Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-08-11

tion. Miss Hofker then became interest
ed in Red Cross work and was the first
to suggest that hospital and training
school for Red Cross sisters should be
established. The idea was received with
favor and shortly such an institution
was opened in New York DR.. Lesser
was one of the staff of the new hospital,
and having been long attached to Miss
Kofker he not only prevailed upon her
to associate herself with him in his Red
Gross work, but also induced her to be-
come his wife.
Soon after the landing Of the troops
at Baiquiri she and her husband arrived
there After the battle of Santiago Mrs
Lesser and other Red Cross sisters as
sisted the surgeons i'll dressing the
wounds of the injured soldiers. They
worked unremittingly for "a hours, only
resting for moment to take cup of
coffee. Subsequently both she aud DIR.
Lesser contracted yellow fever from
which they have since fully recovered.
The f9nily of Colonel Hopper of New
York furnishes an example 1t the pa
triotio fervor thai prevails among all
classes of the community. The Hopper
family are now practically all employed
in the service of their country but one
son. The colonel and his youngest son
are at the front, and his two daughters
have been accepted as volunteer nurses.
After their father and brother had gone
to the war Miss e. Caroline Hopper and
Miss Minna A. Hopper also determined
to do what they could in the only
sphere of active duty open to them in
connection With the army. The Red
Gross work appealed to their sympa-
thies, and they at once volunteered as
assistant nurses. They passed the neces-
sary examination without difficulty and
were notified to be ready for call to
proceed to the active scene of warfare.
The young ladies aunt, Miss Sarah
Jenkins, as she could not go to the
front, determined to do what she could
She began active work with the wom-
ans relief corps of the Seventy first
New York regiment and is the chair
man of the finance committee of the
corps.
Miss Della Weeks, special nurse,
Iowa volunteers is the only woman
volunteer nurse that has gone to Manila
to attend our sick and wounded sol
diers. She has been trained nurse for
ten years and has lived all her life in
Des Moines. She knows every one of
the soldier lads in the Iowa regiment.
When they were ordered to the front,
she applied to the government for an
appointment as nurse to accompany
them Official red tape kept the applica-
tion on file till the regiment left home.
Then the citizens of Des Moines arose
as one man to take hand in the mat
ter. A purse of $500 was raised in one
day to equip Miss Weeks for the jour
ney, and the next day the citizens es-
corted her to the overland train and
sent her flying after the regiment on its
way to San Francisco. She was ordered
by them not to leave the boys till they
returned from the war. All her expenses
are paid, and all she has to do is to care
for the sick and the Thousand and one
little duties good woman can find to
do in soldiers camp.
Previous to the recent sailing Of the
hospital ship Resolute from New York
for Santiago candidates for enlistment
as immune nurses were examined at the
New York Red Cross hospital There
were quite number of young women
applicants, all prepared to risk the dan
gers from yellow fever and give their
services without any remuneration
whatever.
There were SO applicants altogether,
male and female, the former being ex-
amined by DR.. George F. Shrady aud
the latter by Mrs. Shrady OF the en-
tire number but seven men and one
woman (Mrs. @. L. Campbell) were ac-
cepted. The young women who crowd
ed about Mrs. Shrady, happy in the ex-
pectation and hope of successfully pass
ing the ordeal, went away, all but one,
keenly disappointed and disheartened at
their failure. MILDRED MERRlAM.