Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-05-12
WOMAN DEvOTES LIFE
TO NURSING LEPERS
Her Son, Who Died on Penikese
Island, Will Be Commemor-
ated BY Her Deeds.
From the New York World.

From the New York World.
Standing by the open grave into
which the body of her only son Was be
ing lowered. and gazing at the 10 lepers
who. with their attendants. stood
silently by the mound, Mrs. Emma
Thomas. who had been the lads sole
attendant In the leper colony on Peni-
kese island. in Buzzards bay, near Bos-
ton, said:
II have given many years of my life
L" caring for my boy. and l have grown
TO love the Others who are afflicted as
was he. l shall remain here and do
what / can to help the others. And
| when l die. all / ask is that 1 nay be
laid beside my son."
Archie Thomas had just passed his
2lst birthday. Though he had been af-
flicted with the terrible disease for
of pneumonia. With IA spirit SO in
domitable that it had raised him
shoulder and head over those similarly
afflicted, he had refused to believe he
was In any danger until it was too
late.
Bond of Suffering Strong.
Ill as they were. the others who
had passed such lonely years had in
sisted on attending the funeral-ex-
cept two, who We're too feeble to leave
their tents. For the u was loved
almost as much as his mother was re
vered.
Archie was born in the Barbados
islands. He and his mother, years ago
came to Upton. Mass, where he en-
tered high school. He was at the head
OF his class for several terms; then he
because i'll. His case puzzled physians
and he was brought to the Massachu-
sets general hospital. 1t was found ne
had leprOsy, and he was condemned to
pass the rest Of his life on lonely Peni-
xese island.
A1tbn,,oI, .;npJc ,rln,,,,~11 -. Al.
suade her Mrs. Thomas insisted on &C
companying him and did Perhaps it
was her presence that kept firm his
ambition and did not permit him to re-
lapse into hoplessness. But the boy
had grit. In some way he OBJ
tanned a typewriter and 1t was not long
before he could use it with great ex-
pertness.
Then ne read OF wireless biography
and his spirit. more lusty than his frail
body. was stirred He received
some literature, he studied faithfully
and h sent out many letters typed
with his shrivelled fingers.
Forced Outside Recognition.
These brought him a crude wireless
| apparatus. but 1T was enough for htnl.
With 1t he practiced until some Of
those he had interested at first in
auired about him. Then came n Of
the finest of wireless outfits and Archie
was supremeiy happy. So was his
mother. His call was we'll known, but.
to more effect, he caught the news
flying through the blue to a station on
Cape Cod, and the decrepit lepers often
had the news of the world at their
breakfast table.
Again his friends exerted themselves
IN his behalf. His greatest ambition
was to have a license as an operator.
They saw that he was put through an
examination: he passed it with flying
colors, n asst year he was the proud
est young man on earth when the navy
department sent to him it's autographed
license.
And his fellows on the island. griev-
ing over his death and sorrowing for
his mother, are sad also because they
no more will be in touch with the out
| side world.