The National tribune., 1910-06-30
DEATH OF MOTHER STREIGHT.
The Passing of Noble, Patriotic WO'
man of Indiana.

| There is mourning in Indiana over
the death of Mrs. Lovina Streight, wild
| ow of Gen. A. b. Streight, of Streight's
raid fame. Mrs. Streight, who loved
| to consider herself the mother OF the
| 51st Ind, had a most remarkable ex-
perience in the war. Mrs. Streight was
! born in New York in 1880, and went
to Indiana with her husband. At the
beginning of the war he raised the 5lst
| Ind, and was commissioned as Colonel.
| Mother Streight took as deep an inter-
est in the regiment as he did, and
about Christmas time in 1861 she went
! to BardstOwn, KY, to visit him, taking
with her her son John, then seven years
old. She found the measles raging
among the men, and decided to remain
with them as a nurse. In this work
she won the earnest love and admira-
ton of every man in the regiment. She
did not confine her ministrations to her
own boys, but cared equally for the
sick prisoners who were captured, and
made many friends in the South, who
remembered her always. At one time
she was sent by Gen. Buell. with a let
ter to Gen. Boyle, which contained full
directions for the movements of vari-
Gus detachmentS She was captured
by the enemy, who suspected her mis-
sion and proposed to search her She
vowed she would die first, but she had
to yield, and the enemy found the let
ters on her person. Then her quick
wOman's wit came into play, and, look
ing the Colonel straight in the eye,
she said laughingly: Il am glad you
have got those papers. l have detained
you long enough, and now / can tell
you they are a blind" The Colonel
and his officers were thrown into the
greatest perplexity by this, and finally
decided that the papers were a blind
an f.Nts
out of camp. She made her escape in
most daring way. and rejoined the
regiment at Louisville. She accOmpa-
MED Gen. Streights command on its
famous raid, and was captured with
it at Rome Ford, when 200 miles in
the rear of the Confederate army. Her
husbands imprisonment worried her
very much, so that she finally broke
down and had to take to her bed She
recovered when Col. Streight made his
sensational escape, and arrived home
safely. She went back to the regiment.
and stayed with it during all its sub
sequent service. being often seen even
on the skirmiSh line taking care of
those who were wounded.
While Gen. Streight was still i'm the
service he noticed a house which
pleased him very much, and he OBJ
tained the plans and began the erec-
ton of a duplicate on his property in
the suburbs Of indianapolis. When he
died he requested in his will that the
Reunions of his regiment be held every
year at this house, in front of which
he was buried. Mother Streight fool,
the greatest possible interest in these
Reunions. and cOrresponded regularly
with every survivor of the regiment
and If he did not write promptIy
enough wrote TO him to ask if ANYTHING
was the matter. She planned the regi-
her death occurred she was making tho
arrangements for the 1910 Reunion
She had improved the grounds. laid
out roads and even decided upon the
uetalis OF the program and the special
dlshes for the annual feast. When she
was on her deathbed she requested that
the Reunion should take place annual
~ at her home as long as there was
one OF the DIST Ind. alive, and that the
sons and daughters Of the boys should
Sather there to perpetuatc the history
or that remarkable organization.