Evening star., 1899-03-14
Reason Archbishop Chapelle Ordered
Indian Nuns From Cuba.
THEY HAD DONE SrLbSG.l WORK
Nursed Yellow Fever Patients at
Pinar del Rio.
GEN. O'BIERNE'S STATEMENT

BALTIMORE. March 14-Five sisters OF
the American Order of the Sacred Heart
have. according to a dispatch from Pinar
del Rio. been ordered away from Cuba by
Archbishop Chapelle, the papal representa-
tive recently appointed to investigate the
affairs of the Catholic Church in that ISL
and.
The news was received by cable in this
city by Gen. James r. OBierne of New
York, who is registered at the Hotel Rem
merit. The message came from Rev. j. NJ.
Craft, an Indian missionary priest who
founded the American order of the sisters,
and who went to Cuba last November with
the five nuns, who are all the daughters of
Indian chiefs.
The oablegram, which came in Latin, was
thus translated by Gen. O'Bierne:
Archbishop Chapele orders us To go
hatred against the QndianD sisters. 1 have
written you about it,
Meaning of the "oId Hatred"
Father Crafts reference 10 the old
hatred against the Indian sisters means
just this said the neral. The order is
purely American, and was established near
Fort Pierre on the Dakota border, about
six years ago. The Cahensley element in
the church. or those who are i'm favor %
the European idea in the management Of
orders and church affairs, antagonized
Father Crafts work in establishing this
n5w order, and he met with much opposi-
ton. He went bravely on with his under
taking. however, and when the war WITH
Spain broke out, offered the services Of
number of the young Indian sisters TO mo
government.
LAS an old friend of the missionary priest,
l went to the Secretary Of War and sue
ceeded in getting the sisters sent to nurse
in the hospitals at Tampa and Huntsville.
Later on, owing to the excellent work they
did, and the fact that they were considered
immune from yellow fever. five Of The sis
ters were sent to Cuba, and were located
with the first division hospital of the 1lk
Army Corps at Pinar del Rio. All through
the yellow fever spidamics in the Cuban
camps the sisters worked admirably. and.
to my own knowledge, were compiimented
by the department for their excellent work.
They We're all the time under the direction
of Father Craft. who accompanied them.
He had met with considerable hostility
from the un-American element in the
church, and the opposition to this new
American order of sisters became very
marked. Nothing like the present move
was however, expected.
Disappoiutmeut to Father Craft.
Il cannot account for it. 1t is of course,
a great disappointment TO Father Craft.
who has just about commenced his work in
Cuba. The expulsion of his order of sisters
from Cuba by the papai representative
looks like a victory for the opponents of
Americanism and coming at this partic-
ular time ii will be painful news to those
who believed that the Vatican was in full
sympathy with real Americanlsm. | hope
that an explanation will be furnished which
will quiet the fears of those who dread the
conditions that might result II the anti
Americanism element should get the upper
hs nd"
Speaking of Father Craft, Gen. O. Bierne
said:
Il have known him for many years. He
is by far the greatest Sioux scholar known
in the northwest, where he has labured
among the Indians for many years. He
comes from an old Pennsylvania Dutch
family, and is president of the Order of the
Sons OF the American Revolution. lie is
ore of the most devoted and Jealous priests
of the church"