Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1871-11-18
Small IOy In FrOstburg.

promptly as pOs3lpic, IL IS, prOufTy, 9TtIe
inconsideratc as to the reliability of its
sources of information. Il reyisrss brought
by passengers from a"disahi& train" on the
Pittsburg and ConnellsstHs. Railroad are
sllrmiscd as exaggerated IDEAS, in its ISSUE
of the 18th inst, and this confession nccessi-
tated in explanation of a previous publica-
ton, it certaintv occnrs to us that greater
care should bc exercised in receiving and
publishing them.
URfartana,ciy for its rood intentions, rs
expressed in tho eXplar' ion referred TO, the
Netrs, Of the same iss..c, is led into a similar
rrratic statement :. ..en it informs lis large
circle of rea Ter, that ait is reported in this
CITY by gentlemen FRI, :. Frostburg that there
are sixteen cases oil small poX now i'll that
town" Now, We are very sure il wc had
kept an account of the cases az successfully
reported TO Ills by gentlemen of Frostburg,
we could heat TIE .Nfms' statement by a
majority Of n;.e hundred!
But, attic. ing little or no importance to
rumors, conflicting, bccaUe emaDating from
! all sorts Of sources, we have rcfis:inrl from
any published reference thereto. The item
! in the S6'rs however, compels us, rs far a'
possible, to repair its statement. We have,
accordingly, consulted DR.. }. ". PORTER, of
/ this place, Who authorizes us to say there
| is, in ore house, one case of small pox.-
Recently thc disease has been in two other
houses, in one Of which there were four
cases of W.: in tie other, one of va
r;o,oitl-all well now, and about their usual
| avocations. These are kept indoors, not
altogether rs measure Of personal security
against relapse, but as one Of public safe
Is against its spread" DR.. PoRTER's well
known prominence as physician and rs 4
gentleman of the highest standing, will
set this matter 1T rest.
If the small p,v "ercin Cumberland and
the repeated publication of Exaggerated
ideas" thereof was as "rtained rs tending
to "in1urc" the ''busil,ss' of that town, we
really think it would be hard for the Meas
to recognize among its duties "as public
journalists" The one to spread, without due
caution, these items il, - cot...ta. But
as it is not at Cumberland. ,ilerc is, w2 Gear,
sort of "enchantmcnt." partly on account
of the distance" in the representation that
the disease is tloul ishins at Frnsi'surg. Our
business is thus thonghtlcssly injured, and
an unenviable prominence given to our
town, which, we think, is not warranted
by the circumstances
We have elsewhere advcrtcd to the dor
mant situation" ofthc disease here, When
it is really developed into a raging pesti-
lence, it will be time enough to alarm the
balance of the United States.
Since the above was put in type the Ne'cs
publishes, in its issue of the 10th, an 'cX-
pect ed" denial" "of the existence of small
pox, save one case, in Frostburg." 1t con-
tinues:
! 1--WE do not consider it policy upoa e."
part of the good and well-ncaning citizens
of the town TO disguise the fact that there
are n number Of cases in TINT place. The
truth is better in all cases, and the exact
facts ought to be known SO that people can
act Understandings in their efforts 10 pre-
vent the disease from spreading.
Our report i'll yesterdays News of
sixteen cases Of the disease in Frostburg is
based upon the actual statement of one of
the most prominent physicians of that town,
made to gentleman there, and by him re-
ported to us. We should be glad if the
statement WAS over estimated, but we are
too strongly impressed with tie truth Of it
to believe So" &c.
The Nctrs goes from bad TO worse. 1t
not only expresses serious doubt rs to the
truth of the correction, bat ungraciously
attributes it to "policy,' on the part Of our
citizens, to disguise the fact" that the dis
ease does exist here. The effort to fastcn
this damaging report upon us we could still
regard as unintcntional. but for its persist
ence After tho futile effort to obtain cor
rec4iOn Of the item of which we first COM
plain, VIC can scarcely hope the Ne,cs will
Ego back" on the gentleman" whose hear
say testimony is so impresnablc. Never
theless We will try.
After receiving the Ne,rs Of tie 10th, We
visited all the prominent physicians of the
town, excepting DR.. PORTER, whose report
we have given above, ard Obtained the fol-
lowing replies 20 the interrogatory,
now MANY CASES OF SNAIL FOX HAVE vas:?
DR.. 7. J. GRArA;.:-~No.a:
DR.. W. III. RAvENscEArT-NGr
pr. J. 7. Observation-Disclosures
The summing up The matter is, then, that
four prominent physicians" residing and
practising in Frostbur@, say there is one
case of small pox in this town. The Nesrs
will surely persist no longer in course so
manifestly injurious to our town and people.
Its duty las journalists" will not suffice to
cover its error here. Nowhere in the wide
realm of newspaper ethics will it find law
justifying the publication of reports of this
character without due caution: t:lr hess is
the probability of discovering enc APPROX
ing reiteration in spite o.. correction.
STILL LATER.
The Ne'rs Of the 11.h still excited, bu.
"letting itself down easy" ny turning its
attention from Frosthurg 20 "Cincinnati,
New York, Philadelphia, Fittsburg' and
Wheeling"
HASTE AND HEALTH.-It is not at all