The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-05-22
VENTURES FAR INTO DESERT
Was Taken Sick Far From Haunts Of
Civilization and Persisted - Yoang
Woman Had Resided in KeEosha
as Child-A Distinguished Musician.


May Airport, the Chicago pianiste, in
a lonely sun baked town on the edge
of the Sahara desert, is told in mails
which have just been received by her
friends in Chicago. Brief mention
was made of Miss Airport S death in
the Chicago newspapers of April 20.
She had expired in lSfax, Tunisia, on
April IS, and had been buried the fol-
lowing day.
Miss Airport was at one time resi-
dent of Kenosha. She was daughter
of DR.. Airport, one of the pioneer ply
sicians of Kenosha and she was well
known to many of the older residents
of the city. The Airport family left
Kenosha many years ago and since
that time they had made their home
in Chicago.
Miss Airport left Chicago two years
ago to travel in Italy. She spent a
large part of her time at the little
town of Taormina, under the shadow
of Mount Aetna and close to the ex-
quisite classical remains which draw
many strangers to Sicily In March
of the present year Miss Allport's adj
venturous nature led her to undertake,
alone, the journey across the Mediter-
ranean from Palermo to Africa.
II doing this, however, she merely
followed in the track Of rattYe travel,
beaten since the days OF Aenas by
countless Greeks and Latins, who sail
ed across the narrowed Mediterranean
to Carthage and Tunis. The Tunis of
today is but short automobile ride
in ont direction from the Carthage, of
Dido, and in another from the great
Roman colosseum which the modern
Arabs call Ell Jem.
From Tunis she went along the coast
to Susa, thence inland to Kairawan,
Gafsa, and Tozeur (Tozer); thence to
Sfax on the gulf of Gabes, and thenca
she ventured, in company with
casually met nglishwornan-too far
into the desert--to Gabes at the lower
end of the gulf, called by the ancients
Syrtis Minor.
Here, among the Arabs and Italian
sailors and merchants, she was Caken
too sick to return unaided, and here
her companion left her. Fortunately
an English doctor-his name is Thomas
G. Churcher-jo urneying with his wife
through Gabes from Sfax to the oasis
of Medenine, heard of the American
woman sick at the little French Hotel
des Colonies and came to her rescue.
Recognizing the serious character of
her illness, he called in the post sur
geon as consultant and endeav0red to
army hospital. Failing in his effort,
rather than desert wor an in distress,
he secured covered automobile, fitted
it with comfortable mattress, and
carried her back with him to his own
home in Sfax-a distance of nearly
one hundred miles
On reaching the home Of this Eng
lish gentleman-he and his wife are
medical missionaries she seemed
brighter for the change and full of
gratitude, but the long journey over
the desert proved too much for her,
and she died while her missionary
friends prayed by her bedside.
She was buried in Sfax, in the
French cemetery, until such time as
the French colonial department will
issue a permit for the removal of her
body to her own country.
Since 1875 Miss Allport's figure and
influence were well known in the Chi
cago world. She was one of the
founders of the Amateur Musical Club
and until 1911 was one of the most
popular contributors to its programs.