Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-13

, viewed in the Tacoma Ledger, a copy
| of which is in Mr.. Farmers posses
sion. The story follows in part:
DIsbursed Thousands Of Dollars
known as the good Samaritan by
countless soldiers of the civil war,
John w. Farmer, prominent and
wealthy New Yorker, who died some
years ago, is remembered here as one
of the first wartime workers.
/ always on the lookout for those
whom he might aid among the poor
and unfortunate, he disbursed thou
sands of dollars to worthy institutions
in New York and especially found
pleasure in distributing %luxuries among
| the troops during the war. Not a lit
tie was accomplished by the articles
he wrote on conditions among certain
groups of soldiers who were not re-
ceiving proper treatment and care.
Compared with the modern welfare
workers Of the army, Mr.. Farmer,
though lacking the convenlences com
mon enough now, provided to those
, civil war soldiers many Of the things
which the men in the world war vel
coined with such enthusiasm. Sketches
and cartoons Of Mr.. Farmer appear
ing in the New York papers during the
war show him in a high two-wheeled
cart or wagon, distributing tobacco
among the uniformed men. An ac-
count of one of his visits to Fortress
Monroe, taken from the New York
Herald on Friday, September IL, 1861
says:
Distributed Smokes"
While returning from the tent Of
Lieutenant Colonel Dyckman, of the
First New York regiment, through the
camp of Hawkins Zouaves to the boat.
nv attention was called to a mass of
soldiers clustering around a wagon In
which a gentleman. whose face was red
with the exertions he was putting
forth. was filling the soldiers caps
that surrounded him on all sides with
smoking tobacco. Taking out of bar
rels that stood beside him in the wag-
on great handfuls of fine. old smoking
tobacco, he would cry out, Who's
nexty' and when the cap was held up
to him by some eager candidate for his
generous requests, he would fill the
cap and call for the next.
He was not obliged to remain in
active for a moment, as the soldiers
who thronged about his position seem
ed all to be smokers. Occasionally he
would suspend for an instant the flow
of the genial weed and throw to the
crowd small oil cans to be used in
cleaning muskets, which occasloned a
rush here and there wherever the de-
sired article fell, and a wild attempt to
secure it. When one had been picked
up by a fortunate fellow he would toss
out others and watch with real pleas
ure the chase after it. After the oil
cans there was a distribution of needles
and thread, pins, pen and ink and ID
brief everything that a soldier could
desire.
No Selfish Purpose
".After the gentleman in a loose
linen blouse and tall broad brlm white
hat. had distributed his stores. the SOL
diers gave three times three hearty
cheers for John W. Farmer, the we'll
known philanthropist of New York. He
has been here for some time engaged
in the laudable object of adding as
much comfort as he can to be lives of
the soldiers. and to this end he brings
a large and benevolent neart and an
ample fortune. He gives all the nee
essaries and frequently distributes to
the men. the Injuries of life.
He has nc personal or political
ends to gain but carries out his good
work from a pure benevolence and !:
good will to all. Here he is the idol
of the soldiers. but he seems TO be III
conscious Of doing anything that would
attract the attention of anyone. Would
that there were many like him..