The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-01
THE LEPERs or MOLOKAL.
A Dark and I.cyolting Picture.

TIE LEPERs or MOEOKAI.
A Dark md Ecyolting Picture.
correspondent Of the San Francisco Bulle-
tin, writing from the Sandwich Islands, says:
Afler few days nf very quiet life In lIulaia,
I began to look with no l!i;le curiosity towards
q low peninsula TO the westward on the north
coast of Molokai. Il: L. the home OF the lcpcrs.
A swift and fortunately smooth sail under the
shadow Of stupendOas ellis. that make bcautl-
ful and terrible this side of the island, brought
one safely to tho shore; there, watching lis
chance, the canoe plunged In upon the beach
over the breakers that reader landing In this
neighbDrhood very unsafe and often impossi-
pic. The peninsula, perhaps three miles
broad, spreading 81 couple of miles into the
sea, Is SO completely Isolated that you could
hardly Imagine more appropriate and secure
retreat for the poor victims OF lcprosy.
rough sea breaks continually upon q wild
forbdding coast. Al the hack an almost per-
pendicular wall towers To the height of three
thousand feet. There is but one avenue of
approach by laud--a narrow zigzag trail cut
In the face of this wall, dropping painfully
into the plain. below, no doubt ilillng the
breast of the unhappy lcper, who is conduct
ror as he feels that nos Indeed he is banshed
ont Of the world AMI forgotten Of mcii. Yet
this very banlshlnent ia To him gOnd fur
tunc-perhaps the best That could bct;,ll him.
At Ills home, If he have any worthy Of the
name, he Is more or less regarded with su;-
picion, or treated with reserve. Many Of tho
natives arc quite afraid of contagton; believe
the disease Is generally considered rs conta.
gious. Here he Is better cared for than he
could be elsewhere; his food, clothing and
shelter arc certalntie3-ihey were peradYen-
lures before. Being among his fellows the
constant associate of those who, like HIMSELF
arc In some scnSo condemned to living
deatll-he Is always treated with consldera-
tion and Kindness. Whnt can bG more natli-
raj than, at least, cOntcntmcnt?
sfiST, THE WORST"
Forty years ago, foreigner who visited
these Islands communicated this most horrible
of diseases to n native woman, and from them
have sprung the seeds that even ut this late
dny con hardly be eradlcatcd. Every island
In the kingdom Is haunted with the miserable
victims, SO terribly branded TINT no artliicc
under heaven can mask their dcinrmity. ST.
lcntly, but with dcaaly certainty, he IS attacked
by slow degrees, and almost unc0nsciOusly
surrcndcrs his faculties 10 the tyranny of the
plague. AS the Doctor and were travelling
natives came TO us from time to time, report
Ing supposed cases of lcprosy In this or that
valley. They were nt once sent for, and
usually made thclr appearance after u little
hesitation they ydrcal being carried from their
homes, fearing some aort Of Imprisonment. a
iow whom the Doctor sent for were not 10 bc
found having been sccveted by their friends,
who could not hc persuaded to confess any
knowledge Of their whereabouts One lepcr
Wns hunted for Fix months; and WAS still nj
liberty, his Immediate relatives keeping him
concealed md running the risk OF infection,
rather than gIvo him up to the authorities.
All this time he Is stunned by many and rdi-
culed by not q few.
A siSGrI.AR TRAIT
It may be one OF the Instincts of our nature
to laugh ut dcformity, but fortunately civlliza-
tlon rcfines away this barbarism. THO natives
nrc at least nai,ral-as natural as children.
10 them any sort of dcfOrmlty Is Il constant
source Of mcrrimeat. AS we rode one day
through small village, our attention was nj
tracted by q swarm of children, apparently
just ont Of school. They were gatherc;! about
pidst; her chin resting upon her k:cast, her
aends hidden In tile folds Of her coarse gown.
we drew nearer tho children turned from
u.s. calling our attention to her In most
hitting to her feel in the most bolstarous
lonts OF laughter. The Doctor quictcd their
1tlnscemly mirtl, and taking the poor child's
dItlon. Sho was an -l.il,lU,iAtcd leper, nl,I her
melancholy state was the ooc2sIIon ion, Of or, the
strange scene we wl5nf}Iissa n} T. 10y ynt Will
s ont and eIhibited TO the Iinoll with The great
est junction., as one would show double
noaded chicken or q cat with two fails.
Usually the unhappy creatures are named
from their dcfurnii;ics, rs Cockcyer or
'tCrooked-t0e.n
TIE I.AZAR HOUSE.
was the guest or most ainiable couple,
Mr.. and Mrs Walsh, who have charge Of the
settlement. found mine host living In IS lit
tic cottage, surrounded by the various hospital
wards, dormitorlcs and small r dwellings, in
fact, right in the midst Of the pcstriicc.
Here, seldom meeting with foreigners, whose
curiosity ls generally not equal to their caution.
continually at tho mercy of the multitude
around them; thcmclvcs, possible victims ofthe
same terrible nialady, patient, long-sl,tIcrlng,
OF all praise. Mr.. Walsh shOWctlu us through the
hospitals, four fhir-slzcd buildings of one room
each, with plenty OF windows and fortunately
plenty Of sea mir always blowing over tho pacd:
we walked perhaps quarter of q mile to d
little village Of lepcrs, nesting mt the
foot Of one of those superb cliffs, unparalleled
for snbliHo beauty, There live ihc mod
garden plots. % and someimes @ frien1s I ~ S, hep.,
ors" for company. They certainly seem con
tontod, some Of them are actually cheerful.
The The %"helpers" ore those who promise TO re-
with their afflicted friends and care for them.
They build and repair houses, attend to the
gardens, and are generally useful, making
fhelr own living and serving the lepers be-
government slneS tSy sro wat Wa1oh Of Il i u
who would otherwise require hired Watchers
It has been also decided that husbands Of le-
;prons wives, or uice ucrsa,, are in nature
llYorQed, but If they are willing may accept
life in the settl0mont, With It's restrictions.
Many gladly avail themselves Of'ttie 0ppOr-
tunity. &.
e STRANdB INFATUATI0N.
: There Is poem Of Algornon Charles Swim
burno's, In which o youth Ia made 10 lavish
the Swlnburnan quantity Tor quality OF love
upon his leprOus mistress. believe the poem
is failure because Of Its hideous conceIt
There are O. dozen cases Of like nature I'm this
valley of death. Though equally incompre
henslble, they arc nevertheless true. One poor
unfortunate, at least forty years old, and re-
puisiye as cobra, Is falrly worshlppod by
well knit youth Of two-and-twenty, who for
sakes the world and It's temptations (Which Is
saying much for q kanaka) and ceaYes to Ills
Medusa: think Swnburne should be acunlt-
this evidence, which will swear to. 4 more
singular fact Is, that q man and his wife
may live together for half q dozen years,
ono being leprous while the other Is
undefled. 1t is the custom in the re-
lgious asylnms In tho Lcyant, when lepor
Ia presented, to administer tho sacrament of
extreme junction, and to perform IL certain
-leper ls cOnSldcrel na nnn dcad md nnnrn-