The times., 1900-12-30
"WAR WIDOWS"
They Are the Wives of officers Alb
sent on Duty.


| A war widow is a woman whose hus-
band is at the front serving his country,
while she is following him and is as
near the field of action as the War De-
! partment will permit her to go.
The wives of the infantry, Of artillery,
of cayalry, of marine. and naval officers
are here, writes correspondent of the
Detroit Journal from Nagasaki, Japan
The artillery and cavalry officers wife
| VIII tell you with a naughty air that her
/ husband does not belong to the infantry,
and the Infantry officers wife will ex-
| plain to everybody's satisfaction that
| the infantry has won more laurels than
| any other branch of the service. The
| ladies discuss as to how the campaign
in China and the Philippines should be
conducted and every war topic imaginable
All this tends TO make Nagasaki very
interesting place. Civilian and mission
airy women of all nations. in China, have
| been crowding the warships and army
transports. clamoring to reach Nagasaki
with their lives, while the allied war
widows particularly The American Army
women, have been clamoring more vocif-
erously for passage on the army trans
ports than the missionaries ever dared
to in getting away from China. WAR
widows and war orphans" who have
husbands and fathers, respectively, in the
Philippines have frequently been able to
get beyond Nagasaki to Manila, but not
TO China. There have been two excep-
tions to this, however; one is the case
Of Mrs. Meyers, wife of Captain Meyers.
the gallant officer at Pekin, who was se-
riously i'll there. the ether was that of
'-The Widow a writer for the tartest
Of the New York society weeklies. who
was permitted to go beyond Tientsin.
War widows usually have pulls and
know now to use them. They will write
their Congressman and telegraph their
Senator and get all their brothers and
male cousins old enough to vote to write
and telegraph at the same time for
transportation on Government ship
The Congressman has been accustomed
to the impertunate ofiiceseeker during his
entire official life, and he is nerved up
to it. But this everlasting hammering
he is now receiving from the war wild
ows," whose husbands have never before
been beyond a quiet and peaceful army
post in one OF the home States, is the
Congressman's by no means leas:
trouble.
The determination of the war widow"
is irresistible, with the result that a num-
ber have been permitted TO come as far
as Nagasakl; only a small percentage,
however, of those who apply for trans
portation receive it. The great majority
of army officers are opposed to women
travelling on the army transports at all
Once in Nagasah, these ladies naturally
want to go to China or the Philippines
to join their husbands, for, practically,
they are no nearer them here than they
were at home. 1t is now that the trou-
bles of Col J. Nee. Hyde, the depot
Quartermaster at Nagasaki, begin. He is
importuned for transportation from Naga-
saki by these ladies until the Oriental
splendor of his life here is not exactly
dream.
The rendezyousing of the American
war widow" and the American refugee
missionary from China has made the ho-
telkeepers, as well as the little japanese
merchants. leap for Joy. The prices have
advanced until the ordinary person-is ap-
palled at the high prices in Nagasaki.