Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1917-08-22
FORMER WISCONSIN
MAN LABORS AS
HUMAN|TY'S FRIEND
Hawaiian Leper Colony Scene of
EndeavOr for the Past
Thirty Years.



Wisconsin, then at the age Of 43, en-
tered humanitarian work which has
since made him famous the world over.
This man is Captain Ira B. Dutton of
GAINESVILLE, now known as Brother JOS
eph DuttOn head of the Baldwin home
at the leper colony at Kalawao, on the
island Of Molokai, Hawaiian territory.
Sunday, July 20, marked the thirty
first anniversary of his work. In all of
these years he has not received a cent
of compensation for his services, and
he never left the scene of his labOrs
The sacrifices that he has made in
those years in caring for the lepers
are rivaled only by the work of his
predecessor, Father Joseph Damien,
who died on April Is, 1889, from the
disease, contracted on the island while
caring for the others The burden of
;the work then fell upon the WISCONSIN
Civil war officer, who had entered the
field three years before. Brother Dut-
ton is a lay missionary, not a priest.
Robert Louis Stevenson made the
story of Father Damien's sacrifices live
markable essay on the subject, written
after visit to that little colony. The
story of Brother buttons work itself
reads like a medieval romance Yet
his letters to H. W. Rood of Madison,
patriotic instructor of the G. A R., and
to his many friends at GAINESVILLE, show
that he does not consider his work
sacrifice.
He becomes a soldier.
Born at Stowe, VT, on April 81, 1843,
he moved at the age of four to James
Vile, Wis, with his parents. On Sept.
8, 1861, he enlisted as private III Com
pany B, Thirteenth Wisconsin infantry
and at the close of the war had at
tanned the rank of captain. A Baraboo
comrade recently described him as a
smooth faced, boyish looking man,
very courteous; an ideal young SOL
der whom others could we'll emulate"
H. w Rood Madison, echoes the same
sentiments Captain Dutton was mus
tered out at Madison on Jan. 20, 1866.
He is still a member of Fairchild post,
GA. r., Madison
had for several years taken a deep in
terest in the studying of religious ques-
tons His announcement in the spring
of 1883 that he intended to engage in
church work came as a complete sur
prise. On his fortieth birthday he was
baptized Catholic in st. Peters
church, Memphis, taking the name Of
Joseph" He Immediately entered the
Trappist monastery at Gethsemane,
Ky. After twenty months study he
decided that his work was in the field
of philanthropy and he left for st.
Louis and later for New Orleans. 1t
was while staying at Redemptorist
monastery in New Orleans, 1866, that
he read of Father Damien's work at
the leper colony and the appeal of the
martyr priest for assistance. That de-
cided his career.
He leaves America.
With his own money he embarked at
San Francisco for the Hawaiian is
lands, never again to set foot on his
native soil.
To the colony where the annual
death rate is about one in seven, Broth
er Dutton took up the work that since
has brought the recognition OF presi-
dents and government officials. The
lleper colony was established on Molo-
kai island by the Hawaiians in 1856.
1t occupies a tongue of land cOmpris-
ing about $500 acres, that juts into the
sea, surrounded on three sides by the
ocean, and on the back by a natural
perpendicular wall from 1000 to 1000
feet high. The institution is under the
direction of the government board Of
health, and all persons suspected or
afflicted with the disease in the islands
are taken there. To the colony once
week comes the boat with the mail.
No curiosity seekers are allowed. The
sQualid conditions that were found by
Father Damien, the Belgian priest,
when he entered the work in 1871,
have been changed, according to
Brother Dutton. A clean city, with
white streets and comfortable homes
and a fine water system has since been
brought into existence, a dream of Fa-
Their Damien realized One of the last
reports shows that 645 lepers are un-
der treatment, of which 371 are males
and 274 females To date 1148 patients
have been treated there.
When Father Damien died Of the
dread disease on April Is, 1889, the
burden of the work fell to Brother
Dutton.
From all over the world Brother
Dutton has gathered books and pic
lures, according to his letters, for the
treatment of the 1epers. To Mr.. Rood
he recently wrote that occasionally he
works all night, after the duties of the
day are done. Night brings the quiet
hours to read papers and write, he re
Gently told one correspondent.
For years Brother Dutton refused to
take a pension from the government
for his services. Not long ago he read
in Memphis, Tenn, paper that the
St. Catherine industrial school at
MamUhiS Voc sArnIV OraSSnd for funds