Ms E. the gun-runner

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:12 pm

The Helsingin Sanomat has an interesting article delving into Helsinki 1918.
Meet Ms. Verna Erikson, a 24-year old chemistry student at the (predecessor of) HUT.

I'd say a must for you history buffs... a tragic story in itself, she was dead a few months after the picture was taken.

**Sponsor:**

otyikondo · Post by **otyikondo** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:00 am

It's an utterly drop-dead fab photo, and really deserves a T-shirt, IMHO.

Could do for the teekkarit what Che did for medical students and beret manufacturers.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:11 am

"What is so unsettling in the way old Finnish ladies *stare* at people..."

"...they are calculating the advance"

hackoff · Post by **hackoff** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:21 am

no wonder why Finnish women are "ungirlish" !

Xochiquetzal · Post by **Xochiquetzal** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:46 pm

Argh, Hank. You're just like the Finnish history books I read - you throw out a fact and then never explain it! So how/why did she die a short time later?? Why the guns - just to show how prepared the women were for the war years? I know, I know - go read the article, right?

--
I admit I have a hard time still with Finnish brevity - where it is better not to say anything that might sound pedantic rather than going into a bit of detail. E.g., I was reading the architectural cultural history of Finland and there would be an entry like this:

"Stens went to Smed's house and murdered him in 1798. In 1798, Stens moved his house to the current location from where it was located closer to the Espoo Bay."

And I go nuts - Why did he murder Smed? Why did he move his house a year later? Weren't there any repercussions? Why is the currently location that Sten's house is located on completely owned by the Smeds - when he murdered one of them? Was the previous location Kivenlahti - and is that why Kivenlahti is named that???? ARGHHHHH.

Throw me a frickin bone! *grin*

hackoff · Post by **hackoff** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:54 pm

are you okey ?

enk · Post by **enk** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:05 pm

Xochi: to make it worse, the article never said why she was killed either

-enk

CH · Post by CH » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:30 pm

She died of breast cancer. She had been in pain for some time, but hadn't gone to the doctor. When she finally went, it was too late as the cancer had spread.

They had a much longer article in Sunday's paper, in the weekend section. Two pages long, IIRC. Really nicely writen, about how they started out with only the picture and how they tried to find as much information as possible.

EP · Post by EP » Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:55 pm

A daughter (or was it granddaughter) of one of the other gun-runner girls remembered that it was breast cancer, but according to the HS article they found hospital papers that said it was one of these "sarkooma" type cancers.

otyikondo · Post by **otyikondo** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:11 pm

enk wrote:Xochi: to make it worse, the article never said why she was killed either

-enk

Bizarre. I read the same (English-language) article... both parts of it, and was left in NO doubt as to how she died. Or where she is buried. Maybe somebody couldn't parse the words "continued".

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:25 pm

Xochiquetzal wrote: I know, I know - go read the article, right?

Well, yes because it is
a) a copyrighted article
b) much better read originally, with pictures.
c) can't be arsed to copypaste 2000+ words.
d) did I say copyrighted article?

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:29 pm

enk wrote:to make it worse, the article never said why she was killed either

Most probably because she wasn't.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:31 pm

otyikondo wrote: I read the same (English-language) article... both parts of it, and was left in NO doubt as to how she died. Or where she is buried. Maybe somebody couldn't parse the words "continued".

Maybe we should include here a "Finnish stare"

enk · Post by **enk** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:30 pm

otyikondo wrote:
enk wrote:Xochi: to make it worse, the article never said why she was killed either

-enk
Bizarre. I read the same (English-language) article... both parts of it, and was left in NO doubt as to how she died. Or where she is buried. Maybe somebody couldn't parse the words "continued".

Sorry, I don't read the English side of HS. Should have made it clear

Hank W. wrote:Most probably because she wasn't.

There you have it

-enk

otyikondo · Post by **otyikondo** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 2:22 am

enk wrote:
otyikondo wrote:
enk wrote:Xochi: to make it worse, the article never said why she was killed either

-enk
Bizarre. I read the same (English-language) article... both parts of it, and was left in NO doubt as to how she died. Or where she is buried. Maybe somebody couldn't parse the words "continued".
Sorry, I don't read the English side of HS. Should have made it clear

Ah. I see. So what bit of:

Latinaksi kirjattu diagnoosi on lohduton: Vernalla on ollut laajalle levinnyt syöpä, sarkooma. Se on edennyt kainalokuopasta solisluun yläpuolelle ja useisiin eri ruumiinosiin. Verna viettää sairaalassa toukokuun lopun, pääsee kesäkuussa pois mutta joutuu heinäkuussa takaisin.

Viimeinen merkintä potilaskirjassa on lyhyt ja tyly: Död.

...did you not understand?

Technically of course, that's the "how". The "why" is closer to:

Kuvauspäivänä sarkooma on todennäköisesti ollut jo pitkällä. Sarkoomat kasvavat usein suuriksi ennen kuin oireilevat.

Late diagnosis - always going to get you.

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