The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-04-06
GAVE HIS LIFE IN
HELPING OTHERS
Priest Contracts Leprosy anaa
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 g 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
Tor the propagation OF the faita,,the5
Roman Catholic Missionary bureau. 1t
was originally sent to Il close friend in
Belgium. It's text was as follows:
Il have at last ummoned sufficient
courage to write you q few words. For
the last six months / have lived through
days of such anxiety and melancholy
that I had not the courage to talk with
YOU. You will pardon me for not re-
plying more promptly to your we'll
wishes for a happy New Year. I felt
1T necessary at last to break the 81
lence and let you know of my condition.
You Will kindly break the news to my
brothers n sisters, because I cannot
tell them myself.
Elbow Numb.
"A little while after your last letter
came l discovered thai l had sno 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
flesh for microscopic examination.
After a few days he came to see me
and Informed me that very probably it
would prove to be q case Of leprosy.
He did not care to decide definitely,
however, as all cases of the kind are
left to doctors in Honolulu, to whom
he suggested that I should go. Our
very reverend provincial had been stop
ping with US for a fortnight, and on his
return to Honolulu / accompanied him.
When We arrived there I was examined
by Doctor Herbert, who also tool a
piece Of flesh from my elbow, causing
HE quite q little pain. The operation,
however brought no result.
Two days later there was q similar
operation with similar uncertainty. The
following day I was examined by an
other doctor in the hospital, who
brought in consultation a member of the
board of health. This time a small por
ton of skin was taken from a rec
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 10 doubt O
it. I am a leper. These experiment.
were made on the 18th of the month
That very night I left Honolulu to re
turn to Molokai, where I will be com
PEELED to remain for the rest of M.
days..
To Live in Hut.
you may be sure that this last tri
was not exactly q very pleasant one
. Just as soon as / arrived at the Lac
. aratto house my first care was to tur.
over all my affairs of the house to Faith
er Maxine. with whom I had lived u
to that time. / then took up my resi-
dence in a little hut, where I must lv
I alone. It is certainly a very great trit
for me, but l am sure that GOO wi
;, not forsake me"
The letter concludes with a reques
for ayers Brother %Serapion Va
Koop is % years old. In all likelihoo
he will never live to see his thirty
I first birthday.
:. Until the day of his death, as he Sc
: forth, he will live alone in Il little hu
of the leper colony. He can have II
companions except those similarly a.
4 flicted, and as there are natives {
4 Chinese, there will be nothing of con
4 ~panionship for him. Books he Will hay
4 and letters from home, but he may neJ
4 er answer those letters except tllroug
Y Il third person. Occasionally he will Sc
q fellow human being, some c~ourageou
4 missionary, who will come to take h
] place, but the danger of infection
I SO great that they will only speak at
4 distance. Helplessness and letharg
4 that the disease will com
3 upon him after the end of the frs
q year. He will then be able only t
4 crawl abou the hut. Death will be
h welcome relief to him.