Again, referring to the Evansville _Journal_ of May 28 we find the following:
A band of little folks in Chicago, called the "Busy Bees," were organized in a plan to extend succor to the suffering and collected a large box of goods which they sent to Miss Barton, with the request that it might be put where it would do the most good. She was some time in finding a place where she could put it with the greatest satisfaction to the givers and the donees. She found the opportunity she had been looking for yesterday. On her last voyage a gentleman at Cave-in-Rock told her that a poor, but worthy, family was in that vicinity, and on becoming acquainted with the family Miss Barton gave them some supplies and left fifteen dollars with the gentleman aforesaid, to either give to the family or spend for them as he might think best. He concluded that it would be judiciously expended by the people for whom it was intended and accordingly turned it over to them. The woman of the family came some days afterward to the gentleman, bringing with her another woman who was very destitute, and said: "This is my neighbor, and I have come to ask you if you think Miss Barton would care if I divided my fifteen dollars with her." "Most certainly not," was the reply; and then, out of her penury did this poor woman give. She retained ten dollars and gave five. Yesterday Miss Barton divided the contents of the store the "Busy Bees" had gathered among these two families, consisting of eight and five persons respectively. When she was delivering the goods to the poor woman who had generously shared with her neighbor, Miss Barton gave her back her five dollars, and said: "You have read where it is said, _He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord_, and He has sent it back already."
On February 11, 1884, Congress, in response to appeals from Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, appropriated $300,000 for the relief of the people who had lost their homes and other property by the Ohio River floods. On February 15, the first appropriation having been considered hardly sufficient to meet the demands, $200,000 more were appropriated for the same purpose, making $500,000 in all to be expended under the direction of the War Department. A boat load of supplies was sent down the river from Pittsburg; two boats left Cincinnati, one going up the river and the other down; one boat went down the river from Louisville and a fifth boat was sent down the river from Evansville. Afterward some additional boats were sent out from other places. Between February 15 and March 15, 536,000 rations were distributed by the government at a cost of $350,000. The remaining $150,000 were transferred to the Mississippi flood relief.