The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-05-15
WHOLE NUMBER 2lO
From the 'Stntes"J
The National Hotel Poisoning.


1t seems as though great abiding calamity
had fallen upon theg city of Washington.
Many noble lives have been sacrificed. one
OF the largest hotels in the city has been
closed, and the usual influx Of strangers to
This place in deferred and kept away. In
the meantime, the whole affair is slrouded
in darkness There has been as vet no apt
soIuta,ion Of the mystery. The victims
pine away i'll ignorance ofihe cause, and
medical skill processes its inablityito classify
| the disease. ts
We do not wish to blame the Washing.
ton Board OF health" for either its action or its
decision in the matter. We know that that
Board is composed Of men who have the true
interests of the city at heart; and we brlieve
that their decision was as full as possil,ls
under the evidence; but we respectfully
submit that the evidence was entirely. INSULT
neutrality-suspicious. were commenced 10
es'ab'lsi, The certainty ut II presumed opiu.
ION. The testimony sought and the ex,.rni-
nations made seem to have been rather ex.
parte III their character. The starting point
was wrong, and the conclusion was necessari-
ly the same.
Whether the National Hotel was or wa.
not defective, has no,hingto do will the
Immediate question. Defective sewerage
must always produce general ll.health; but
1t WAS not the cause Of the sickness at the
National Physicians, tell us, ,late in all
cases OF iniasinatic atfvction--in all cases in
which the petient suffers from foul mir or
unwholesome stenches-a change of place
only is required to move the effects. Nature
recovers herself so soon as she escapes from
the deIeter'ous influences. But, in the pres.
ent case each aud every one of the victim,
suffered long after leaving the hotel; and
many OF them died, on returning TO their
homes, after a lapse Of time that would have
completely obliterated every trace of a nias.
Inatic attack.
1t appears from tile evidence that mum.
Oer OF drowned rats were discovered in the
cstern ofthe hotel. But this fact throws
very little additional light o, the subject.
We have known such occurrences in ,nanx
hotels, IN many private houses, and, indeed,
in nearly all establish ,nents: where large els
terms are kept ; and yet tile effects have
never been anything more than temporary.
II was after the rats had been removed, and
The water renewed in the cs,erus of the
National that the sickness ragged with 30
much yigor.
We have looked, with deep interest. into
some Of the circumstances connected viii,
this singular affair. All the testimony that
has f"l'e'i, under our observation goes to
prove that the sickness resulted either from
drinking the water Of the hotel, or from eat
ing at its table. The waiter, at the ladies'
entrance declared that, having been on duty
Tor many hours without food, lie went into
the kitchen and took slnaIr.plate of soun.
and tiiatElie WAS Shortly afterwards attacked
with violent pains aud paroxysms, which
confined him to his bed for dave. :Mostlof
the physicians in. attendance Oh patients at
the hotel concur in the statement that ali
tho symptoms indicated, poison taken info
the stomach. Under this, theory the whole
matter may be explained. If noisonI wo.
mixed, IN greater or less quah,ilies. with Tie
'ood some persons, of course, received mora
OF it than Others. Those who received mo.t
were most dangerouslysiIl; those who wer,
fortunate enough, TO avoid thepoisoned t]i,hc,
either escaped altogether, or were e but sl;al,.
ly assaied.. Thus, TOO, we can account 7fnr
.ne ihtermlttcnt nature ofthe disease. Soine.
times time whole days would pass without any
fresh victim and then tile sickness Sbreak
out again with renewed force " 81. 6 20.
!. .NWs.cahnot refrain, 10 this connection
IRON reprobating the course, 81, alsy siparnsI
or Journals that atmaS have conbeiiteds stoz give
false color this 5atfaif, a1a Esep ;oFs he
public mind fropi invest igatj6 6f.s. 'Sich .abh.
duct beirays eitherthc tfilfEsst malice ori,a
sheerest folly. The we)Ebeing. of ,a;9ei,v,
should potbe crifred mbt the nreconcsiyai.
opinion Of an edis may ystan,fpeotfsS
are all aware that the.sfnscst reports hava
hee'feireulated that: ;tle- sickness .at.tl,e
hotel has been 4repreeented as an elSfiemic:
ana tl.st persQIfsa at : a.: tlisran6s shave been
taught TO ioek 1Rnp OH, Beautiful met, ono.
lis vs. aSPIagne: Houses ard a srpliieIrc. !.
Whether ihe; POISON was atvitienfa,ly
introduced ::ipto the food; Whether t. wa,
a reckless system Of the WHOLESALE s'augh.
ter OF whether it was aimed al some ;partic,
nlar lives, must, as yet, he ,undsterini1ed.
But each OF these: suPPositions is, to say
The least probable aud there are a. thou.
sanls suspicious circumstances that may
hereafter he developed.--The asteppdinr
Atrocities brought To liehes6h the Gjsl of
murder Pa|mefer. 10 England, but -assfew
months since, point.outr the; .ne2essaty Of
bringing sotIfe discovsfy of asfshtH. not
theoretieal shemics4 and et}icSf St.se 90
|: u Wshepe that aorn6 &oys' : s1tead;ne% sc;ti.t
xenssyglI lItske i.dld .Sf iitesnaiier. Tbe. I,S.
siness infaress stliS atHF, and iinsiiea: :io
ihsstfEia9 And dithetdeat deskansdis 8 s.isrid
eIamitI3 Non she {d lss 81 s -
,llaa5atlrS I'm.
% fiisefine { ssiS Ssis 4sses;
s4oas~iaI abisaa9 ~ s. sJs sns4n IS f9 d..
Sissa tho Il 80 ssess,s