The Washington herald., 1907-12-01


loss of which made Lees surrender in
evitable two days later
AT the grand review May 2f 1850. az
Washington. Gen. OImsted commanded
the First Brigade OF the Second division.
Second Army Corps. and at the parade ina
New York, on July T. headed the Fifty
ninth New York Volunteers. marching
with ~ men. all that remained Of 1,S-0
who had served I'm that organization. He
was only thirty-One then, and in tar
forty-two years that have elapsed until
ROW he has filled two distinct and de-
cidedly busy careers
His retention in the service. with the
rank Of colonel was recommended but
he chose otherwise, and entered the Sig
nal Service az Washington Then he
studied law and medicine and joined the
Catholic Church Finding medicine more
cOngenIal than law he gave up the lat
ter, passed mis- medical examinations, and
went West 10 practice Wyoming was
his home for a while. then New Mexico,
and then Arizona.
At Flagstaff one day he received word
that he had been appointed chief surgeon
20 the Denver. Texas and Fort Worth
Railroad. with headquarters at Trinidad,
/ Colo. From that time until IS94 he was
a railroad surgeon, serving on the Denver
/ other lines Then at sixty. he went 10
some friends in the Society OF Jesus. he
/ decided 70 enter the priesthood, which he
I did. taking orders at Notre Dame, Ind
/ I'm 1900. For the last seven years ne has
devoted himself 10 hospital work. for
which he is obviously well fitted He has
I been attached TO s.. Elizabeth's since 1894
Chidwick of the Maine.
( Father Olmsted lives on West Fifty
/ fourth street with Rev Fattsr John P.
/ Chadwick. pastor OF 81 Ambrose's
/ church. who was chaplain Of the Maine
when that United States war ship was
/ blown up in the harbor of Havana The
| two veterans are great friends. Father
/ Chidwick's church is not in q swell part
/ of the town. but quite the reverse. the
/ neighborhood being one Of the typical
/ polygIot regions that are 10 be found
nowhere in the world save in the great
/ cities OF this country at this day and age
Of the world
/ Soon after the blowing up of the Maine
4 Father john" as he was universally
/ known in the navy. was commissioned "a
/ lieutenant in the service. and later was
assigned aboard the New York. on the
! China station. But when the pastorate
/ of the Church of st. Ambrose was offered
to him he decided that he could do more
/ good ashore than aflOat, and therefore
gave up his naval post
] Among the deniZens OF the crowded
West Side. not far from the confines OF
old HelTs Kitchen. he is as popular as
ever he was among the sailors OF the
| Maine, 255 Of whom We're mangled and
killed. His heroism ON the terrible Feb
ruary night OF the explosion. now almost
ten years ago, viii never be forgotten
nor viii his services on the following day.
| when he the only man who could per
form the task. devoted many dreadful
hours 10 the identification of the dead
and the administration of the last rites
To the dying Father John" is about
fifty. and a native of New York
Bishop Capers' ChecI1ered Life.
The life of the Protestant Episcopal
Bishop of North Carolina. Ellison
! Capers. has furnished rather more than
a paFaHel 70 the life Of Father Olmsted.
Il he is three years the younger man OF the
two, and was twenty-four years old when
the civil war broke out. The son OF
Bishop William Capers, Of the Methodist
! Church. he was an instructor in the
South Carolina Military Academy when
the first gun was fired on Sumter.
He was OF mingled military and re-
ligious stock-one of his grandfathers
having been a hard-riding hard-hghting
I caTtain in the Revolutionary war under
Marion, who was such thorn in the SIDE
Of the British-and he lost 10 time IN
joining the Confederate forces. Electe.
colonel Of-the Twenty-foCrth Sc5'th Caro-
lima, he served brilliantly in he army
Of the west was wounded twice, aaC
won the rank OF brigadier general in 1864
Enters Episcopal Priesthood.
Immediately after the close Of the civil
war he was made Secretary OF State IL
the provisional government. but soor
joined the Protestant Episcopal ministry
and was elected Bishop Of South Carolina
in 1896 He is a big man. slightly stopped
bald, with short side whiskers. and suf
ficiently emotional in the pulpit TO sug
gest his Methodist origin. Bishop Caper'
and Bishop Potter, of New York, are
great friends. Ten years ago. while th'
latter was in Europe for some months
Bishop Capers filled all his engagement
for ordination and confirmation.
There were many fighting parsons or
both sides in the civil war. Leonida.
/, Polk. Protestant Episcopal Bishop o.
Louisiana, who rose to be a COnfederat,
general and was shot dead III Pine Noun
tain. June a. 1854 being the most distin
7 guished. He was active in the cause o.
! education until 1850, being one OF th'
foremost factors in the founding an,
early upbuildinS of the University Of th'
South.
} Copyright 1907. By Dexter MarshaILl