Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1912-04-19
MISS CLARA BARTON
DIES. 80 YEARS OLD

WASHINGTON. April 12.-Miss
Clara Barton, founder of the National
Red Cross movement, died today al
her home in Glen Echo, Md. She had
been IN for months.
Clara Barton, philanthrophist, was
born in oxford, Mass, about 1880.
She was the daughter of Captain Ste
phen Barton and was educated in
Clinton, n. Y. Early in life she be-
came a teacher and founded a free
school in Bordentown, n. ]. When
this was opened 1t was attended by
only six pupils; but when Miss Bar
ton left it the attendance numbered
more than 600. Miss Barton en-
tered the patent Office as clerk in
1854 and remained there until the
Civil war began. when she determin-
ed TO devote herself to the care OF
wounded soldiers on battlefelds
In 1864 she was appointed by Gen.
Butler lady in charge" of the hos
pitals at the front of the army of the
James. In 1866 she went 10 Ander-
sonylle, Ga, to identify and mark
graves of union prisoners buried
there, and in the same year was plac-
ed by President Lincoln in charge of
the search for missing men of the un-
ion armies. This noted woman lee
tured during the years 1866 and 1S-
81 on her war experiences, and after
ward went to Switzerland for her
health, At the beginning of the
Franco-German war, in 1870, she as
sisted the grand duchess of Baden in
the preparation of military hospitals,
and gave the Red Cross society much
aid during the war. At the joint
request of the German authorities
and the Strassburg "Comite de Sc
'cours", she superintended the supply
ing of work to the poor of that city
in 1871, after the siege, and in 1872
had charge of public distribution of
supplies to destitute people of Paris.
At the close of the war she was dec
.orated with the Golden Cross Of Ba-
den and the Iron Cross of Germany.
In 1881, on the organization of the
American Red Cross society, Miss
Barton became its president. The
treaty granting protection to Red
Cross agents was signed March IS,
1852. The American society is mod
eled after its European namesake,
and its object is stated by the consti-
tuition to be to organize a system of
national relief, and apply the same.
in mitigating suffering caused by
war pestilence, famine and other ca
lamities."
In 1884, as official head of the So
ciety, Miss Barton had charge of the
expedition for the relief of the suffer-
ers from the food in the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers and in the same
year she was the representative of
the government at the Red Cross
conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
In 1888 Gov, Butler appointed her
superintendent, treasurer and stew
ard of the reformatory prison for
women at Sherborn, Mass.
Miss Barton was also delegate to
the international peace convention at
Geneva, in 1884, and was special
commissioner for foreign exhibits at
the New Orleans exhibition. In 1S-
SO, by request of the senate commit
tee on foreign relations she prepared
La History Of the Red Cross" which
was published at the government
printing office, Washington
Throughout her life Clara Barton
was active in relief work at almost
every great calamity, including
Johnston and Galveston floods. at
which latter place she personally con-
Quoted the Red Cross work. despite
her advanced age. She served ON
the field through the spanish-Ameri-
can war and in relief work in Cuba
She was the author of numerous pub
lished works in connection with re-
lief operations and the Red Cross