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Chapter Eighteen
- University of Pennsylvania Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
In the weeks following her resignation from the Red Cross, Clara Barton frequently grieved over the estrangement as if it were the loss of a child. Like a young adult who abruptly cut the ties to his mother's apron strings and independently denounced her tastes and habits, the organization had drifted forever beyond her control. It was the personal rejection that hurt her, Barton told one acquaintance, for she had long believed the Red Cross wasready to make its own way in the world. But after so many years of nurturing the infant body, it was difficult to watch another set of eyes beam fondly on its achievements and to see both her own hopes for its future and her sage parental advice ignored. "I didn't think it needed a stepmother," she sadly wrote.1 During the summer of 1904, anxiety about her future accompanied Clara's heartbreak. The interim organization, to which she had agreed in May, consisted of a twelve-member ruling committee, of whom four were from her chosen executive committee, four were remonstrants, and four were selected by the president. Mary Logan had succeeded her as the chief executive. In June, however , the annual meeting was held, and the body came completely under the control of Mabel Boardman and her friends. They spoke strongly of obtaining a new congressional charter and of continuing the investigation into Barton's expenditures .2 Tired and sick at heart, Barton felt she could not face another probe into her conduct and sorrowfully mused over the hostility of those who opposed her; "the discontents have what they craved, and I believe allthat they desired, only that 1still continue to exist. They would like a first class funeral and all go as mourners."3 She tried to recruit the old faithfuls to make a stand on her behalf at the annual meeting in December but found them as beaten down as she was and disposed to think that the less said about the preceding year's events the better.4 Finally, however, a number of Boardman'ssupporters called an end to the hearings. "I was associated with [Miss Barton] for many years," B. F. Warner told 355 eighteen Mabel Boardman, "and notwithstanding the peculiaritiesshe developed in the latter part of her life, know that during a long period of her career she rendered service that was very valuable in relief work."5 Pressure such as this, and the skilled diplomacy of Senator Proctor, forced Boardman to withdrawher plans for continued investigation. The new management of the Red Cross, led by President William Van Reypen, kept after Barton in other ways. They were interested in the property she had acquired during her presidency and began to make claims for its transfer to the organization. The lots on Kalorama Heights, which had been purchased in 1890, were their initial concern. The property wasfunded chiefly with monies left over from relief work at Johnstown, but Barton had personally contributed one-third of the purchase price. The new officers of the Red Cross were incensed that Barton held the title, though she maintained this was so because the Red Cross could not at that time of purchase legally hold property. In June 1904 Van Reypen demanded the return of the land, and Clara, afraid more of scandal, acceded to it without receiving compensation. She neatly foiled the group in their attempt to claim the Red Cross Park, however, for that had been given to her personally, and she simply deeded it back to the Gardners. She feared, however, that the RedCross would try to retake the property at Glen Echo aswell; throughout the summer she dreaded this action, which would leave her homeless.6 Barton's fear wasjustified, for Van Reypen noted in his memoirs that he "knew of her house in Glen Echo . . . but we did not see our way clear to getting possession ."7 The title to the land was hazy at best, though the house, built with lumber donated for Red Cross disaster work, seemed clearly to belong to the organization . The Baltzleys had donated the propertyto the RedCross, but through the years Clara had personally financed their projects and extended the original acreage. A number of confusing deeds listed her as the owner; others were held jointly by her and Hubbell and still others by Hubbell alone.8 The situation was so uncertain that Barton began to make hurried preparations to leave Glen Echo, though she had little idea where...