The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-26
N ran MAZE or sosnrHlsa
rdentfsy Of . Great PhiIaasArepiss
Finally Revealed 10 the Wsrid-

Reference was made In these soianns
iasg week to the fact that the late Alex
ander c. Hutchinson. who was presi-
dent of Aorgan.s Louisiana and Texas
Railroad and Steamboat Company ana
supervisory manager OF the Southern
pacific's tIanuc system. had in his
viii D~eQaeatned ~. oeo. 90 to TaiAne UNI
sersiSy. OF Nnicn IT.. Edwin a. Aiae<
man IS PRESIDENT
since ar. ffutchipson's death, facts
nave come to Ilgnt taat shc~ nim 70
ave been a notaoie character. He hao
risen from an humble pace TO thss ~osf-
ton OF great power. and sas one OF the
mest successful captaias OF industry
In the south he was q man OF the
sfrictsst Integrity. who did nAs duty 70
the utmost. and who required 81 Az
s~oDoralnaIss tue same zeal ano noeiity.
In tais there Was nothing unusual
but In his personal character and prs-
waite life ne presented q striking para
dox.
he was generally regarded as q cold.
austere and even parsiuionious man.
and Yet IL turns out that there wSs no
man in New Orleans whose heart VAS
fuller OF sympathy Tor his fellows nj
sentiment OF love of the beautiful. and
whose hand was more generous In char
ity Indeed. in the extent OF his giving
he seems TO have been the nrst OF the
city's great philanthropists-
What most distinguished his pkiian-
thropy was his systematic enorf 10
keep IL secret
1t is said that IL was his habit TO
repel those who applied To him for
charity and Immediately TO cause .
quiet Investigation OF their cases. IL
they were found 10 be deserving OF III
Ii was promptly n generously givsn
them. but secretly and In no other
name than that OF Josephine. For
long years this went on. The New Or
leans Picayune tells US how:
lie would send a message OF Oh
aud help into some darkened home, and
the recipient knew not whence : 10
came. No one ever suspected him.
How could they? He was so grun, 10
stolid, so determined to keep up the
appearance Of snow n sleet lying
above his heart Of gold. IL you would
have barely limited that Ii VAS A. {.
Hutchinson who was finding out the
hidden sorrow OF tear-laden hearts and
seeking to alleviate them. nc one would
have believed YOU"
Then The Picaynue adds:
In the name of Josephine L send
these gifts" that was the way the le-
gend ran for many and many a day,
coming like a flash OF sunlight into an
alley and garnet. into an asylum and or
phanage, into the homes for the sorrow
full and %outcast, and everywhere bring
ing new life, new urpos With the
simple, rough scrap OF paper came -
ferings of coal, of groceries, OF wood,
| of clothing. of money-substantial gifts
that lifted the clouds at the darkest mo
ment. In the name OF Josephine"
that was all, and nothing more.
And so after a while people began To
ask: who is Josephine. whose the
memory so dear that such royal deeds
are done in her name, such unexpected
blessings fall across the pathways OF
the miserable and forsaken?"
Finally. through an accident the So
| cret OF the anonymous giver was discoV
| cred OF the disclosure The Picayune
says:
"a little over a year ago the city was
taken by surprise that a generous
friend had donated the sum OF $50 600 to
the Charity hospital OF this city for the
erection of a home for the Training
| school for nurses. The donation was
made through DR.. Matas. and the only
condition attached to the gift was that
the donors name should forever remain
unknown. The gift was accepted and
| speculation was rife as to who the dom
or was. The Picayune, putting all
things together, and knowing that IL
must have been Mr.. Hutchinson who
made the gift, respected his wishes. but
one day last November The Marine
Journal of New York, published an ar
ticle saying hat II had leaked out that
| Mr.. a. c.. Hutchinson was the giver OF
| the beautiful home. Then the Picayune
published the story of Josephine and
il was the first real glimpse that the
world had into the real character OF Mr..
Hutchinson. 1t was q story that was
copied far and wide, n Seemed in Its
entirety more like an echo from the
ages of faith and charity than n livine
breathing product of this prosaic age
When he mad the donation for the
Nurses home he made the most "~-
ough and earnest effort to prevent the
gift being traced to him.. He made the
gift through a bank in New York ~''v.
and afterwards suspecting that they
had not obeyed his injunction as to Sec
recy, he closed mis- account with that
bank and transferred IL to another"
This hospital was the special object OF
Mrs. Eutchinson's charity and solici-
tude during her life. While her char
tiles were many, and offered like the
gifts since her death everywhere that
they were needed most. the charity that
appealed to her above all others was
the great hospital, says The Picayune.
| n many a time did she go through
the wards bearing flowers n offerings
for the sick and afflicted. She would
| always send her carriage when she WAS
away during the summer to give the
patients an airing daily. and every
morning and evening great clusters Of
flowers would go from her gardens TO
these wards of ickness and suffering.
bringing Joy and cheer. After her
death Mr.. Hutchinson continued ID
send flowers in the name OF Josephine.
and each summer the carriage drove up
daily to tax the patients who wer"
able TO go out for an airing.
I'm the name of Josephine" this mar
has reared IN the hearts Of h peop.s
a noble TO the woman he
loved. and dying he has left an examris
Of sweet charity that must make noble
and sweeter the lives OF many.
His was the charity that vaunteth
not itself. Is not pulled up.-Ashevfils
Citizen
Remains Of General Svsayne Barred