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Show ii SIUIE1MI LAUDS Ml Bffll Mrs. Mary Roby Lacey Pays Loving Tribute to Founder of Red Cross 'Society. : BELOVED BY SOLDIERS As Nurse Was Ever Ready to Share Hardships of Those Who Fought. "Clara Barton was n beautiful woman beautiful in every way. She wtis ; loved and admired by I lie rank :ind file of the army without exception and by tha band of one linndrcd nurses .under her leadership in tho Army of the Potomac." 0 Tho above estimate of Miss Clara Barton, founder of the American lied Cross society, who died yesterday at tho age of f1, was expressed last night by "Mrs. Mary "Roby Imeay of Salt Lake Cil.y, who- was associated with Clara Barton as army nurse for five years during the war between the states. Mrs. Lacey further described Clara Barton as a'horn leader and a rather strict disciplinarian, and said that it -was her abilit' as an organizer and director di-rector that was responsible for the splendid work dono by the nurses on the firing line during the long, hard campaigns of the war. As an illustration illustra-tion 01 Miss Barton's tendency to take "pot luck" with tho soldiers, Mrs. Lacey related an incident that took place" after the battle of Antie- ii Disregarded Hardships. This stubbornlj'-fought battle took place in tho midst of it downpour of Tain, and when firing ceased the field 1 was wet and muddy, making the work of caring for the wounded very difficult. diffi-cult. Miss Burton's tent was pitched in one of the muddiest parts of the field and some of tho soldiers, thinking think-ing to make it more comfortable for her, confiscated a carpet from a neighboring neigh-boring farm house and laid it on the floor of her tent. Miss Barton ordered them to take it up and restore it to its owners. She ana her corps of assistants assist-ants throughout the war rcfusod luxuries lux-uries denied the soldiers and shared their hardships, s Mrs. Lacey had tho distinction of ' being one of tho youngest nurses to offer of-fer their services to the government at the beginning of the war. She was but 17 3'enrs of age when Lincoln called for volunteers after the firing on lort , Sumptor. She had been married but the previous February to Benjamin IT. Roby, who was at that time superintendent superin-tendent of a .cotton mill in JJew Jorsey. "When the call came for troops, Mr. Roby proposed that he offer his services, serv-ices, and sho replied that if ho did not, she would. I Bride Went as Nurse. Mr. Roby eulisted and was commissioned commis-sioned captain of Company B, First New Jersey volunteers. Mrs. Lacey accompanied him to the cam) of the regiment and attracted the notice of the colonel by her work in altering the uniforms of the soldiers. Ho proposed to her that she accompany tho regiment regi-ment as nurse. She wont to Washington Washing-ton and passed the physical examination examina-tion and reported to Miss Dorothy Dix. '"'Miss Di.v looked me over' said Mrs. 4 Lacey, "and said, 'go homo, little lit-tle girl. ' I told her I was married and she. said that made no" difference, and i for me to go back home; that I was too young to stand the hardships. Very 1 much discouraged, J- weut to my litis-h litis-h band and told him what Miss Dix had said, ffc told mo to go home, if T had I been so directed. But, instead of going go-ing home, I went to hv refreshments saloon, where- I found an opportunity to help make bandages. Four weeks later I was sent to the front and served through tho campaigns and wa,s present at tho most important engage-1 engage-1 ments. I went with Grant's army i through the. Wilderness campaign and j was present at Appomatox when Lee j Knew General Grant. Mrs. Lacey was shocked to loam of the death of General Frederick D. I Grant yesterday, and said she remem- berod him as a "nice bov," when he i accompanied his father "through the campaign in Virginia. Mrs. Lacv has served two years as president of tho Association, of Army 'Nurses of the Civil War. and has missed but one of the annual -national encampments of the G. A. R,, having been sent as dcle-! dcle-! - gate from Salt Lake several times. Mrs. Lacey said last night that sho L came from "fighting New England ! stock" and is still ready to enlist for ! service in the field. I for great grand- father was Abraham Clark, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and j his brother, Jones Clark, gave the sig-! sig-! rial which started Paul Revere on his i famous ride to awahen the minute men of Massachusetts. Mrs. Lacey was born on July 4, and on that day of tho present vcar will bo 6S years of age She has" lived in this city seven years, having removed here from Rahwa'. N". J, Woman Who Worked With Clara Barton ; MRS. MARY ROBY LACEY". ::-W4v- v : I |