Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1905-04-13
GAVE HIS LIFE IN
HELPING OTHERS
Priest Contracts leprosy ana
Dies Of 1t in Hawaiian
Islands.
DID MISSIONARY LABOR
Was Scion Of a Wealthy Belgian Fam
lily, and Deliberately Sacrificed
His Life in Effort to Be Of
Use to Sufferers.

New York special: In a letter re-
ceived in the city came the
ment that Brother Serapion Van Koop,
member of a wealthy Belgian family,
who two years E went to the Ha-
Waiian islands to take up the work be-
gun by Father Damien in the leper
colony of Molokai. has himself fallen "a
victim To the disease.
The letter came from the Young mis-
sionary himself to the Rev. Father
John j. Dunn. head OF the local bureau
for the propagation of the faith. the
Roman Catholic Missionary bureau. 1t
WAS originally sent to Il close friend in
Belgium. Its text was as follows:
II have at last summoned sufficient
courage TO write YOU Il few words. For
the last six months l have lived through
days of such anxiety and melancholy
that 1 had not h courage to talk with
you. You will pardon me for not re-
plying more promptly to Your well
wishes for a happy New Year. l felt
it necessary at last to break the ST
lence and let YOU know of my condition..
o will kindly break the news TO my
brothers and sisters. because ! cannot
tell them myself.
Elbow Numb.
"A little while after your last letter
came L discovered that l had no feel
ing IN my elbow. ] remarked the fact
To the Rev. Father Maxine, who COM
manded me to go to our physician. Aft
er he had examined me he declared the
want of feeling appeared to him TO be
a symptom of leprosy. but to make sure
he took from my elbow some pieces OF
llesh Tor microscopic examination.
After a few days he came to see me
and Informed me that very probably it
wo0id prove to be u case of leprosy.
/ he Iid not care to decide definitely,
lrweves'. as all cases of the kind are
left TO doctors In Honolulu. to whom
he suggested that l should go. Our
very reverend provincial had been stop
ping with us fora fortnight, and on his
return TO Aonoluio l accompanied him.
When we arrived tfiere l was examined
by Doctor Herbert. who also took a
piece OF flesh from my elbow. causing
me quite a little pafn. TIE operation,
however brought no iHsult.,
Two days later there was q similar
operation with similar uncertainty. The
following day l was examined by an
other doctor in the hospital, who
brought in consultation n member uf the
board of health. This time Il small por-
ton of kin was taken from n req
patch which had appeared on my cheek.
as we'll as a piece from my forehead.
In both of these cultures they found mi
crObeS of leproSy. There is no doubt of
were made Oh the 18th of the month.
That very night l left Honolulu to re.
turn to Molokai. where I will be com
PEELED to remain for the rest Of my
days.
To Live in Hut.
You may be sure that this last trir
was not exactly a very pleasant one
Just as soon as l arrived at The Lac
aratto house my first care was to turf
Over all my affairs of the house to Faith
er Maxine. With whom l had lived III
to that time. l then o up my resi-
dence in little hut. where / must liv,
alone. 1t is certainly Il very great tria
for me. but l am sure that God vii
not forsake me-"
h letter concludes with n reques
for prayers. Brother Serapion Val
Koop is % years old. In all likelihood
he will live to see his thirty
first birthday.
Until the day of his death. as he Sc
forth, he will live alone in II little hn
of the leper colony. He can nave II,
companions except those similarly af
ficted. and as there are natives O
Chinese. there will be nothing of com
partnership for him. Boo he will hav,
and letters from home. but he may new
er answer those letters except through
Il third person. Occasionally he will Sc
a fellow human being, some
missionary, who will come To take hi
place. but the danger OF infection i
so great hat they will only speak at
distance. Helplessness and letharg,
that accompany the disease will COM
upon him after the end of the frs
year. He will then be able only t.
crawl about the hut. Death will be
welcome relief to him.