The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-18
AMERICAN women
ANGELS OF MERCY
Leaders of Pleasure in Other.
Days Now to Front in Allevi-
ating Distress and Suffering.
MANY ACTING AS WAR NURSES
Their Famous Estates in Europe
Z Are Placed at Service of
Connbatants.

. I'LL
4. LONDON. October 17.-society. as 1t
was formerly known, does not exiat
in Europe to-day. There are no balls,
no dinners. no splendid receptions. The !
women who lead in the pleasures Of
other days have most of them donned
IA nurses cap and gown, or even ac-
ceptcd mental task in order to al
leyiatc the distress OF poor and wound
ed. IN this work the American women
who have married foreigners. or who
for some reason find themselves resi-
dents OF Europe. have been notably
prominent They have done more than
work themselves--they have proved
themselves leaders. In recounting the
faithful lives of service American wo-
men are leading to-day It is hard to
Know wherc to begin. for the work goes
on In every capital. London, Paris,
Vienna, Berlin; and in no way Is the
unfortunate character of the great con-
nict better illustrated than by the pres
ence on both sides OF these noble
american women, some laboring for the
Germans and Austrians. and others to
BIC seen at their posts OF duty OH the
side of the allies.
Famous estates owned by Americans
In Europe have been placed at the SER
Johannes Won siersdorff, the former
Mary Knowlton, of Brooklyn. n. Y,
turned over her castle in Silesia to the
kaiscrfn for the use OF the Red Cross.
Then she herself went to Berlin and
conferred the ranks OF a hospital nurse
corps. Her husband is III the German
army. In happier times they once spent
$4,000 to entertain the Kaiser at q
single days shooting on the estate
+ NOW given for the use of the German
wounded.
DUCHESS OF CROY
Is RED Cross NURSE
Another German Red Cross nurse Is
the beautiful Duchess or Croy, who was
Nancy Lcishman. The duke is n lieu
tenant In the Guard Corps, and his
German castles and estates are rccciv-
ing wounded soldiers. while Mis- Hun
sarian chateau has been offered TO the
Archduke Frederick. austrian com
nander-in chief, for hospital.
The worhen OF the American colony
iii Berlin are working like beavers.
The american Church is now a hos
pital. while the American Woman's
Club has offered the use OF It's beau
i tifuf building also. The American wo-N
mon are attending Red Cross lectures.
4ce.iii have gone 40 far as to offer TO
receive wounded nenSin their own
homes. should there be an overflow
from the hospitals.
I'm Budapes, the Countess Laszlo
3 Szechcnyi.f once Gladys Vanderbilt, and
the Countess Sisray, nee DAILY. are
leading IN Red Cross work, while their
husbands are at the front. Count
Sigray IS reported prisoner OF the
Russians. Instead OF living in Ritz
hotel. his present quarters are the
military prison in Odessa.
The palace of the Countess Szechenyi
. is one OF the most magnificent in Hun
gary. But II was ruthlessly remod-
cled for a barracks In the course OF
mobilization, and now It has changed
ts character again. AshelterinE< several
hundred victims OF Russian bullets.
The countess herself, clad in the mod
est garments OF the nurse, goes about
among the beds cheering the guests
s wal. has brought her.
Cautiously enough. the countes5s
cousin, the Duchess of Marlborough.
who WAS Consuelo Vanderbilt. is doing
much to help the Iiungnrians' foes.
She is the most active spirit in Lon
don relief work. Besides making
Sunderland House, her London home, a
centre of activities, she has been In
nuentfal in directing the work of other
Anglo-Amercans. 1t was largely
through her that Paris Singer was led
TO give his palatial country house near
Z Torquay for the wounded men under
the care of the American Red Cross.
MRS. Aston WRITES
TO RICHMOND FRIEND
Waldorf Aston, Jr., is also very active
In the course of Letter to friend
in Richmond Mrs, Aston, who was Miss
Mamie Langhorne, OF Virginia, writes:I
1--WE have come here CBriar Tor, 4
Yelvcrton, South Devon) and taken this
( little house. nine piles from Plymouth.
1t Is just on the moor. We took 1t
so that the children could get moorland
air. and we could work In Plymouth
most Of the day.
I'VE have had 100 of the wounded at
Rlymoutli for the last fortnight. They
we're wounded at Mons those first three
days. a great many OF them saw the
horrors OF German brutality and the
stories they tell are almost unbeliev-
able, only theysteil them quite simply
and told them to me tho first day they
( arrived, before they had seen or heard
of Il newspaper. One poor creature
was absolutely shattered, he said, not
from fear of the war or guns. but at
aecing two Belgian women with both
hands cut Off.
81 know that the Germans are doing
what they can III America to deny these
things, but have got 1t from the men
themscives-plain uneducated soldiers,
n great many Of them. Tho Coldstream
Guards regiment was nearly wiped out
because tho men refused to fire on the
Belgian women and children whom the
Germans had put in front Of their guns
at5tAIons. This soldier was wounded
there arid told me this himself"
Mrs. AstoiE has assisted in the cam
!, valcscence ofNmen at Plymouth by TAX
Ing them In large numbers for altomo-
bile trips over the lnoors.
- Perhaps Paris has been more OF the
benevolent administrations Of American
women than any other city 1t lis re-
lated that a visitor to tho improviscd
american hospital ut Neuilly found Mrs.
Herman Harjcs, wife of the partner In
the Morgan Paris banking house: Mrs.
w. Is. Vanderbilt and her friend, Mrs.
Nlunroe. all washing dishes in the
Kitchen. They had reported at S o'clock
every morning, declaring they were
ready for.any Kind of useful work, from
scrubbing, floors to assisting In tho OPP
Grating chA9bers,
) ACCOMMODATIONS FOR 1000
I'm AMERICAN HOSPITAL.
THE American hospital at Neuilly,
3 near Paris was established in 1906
through resident Americans and AM
5 bassador Henry White. 1t Vas thirty
1--WE beds and is one of,the finest hospi-
2 tails on the Continent. But these ihir-
ty-five beds were not enough for Amer
leans TO give when war broke out. The
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