The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-27
HER USEFUL CAREER
Mother JOsephine's Work on the
Frontier and in Montana.
SHE'S A GUEST AT ST. AIMS
Early Days In This State Recalled
by the Noble Woman-Her Only
Care Now Is the Orphans
rome I'm Helena.

An honored guest at st. AIMS hospi-
tai is Mother Josephine, the founder
of that institution, which has been in
the history of Anaconda such a valued
the ease and comfort to the SICK and
injured that skillful, tender nurses can
give.
Mother Josephine has attained the
three score years and ten of life, the
greater part of them having been spent
in labor and self-sacrifice for the sake
of suffering humanity.
Though relieved from all duties,
Mother Josephine still retains her ac-
tive interests in Montana and the in
situations she has helped to establish in
the state. She is one of the pioneers of
Montana and is known and beloved of
the thousands of old-timers with whom
she shared the vicissitudes and hard
ships of the early days. She came to
Montana before the railroads and a fell.
low passenger in the numbering old
stage coach with her was Sister Irene,
who is at this time in charge of st.
AIMS hospital. They take great pleas
ure, therefore, in chatting together
about those early days and make merry
over the adventures of those times that
were in reality hardships. How they
rode in the numbering, rocking old
coach for eight long days from Co
rhine, where they left the railroad be-
hind; how there were no hotels and the
gallant miners and prospectors gave up
their cabins and slept under the stars
that the Sisters might have shelter, and
how gladly they were welcomed to the
state where women were all too few
are subjects of which they never tire.
Sister Irene went to Virginia City and
Sister Josephine, as she then was
known, to Helena, that was then a
struggling, but busy placer camp.
In those days, wherever a mission of
mercy could be performed, the Sisters
went, the usual mode of travel being
on horseback from camp TO camp. If
any settlement was by chance over
looked in these visitations, the Sisters
were sent for, and each camp seemed
to rival the other in the cordiality of
its reception for them.
THAT was 26 years ago." says Mother
Josephine. Helena was the only city
where Sisters had a permanent home.
Then the Deer Lodge hospital (St. Jo-
seph's) was started in log cabin on
the hill 1t was afterward built of
frame, and now is a convenient brick
building. There is now the hospital In
Butte, the st. James, and among the
latest is this, in Anaconda, which is
one of the best in the state. 'N ti
TT was eight years ago l bought the
part known as the old building, of DIR.
Lesser who built 1T. Rev. Father De
Siere suggested that l secure 1t and
j upon his urgent insistance, the total
purchase price was borrowed from kind
friends. The investment proved for
tunate one, though there have been
many times when the venture seemed
| of doubtful merit. Now st. AIMS hos
pital Is able to take care of itself. and
the Orphans Home in Helena is my
only care. There is debt of $4,000 up
on II, which / still hope to see removed
before / die.
1.-THE only hope which I have at pres
ent is a mine; not many institutions
like an Orphans home own mines, but
this one does and some day hope the
orphans will strike ii rich in that mine.
ut is the Black Hawk claim. that
was given to the home by James
Twohy, an old friend of mine. who died
a few years ago in South Butte. The
property is said to be valuable, but we
have no means of knowing until the
pending litigation is settled in the
higher courts. When that debt Is clear
ed, my life work is done and I viii be