Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1952-07-08
The MdrtyYdOm OF
Miss Gertrude Cone Is. IL |s4.ss .s..
SLOW DEATH BY STARVATION

that. Nothing else was done.
Then just a little while ago
they tried to have another, but
nothing came of that either.
They didn't have any formal
charges against me - they
didn't have anyone to bring
them"
At last the trip by ambulance
was over and in the beautiful
Matilda Hospital in HongKong
Mrs. Ward and Miss Smith gave
Gertrude Cone into the care Of
doctors and well trained Chinese
nurses. CAT this point Esther Beck
Stokwell "a, wife of F. Olin
Stockwell, came to our aid. She
had just been released by til e
Communist and was helping. at
the hospital. Her husband has been
sentenced to II years of hard
labor by a Communist Court
Finally the pain-wraked body was
bathed, the hair combed: and the
doctors did what they could to
relieve the suffering. They found
in addition to the more serious
conditions also jaundice and 1.-THE
worst case of beri-beri he (the
doctor) has seen" Almost immed-
lately after she arrived at the
hospital she developed pneumonia
and this blow was to be the last
In less than 48 hours after being
returned to the world of freedom
Gertrude Cone was released al
last to that larger freedom which
nothing can challenge or destroy
UnforoettabIe
In the meantime Mrs. Ward was
able to talk to Gertrude once more
and she has given an unforgettable
picture of the scene, when she
and Bishop Ward went in the dy.
ing womanS room:
When we went in, her eyes
were closed, but when Ralph
spoke to her, Gertrude opened
her eyes and looked right at
him. Her face and arms are
literally nothing but skin and
bones, for she is the nearest
to actual death from starva-
ton of any patient the hospi-
tai has ever seen. And they
have handled many cases COM
ing in during the past year,
from across the border Cases
of people who have been in
prison and mistreated; but the
doctor told us this morning that
Gerturde's case is the worst
they have ever seen. Gertrude
looked at us and smiled. She
, is completely dehydrated, for
she has been too sick and
weak to take but few drops
of water or tea-for we don't
know how long. She indicated
this morning that she wanted
a drink, with a motion of her
head-her mouth was too dry
to speak to us. So / fed her
few drops. Then she talked
to us and this is what she
said.
Il couldn't preach; l could
MT talk to people; but l could
pray for them. So l never
ceased to pray for my Chinese
friends. / have no hatred or
bitterness in my heart towards
anyone"
/ must confess the tears
streamed down my face as /
thought of the heroic witness
Gertrude has given, praying
for those who evidently had
deliberately let her starve =.
As she hay there on her pillow,
looking far more dead than
alive, the sweetest smile spread
over her face as Ralph prayed.
1t was still there when Ralph
opened his eyes and he had
the same feeling that / did
we were looking into heaven,
where the Witness of Chris
tian love had been victorious
in an atmosphere of hate. We
left the room, and that smile
which must be on the face of
Saints whose calm, serene
spirits come through victori-
ously was still on Gertrude's
face.
The funeral service for Gertrude
Cone was held in Hongkong or
February %, 1852. 1t seems q
striking coincidence that the day
which marked the end of her
earthly experience is the day when
we remember a man whose life
is for all Americans a symbol OF
the freedom for which our coun-
try was founded. AS George Wash
ington lived in dedication to the
ideal of freedom for the human
individual SO did Gertrude live
and die martyrs death, in the
light of her conviction that the
soul of man has right to free
dom of choice--freedom to aspire
instead of slavishly obey, freedom
to love instead of hate. Speaking
at her funeral, Bishop Ralph A.
Ward '03 said in part;
But Incidental