne was not by any means idle,
as she arranged the plans for the diff
ferent buildings and adopted measures for
organization. started on her return trim
in August. OF course. the Journey from
Jakutsk TO Moscow was as difficult 10
make as the one from Moscow TO Jak-
utsk. but with indomitable courage so
Characteristic Of the woman she bore the
hardships of the return trip. The re-
ceptions that she met with at different
places on the road were most gratifying.
She conferred with the different commit
tees. and everywhere large donations were
made for her work. In st. Petersburg
and Moscow she worked for four months
with a zeal and energy that were simply
inspiring. producing splendid results. She
had large sums OF money given her, the
Empress donating 1900 rubles, and the
~heir-apparent 5000. She persuaded the
mother superior OF one Of the converts
to send TO Jakutsk in May FIVE nuns who
were willing TO nurse the lepers. She in
terested the doctors and organized a So
ciety FOR the investigation OF this dread
Iul disease. She met the aristocracy. and
awakened a desire among them TO con-
tribute for the benefit of the sufferers.
In short, she accomplished what she
had deemed impossible, even in her Wild
est expectations. When she reached
England she received the hearty approval
OF Queen Victoria in a letter recommend
ing her efforts and the work which she
had accomplished and wished TO accom-
nIlAh This .Aa