Mr, and  Mrs.  L.  C.  Coulston,  
Battle  Creak  Sanitarium,  
Battle  Creek,  Mich.  

My dear  Brother  and  Sister  Coulstoni  

Great sadness  has  come  upon  us.  I  think  we  have  never  had  anything  that  
has been  more  of  a  shock  to  us  than  the  suddenness  with  which  the  end  has  come  
to our  dear  coworker  here  in  the  mission  field.  I  am  dictating  these  few  lines  
to you  just  previous  to  taking  the  train  for  &algan.  Word  cam© to  us  this  
morning of  the  death  of  the  doctor.  It  was  only  three  days  ago  that  we  had  
a telegram  telling  us  that  the  doctor  was  seriously  ill.  We  wired  immediately  
to get  the  particulars.  Word  came  hack  that  the  doctor  had  a  severe  infection  
of the  throat  and  that  they  suspected  diphtheria.  Brother  Christensen  was  
leaving  for  Kalgan,  taking  antitoxin.  Our  next  word  was  that  he  was  bringing  
the doctor  down  to  Peiping.  Just  a.  little  following  this,  came  the  word  that  
the doctor  was  critically  ill,  followed  by  another  telegram  from  the  doctor  
at P.  U.  M.  C.,  saying  that  they  had  performed  a  tracheotomy.  This  news  sounded  
so very  serious  to  us  that  we  cabled  you  as  to  the  condition.  Just  twenty-four  
hours after  we  sent  you  the  cable,  we  received  word  that  the  doctor  died  
Saturday  evening  at  8*45.  As  we  had  sent  no  word  to  the  Home  Board,  w©  sent  
a message  to  them,  asking  them  to  convey  this  message  to  you  by  wire.  

Mrs.  Miller  and  I  are  leaving  on  todayfs  train  for  Kalgan.  The  funeral  
is arranged  to  be  on  Wednesday  directly  following  our  arrival  there.  

I regret  not  having  been  able  to  see  the  doctor  alive,  but  distances  
are such  that  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  get  there  in  time  to  render  any  
assistance  on  account  of  the  very  rapid  course  of  his  decline.  There  has  
not been  time  for  any  letters  to  get  through.  All  our  communications  have  
been by  wire.  

It is  indeed  a  great  blow  to  us  over  here,  for  we  had  counted  so  much  
on the  doctor  because  of  his  fluency  in  the  speaking  of  the  Chinese  language  
and his  earnestness  in  acquiring  such  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  language.  
He was  the  one  man  on  whom we had  to  look  forward  to  to  help  us  in  getting  
our medical  literature  translated  into  Chinesei  and,  of  course,  he  was  growing  
rapidly  as  a  physician  and  surgeon.  It  seems  that  he  has  had  a  hard  pull  almost  
from the  beginning.  First  in  the  loss  of  their  child;  then  the  doctorfs  poor  
health  a  yesr  ago,  from  which  he  seemed  to  rally  and  spring  back  in  good  shape  
after  a  couple  of  months  away  from  his  work,  ^ater  on  the  attempts  on  his  
life  by  the  soldiers,  about  which  he  has  written  you,  and  having  returned  to  
take up  his  work  in  a  strong  way,  we  find  now  the  ravages  of  these  deadly  
germs; so  that  it  would  seem  as  if  the  enemy  was  contesting  their  stay  there  
in the  most  vigorous  way.  Yet  the  doctor's  life  has  already  borm  great  
fruitage  in  our  work  over  here.  We  feel  certain  that  we  are  only  in  the  
beginning  of  a  great  and  mighty  thing  over  here,  which  will  be  worked  out  
where the  doctor  has  pioneered  our  medical  work  so  successfully.these  few  
years.  -While  his  life's  ministry  has  been  short  over  here  in  China,  only


about the  duration  of  time  that  our  Saviour  was  permitted  to  work  and  labor  
before  His  end  came,  still  it  will  prove,  I  am  sure,  to  be  a  sacrifice  that  
will  bear  a  rich  hardest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  

What we  will  do  to  take  the  doctor's  plaoa  is  now  the  problem  that  
remains with  us.  Surely  the  Lord  must  have  some  in  store  to  fill  these  
needy places.  Temporarily  we  are  sending  a  Chinese  doctor  and  his  wife  up  
there to  look  after  things.  

It seems  as  we  go  back  over  the  list  of  those  who  have  laid  down  their  
lives  in  this  field,  such  as  my  wife,  who  was  the  first  doctor  to  have  suffered  
death  through  an  Oriental  infection,  then  next  to  that  Dr.  Law  Keem,  and  we  
think  of  Brother  Smith,  who  was  martyred  down  in  Kweichow,  and  our  two  sisters  
who suffered  martyrdom,  whose  place  I  visited  this  last  March,  and  also  my  
brother  who  gave  up  his  life  here  in  the  mission  among  the  
most consecrated  and  devoted  and  beloved  by  the  Chinese  of  perhaps  any^of  
our working  force  in  this  field.  Wherever  a  grave  marks  the  resting  place  
of these  devoted  workers,  there  is  to  be  seen  today  a  great  harvest  of  
believers  •  

I do  not  know  the  plan  of  Leatha,  but  most  likely  she  will  feel  as  
all  who  have  lost  their  loved  ones  o^er  here  that  she  cannot  do  otherwise  
than  remain  by.  Mrs.  Miller  plans  to  remain  with  her  for  a  time,  and  we  
do trust  and  pray  that  God  of  all  comfort  will  be  nearby  to  $>l®ss your  
bleeding  hearts.  

It is  sad  for  us  to  release  such  cablegrams,  knowing  what  great  distress  
and agony  of  soul  it  mil  bring  to  those  who  find  themselves  so  remotely  re- 
moved from  their  dear  ones  and  feel  so  helpless  to  do  anything,  or  even  to  
express  that  which  is  bubbling  all  ever  within  their  souls  of  sympathy  and  
love for  the  one  who  is  left.  

I shall  try  to  get  a  communication  off  to  you,  giving  more  details  
when I  learn  them,  for  we  fesnre written  you  all  that  has  come  to  us  up  to  
the present.  

Very sincerely  your  brother  in  Christ,