The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-01


In some instances IL seems to have been
! hereditary, bI not always. The youngest lcper
now at the settlement IL about six years OF are,
and there Is one old nun supposed To be In his
clghlicth year. The settlement WAS established
in january, lSG6. Since that time three hun
dreu ami seventy lcper3 have been cared for
ly the government; Of these, cighty-fonr have
died, not II large portion when you consider
hat some among them had been lrpcrs ten or
twelve years. Lads between the ages of
twelve ans fifteen, girls from sixteen TO
eighteen, seem to he The worst cases. Altcr-
wards, the symptoms are, in Il measure, modi-
fled. ami the patient gradually passes away.
So far, no relief has been found in this part Of
the world; mineral and vegetable PHARMACY
have been exhausted In the vain hope Of dis
covering some check TO tho progress of the
disease. It's nrSt symptoms; are almost lmpcr-
crptibic; il Is therefore difficult 10 pronounce
iipUn some of them. To avoid errors 4 teinpO-
iHry retreat Is established at Honolulu called
THE IAILiII ASYLUM.
Here all doubtful eases are attended 10, anil
the patient has nothing to do but wait for fur
thcr developments. such ~ 4 thickcninG of the
lubr of the car, swelling oi the hands and feet
paralysis of the arms anu fingers liberation,
&c. There l3 n deadly look In the eye which
can hardly he mistaken. With all these dreadful
signals of do0n thcrcis no pain. Tho senses are
brnuni;ctl, antt most fortunately so. As suOn
as II hrculncS certain that the patient Is really
Il lrpcr he is sent at once and forever to the
asylum NJ Mololai, where he is housed and
served with fair allowance OF caai,!cs per day,
while nll his little grievances arc attended to in
gentle though firm Way. The order was almost
perfect during my stay, anu give tie entire
credit to the persuasive Christian discipline of
AIR. and Mrs. Walsh. i am moreover satisfied
hat no community Of whites, under the same
circumstances. would behave themselves rs
well ~ these poor natives Tho worst features
of the disease are an unhealthy appetite anil II
complete decentralization, the passions brcom
Ing almost ungorernabc. Every Sunday there
Is SOME service held In one OF the hospital
wards. Prayer, eNhOrtation and psalm sing
Ing nave become second nature with the Oil
people. A little church Is talked of. They
will doubtless have one before long, part vi
The lmnds Dcin. already In hand. Tile Sunday
evening spent there we were all edited for
inllr hours nj II stretch by choir of native
buys singing readily by note ont Of one copy
of the Plymouth Collection. lie. us turn buck
and look into the hospital rs 1t Is.
THE CHAMBER OF Ii0RI0Rs
We cntrr the room; mats spread on all sides
arc covered by about dozen or inccn re-
cumbcnt figures. among the worst of the bad
eases. ~ irtid otlor, faint but pcrccptiblc, per-
va'es ths apartment. We hear hard, hoarsc
breathing, harsh whispers ana deep sl.hs froa
those who can never again speak with their
Uld voices. Tic decay si the vocal organs Ia
the most terrible OI all. The patient Is usually
by this time one mass Of corruption. What
faces are turned TO us us we grOpe among the
half conscious sufferers faces that look MS
across With broad axe AMI each cash healing,
had left horrfd seam. Ears swollen to twice
thalr natural size, raw lacking and bloody,
while the enormous l0bes hanging nearly to
the shoulder. Oozc with Il sickcning pns.
There are tho:c with nostrils slowly withcr-
ing away, soma with no nasal Mt all, only an
lilerrolis cavity remains. too abum:nablr 10 be
Thought uf FOR moment. Fingers grown
sharp III the ends, slOuIiIing the skin she'd
ding the joints one hy one. This man can lay
huid of anti remove II toe without any scns;l-
ton: what i it Thai so pnralyzcs the scnsi-
hililies! Nothing hut death Itself grasninr
lie vii;ls. They are hn half alive, these lcI,-
c!T, and carry their own infectious corpSts
about with them. One old man, sitting In
hid'o, narrow strip of cloth bound about the
lnlrs. Is covered from heal 10 foot with large,
hard swrllings. There is not valley cnougi;
between his lhousand-anG-onc nrshy hiliocks
to lay the lip ri your finger Yet he Is ,lncoil-
sciMiS Of any min whatever lie turns II
%:iaSlly ly giin-supposcd 10 he n smilc-up0n liz,
as lie exhibits new mound just maxim. its
appearance on one side nf him. which Il Hike
J. ~ crowd u1. (" few of mo Older ones. Thu
poor Wirtoll LOOKS more like horned tOa..,
polished down " little, Than n man and n bro
thcY.
THE DANCE or DEATH
tits proof rnOGg! Of their Indifference Of
the future, as we'll rs their content men, with
the present. to find thai once ,,pon a lime
ihcic Hecayins remnants of humanity de,lc-
rdc!y gave grand lia!l III the hGspi,u! There
was general cleaning on: OF disabled pa
llenis ami brushing Up oi ilHcry, while The
ball Itself WAS The great topic Of conversation
Two or three young fellows who Inc, n few
llnsri's lcfl began 10 pick up tune q: two an
| native flteS n;;e of bamboo. Though rather
melancholy In tnne, they were certainly moi IN
appropriate 10 the OCCASION. The Old, young
;!ad middle aged took Il few quick turns IN Il
dark corner. getting their siilrnrIl Joints llm-
Der again, and so i;lmi.arizing their ungyacc-
inl lurias with the hollow mockcry 0f The
waltz. Night came nj last, the lamps famed
in The death chamber of The l;zar house; the
Wheeling voices nO lGmscr musical, the shut
fling OF half raralyzed limbs over tho bare
lioor. thn viii. aoA moaniIss In tho night ull
Tended 10 make the scene most nncarthly
The flutes began their shriil, ,inlorolis pip
ing; there was rushing 10 and fro Of wild
figures. ! bleeding half blind lcpcr seized Oh
another OF the naccu:scd beings. glutohiuE her,
4i y were, from lcr grave, In all her loa,l.-
some clay, hc dragged her into the int0xical-
ins whirl Of The dance. Naturally cycitablr,
Healed with cxertion, Intoxicated with the
very ou0rs af death that I,crvadri the hall Of
tile rcvclicrs, lilo mail crowd swaycd and
rcrlcd through the unholy hours. Finally,
satiatc! with the very bitterness OF their uil-
natural Joy, they called for The grand national
Hu'dhuta as II fitting close. In the thick at
moSphcrc OF smoking and half cStingulshc,l
lamps, They Nrti n tue ruiuptlinls nfiantlon-
Hient or tile naddcned danes, till passion It.
sell tainted With exhaustion.
Was IL not u dance Of death