l ladies from this city and will be joined by
  many gentlemen and ladies from St. Louis.

From the St. Louis _Democrat_, April 4, the following:

  Miss Clara Barton arrived at the "Southern" yesterday morning. Miss
  Barton is accompanied by Mrs. De Bruler and Miss Enola Lee, of
  Evansville, Ind., Dr. J. B. Hubbell, field agent, and Mr. John Hitz,
  of Washington, D.C. The members of the party were busily engaged
  yesterday in superintending the loading of the steamer "Mattie
  Bell," which leaves for the inundated districts of the lower
  Mississippi this morning. Miss Octavia Dix, secretary of the St.
  Louis branch of the Red Cross, will accompany the expedition.

The brave men of the Fifth Corps in the Cuban War of 1898, endured
hunger and thirst and other conditions better remembered than described.
Some of them partook of the gracious offerings of hot gruel, malted
milk, boiled rice, apple wine, and prune cordial at the hands of Mrs.
Dr. Gardner. It will perhaps interest them to know that she is the same
who, as Miss Enola Lee, was one of the company of the "Mattie Bell" in
1884.

Some of the men of the War of 1861 may remember the officer who had
charge of the Commissary Department at Washington. I shall never forget
the man who, despite all rank and position, stood many an hour of many a
day beside my army wagons loading at his headquarters, and who wisely
directed the selection of material best suited to and most needed at the
proposed terminus of the dark and weary journey I was about to
undertake--it was then Colonel, now General Beckwith of the regular
army. He was in 1884, holding the position of Commissary at St. Louis.
In the same old time spirit and in the old time way he came upon the
deck of our little steamer, and directed the placing of the supplies of
the "Mattie Bell." One will never forget the terror depicted on his fine
face when he saw the bales of hay taken on board. "Great heavens, you
are not going to risk that! Think of it--you in the middle of that
great, rushing river, no land i