The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-08-24
MEDALS TO NURSES.
INTERESTING CEREMONY IN
WHICH SISTER ADELE OF
CAIRO PARTICIPATED.
Story Of Heroic Work Done BY Sisters
of Holy Cross at and Around
Cairo During War Times.

Word from Sister Adele, mother
| superior of st. Mary's Innrmary At
Cairo. who is al the mother house N
Notre Dame, Ind, states that she is
somewhat improved, but still serious
~ Ill and that it might be decided 10
place her on the retired list to spend
the remainder of her days without
care or responsibility.
Sister Adele is about 70 years old
and has had remarkable career of
noble service to mankind. In a
| Story of The Fiftieth Anniversary of
ST. Mary's" written in 1906 by "one
of the sisters some interesting de
tails are given OF the work done by
this grand order in the war days, at
| Cairo and vicinity. From this story
| it appears that Sister Adele was one
of six Sisters who, responding to a
call made by Rev. Father Sorin. on
October %, 1861, ''to attend the sick,
wounded and dying soldiers" came
to Cairo. The other five were Moth
er Angela, Sister Magdaline, Sister
Winifred, Sister Veronica and Sister
Anne. They reached Cairo on Oc-
tober "a and reported to Gen. Grant,
who received them with courteous
consideration, and were sent from
here TO Paducah where they took
charge of the military hospital Con
tinuing the story says:
In November, Mother Angela re.
ceived a dispatch from Washington, d,
C., with orders to open the hospital in
Mound City. She telegraphed to St
Mary's for sisters, and. with young
girl as companion, started at once for
the secene of new labors. The hos
warehouses;; but before long the gov
eminent had converted the structure
into commodious quarters, where. UNI
der the management of the sisters,
The hospital came to be known as one
of the best in the military service |
AT times there were from a thousand |
10 fourteen hundred patients under |
many of the sick and |
wounded being prisoners of war Not |
the sisters land Mother |
Angela was no exception) had to |
leep on the floor
Mother Augusta and her little band |
of nurses arrived at Cairo, Sunday,
December Is, 1861; having heard mass
at st. Patrick's church, and break
tasted at the Presbytery, thanks to the
kind invitation of the pastor, they
proceeded to the hospital then known
as The Bulletin" later as st.
Johns" The surgeon in charge DR..
Burke, conducted the sisters through
the wards, which We're in a frightful
tate. The apartments on the first
floor had been used as receiving and
operating rooms, and amputated arms
and legs and pieces of human flesh
were strewn around. The walls and
floors were bloodstained and altogeth-
ar, the sight was appalling. But Moth
II Augusta and her two assistants
began work at once; with the help of
}rderlies detailed for that purpose, |,
condl lions were gradually changed
md before many days the work of
airing for the sick and wounded and
the household affairs h
# the hospital was as well syst en-
tised as was possible under existing ,
circumstances.
Mound City, Memphis and Cairo +
we're the general centres of the corps
ent from st. Mary's, and they were +
rawn on for nurses on the transports q
nd ON the hospital boat, Red River,
rom which the sisters heard the firing
{ Vicksburg and saw more than one h
oat run the blockade" =
OF the six sisters who came 20
afro on the date above named only Il
NO are living, Sister Magdalene and q
lister Adele. and these were partici. II
ants recently in a very interesting II
CEREMONY which took place at st. o
Iary's College South Bend. on Aug. 81
n; when 10 of the surviving sis n
RS who responded TO the call of their II
Duntry during the dark days of the q
ar were presented with medals of q