New-York tribune., 1905-01-29
KATE MARSDEN HERE.
SUDDENLY LEAVES HOTEL
Once Famous as Leper Nurse
Later WideIy Condemned.


yesterday for England.
visit paid TO Police Captain Cottrel by
badly scared young man. who whispered a VIII
story in his ear led to the discovery yesterday
of Miss Marsden's presence. Her abrupt oe-
narture is believed to have been caused by the
action of the young man, for she registered at
the hotel only three days ago. and apparently
made UP her mind to sail suddenly on Friday
night when she learned that her presence here
had been discovered.
The young man told the captain that he be-
ueved the woman was suffering from leprosy.
He also went to the Board of Health and the
Ellis Island authorities and told the same alarm
| ing story. The only basis he had for his be-
| lief 1t was learned. was the fact that he knew
Miss Marsden had spent many years among the
lepers of the Sandwich Islands. Siberia and East
Africa According to Captain Cottrell, his In
| formant believed that it was not possible Tor
any healthy person to mingle among lepers
without contracting the malady. The police
the Health Board and the immigration authori-
ties failed to look at the matter from his point
of view, and no objection was made to MISS
Marsdens sailing yesterday.
According to the hotel people Miss Marsoen
first came there three years ago. She then reg
istered as Miss Marsden, London, England
but received mail addressed to Mrs Kate
Hodgins. When asked to explain the alias sns
told the hotel management that she was an
English magazine writer and an authority on
Siberian travel. Hodgins was her name
year after the woman again appeared at the
hotel, but was not again seen there until last
Thursday, when she said she had arrived from
London and was assigned to a room on the
fifth floor She did not register arrival, CIV
ing the excuse that her hands were colo. her
visiting cards some of which she left behind her
In her room, bear the inscription; Miss Kate
Marsden Fellow Royal Geographical Society.
Chneside, Shraublin. Isle Of Wight, England
The young man who complained TO the au-
thorities was a guest of the hotel two years
ago when Miss Marsden was also there. He
CHANGED to be in the lobby of the hotel on Fri
day night and recognized Miss Marsden He
Immediately rushed TO the police. The woman
was told of the statement made regarding her.
She replied: Yes, am the Miss Marsden he
refers to, but am no Ieper." Apparently fear
ing the resultant publicity. however. she packed
her trunks and purchased passage on the St
Louis.
According to DR.. Darlington, there is abso-
lutely no reason to suppose the woman had
leprosy, as the disease is not contagious.
About twelve years ago Kate Marsden was
hailed as the one woman to succeed to the man
tie of Florence Nightingale. She had served the
Red Cross on the battlefelds of the East. had
devoted part of her life to the relief Of the
Siberian lepers, was under the patronage Of the
Princess Christian of England and the Empress
of Russia had been decorated by the Gar and
wore a special order of merit from Queen Vic
tora like that given to Florence Nightingale.
The daughter of an English barrister. she is
now about fifty years old. TALL blonde and typ
ically English in appearance. She first came into
prominence about the time Of the death of
Father Damien. She announced that she was
Aa<o ct
tention to a leper colony in Siberia. She had
previously been nurse in the wellington Hos
pital New-Zealand, and had done indisputably
good work as army nurse in the Russo-Turkish
War, for which she had received the decoration
of St. Ann from Russia for attention to the
wounded under fire. Queen Victoria had also
given her a gold brooch.
In 1890 she is said to have been living in pow
erty in a little German frontier town. At that
time there was in session in London commits
sion for the investigation of leprosy, Of which
the Prince of Wales was chairman Any one
supposed to have special knowledge concerning
leprosy was eagerly welcomed by the commits
sion and Miss Marsden appeared before it with
an account of a wonderful herb she had discov-
ered-a Siberian herb that was sure antidote
for the scourge. By a happy coincidence, she
pointed out, this herb grew near the Siberian
.sper settlement she was to visit All she
needed, she said money, which fur
nished by the British public, with proper in
PRODUCTION, which was furnished by the Princess
The princess gave Miss Marsden letter to her
sister, the Czarina who received her cordially,
and extended to her the imperial Endorsement Of
her plans She then went to Siberia under the
escort of NJ. Petroff, and also accompanied by
young English girl Miss Ada Field, who found
it necessary to leave Miss Marsden. at Omsk.
When she reached the leper settlement IN ST.
beria after horseback journey of some two
thousand miles, Miss Marsden found her herb
to be of medicinal value, and set TO work
to make the lepers themselves yield some profit.
She did this by returning to London and writ
ing book full of horrors which, she said.
she had Witnessed and thereby gaining much
profit from the credulous who bought her book
and poured in contributions Her statements
were wild and unfounded that they not only
awoke horror in England, but aroused the ire
Of Russians, who denied her stories and began
TO make charges concerning the way in which
she had handled the money contributed for the
relief of the lepers. When these stories reached
London the Rev. Mr.. Francis. of the American
Church in st. Petersburg was asked to investi-
gate. He wrote a letter to the London Commits
sion concerning her financial irregularities which
printed in 'The London Times on Au-
gust 16. 1894 She then brought the suit for
libel against the paper which she later aban-
doned
In the mean time it was determined to hold a
wOmans congress at the Worlds Fair in Chi
Cago. before which Miss Marsden wished to
speak. The stories of her financial Irregular
tiles reached Chicago just before she did. Mrs.
Elizabeth B. GranniS, president Of the National
Christian League for the Promotion of Social
Purity, was among those who received letters
that Miss Narsden was not all she represented
herself to be- Miss Marsden, her arrival in
Chicago went to Mrs. Grannis and told her she
wished to speak on social purity. Mrs. Grannis
had Just received an official notice OF Miss Mars
denis financial doings from the National
Women's Committee. and told Miss Marsden
that she had heard of the charges, not specify
ing them. which had been made against her
Miss Marsden Indignantly asked for an investi-
cation. but 1t was decided not to allow her to
speak.
The next day. with Mrs. Emma Parker and
DR.. Emma Giesse. Mrs. Grannis met Miss Mars
den who. without any preamble and under a