The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-27
OUR FIRST WAR HEROINE.
The Woman Who Relieved the Suffer-
ings of 100 Sick Soldiers.
Boston Transcript.

Boston transcript.
Miss Jeanette jennings scarcely dreamed
of waking up to find herself famous with
in a week when she fastened back to the
Red Cross ship State of Texas after her
first look at the Seneca at Siboney. Her
mind was fixed upon her duty. The vows
she had taken as Red Cross sister would
not permit her to let the Seneca sail carry
ing a hundred sick and wounded soldiers
on ship where forty or fifty civilians
scarce had room enough, and not do all
that she could for their comfort. So Capt.
Hecker went against his national orders
and riSked a reprimand for his delay in
sailing while he stood to attention for Miss
Jennings, waiting for her while she picked
up what supplies she dould and FASTENED
back to her mission of mercy on board that
terrible ship.
First-class passengers on ocean liners
who can remember occasional stray odors
of unpleaSantneSS on the beSt-kept and least
crowded of Atlantic greyhounds can imagine
family how CHASTITY was the confinement
of the sick and helpless on the Seneca and
now hearty some of the conversions must
have been to understanding of and belief
IN the new woman. as personified in Miss
Jennings. She is truly the newest and love-
lest OF the new. In her force and executive
ability, alertness of thought and quickness
in action are combined with that sympathy
and power to soothe. which have always
been prerogative of women when pain
and anguish wiring the brow
This ministering angel did not accept
the wretched conditions she found, but did
ali in her power to modify them, and no.
wonderful service for sanitation and in
good nursing, will deny that the woman
has stood in a breach where failure in
heroic devotion might have meant the lives
of many suffering soldiers and possibly a
spread of the fever aboard She faced
dangers for days, unlike those which Hob
son and his men faced for the few hours
of their brave futile dash but dangers none
the less real and appalling.
why the captain of the Seneca was or
dered to make before the world such an
exhibition of the tritiing methods and in
glorious carelessnesS of our present sys-
tenn of caring for our sick soldiers is not
Yet explained. The excuse of the superior
officer who sent him the hundred sick will
be of course that these are now being
properly cared for at Bellevue Hospital and
elsewhere, and that they might have died
at Siboney without such care as they now
have. There is reaSonableneSs in this point
of view of course.
When we remember how for weeks and
weeks leisure and money have attended
upon the fitting out of the hospital ship
the Bay State in this rich and peaceful
city of Boston, and reflect that she is not
yet ready to start upon her mission of
mercy we can appreciate the difficulties
before an officer who sees chance to get
a hundred wounded men north in any
sized craft under any conditions. But
carelessness, our good-humored shiftless-
ness, in a remarkable manner. Not even
the most faithful lover of Uncle Sam can
deny the disgrace of transporting our sick
soldiers home under conditions infinitely
worse than those which likely to pre-
vail in the ships which will take the Span
iardS they defeated back to Spain.