Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-09
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SMALL FOX IN NEW RAVEN.
The Case or Viola Vance.
TH3 EXPERIENCE OF A MoTHER IN THH
 PEST HOUSE WITH HER DYING CHILD.

-.. me case or VlOJ0 V0HO0s
 TH7 EXPERIENCE OF MOTHER IN THu | PEST HOUSE wTTE HER DYNG CHILD. 10 the Editor of the Journal 6 Courier: Permit me to give few facts in rela- ton to the death of Viola Vance King, in this city, by small pox. I have known her from infancy. Her true ntme is Will etta King. She played at the Opera Sat- l urday night, Nov 30th, and was taken sick at the hotel on Sunday, and doctor was sent for On Monday as the young woman grew worse, the proprietor of the hotel telegraphed to Cambridge, Mass, for her mother, who has been teacher in the public schools for thirteen years. r Arriving here Tuesday she found her daughter very sick, and as she thought unable to be taken home, and being a l stranger in this city, she came to me at | the New Haven Car works, in great dis | tress, telling me her trouble and desiring me to take her daughter to my house un- til she should be we'll enough to be taken home. I told her I would do so if she had no contagious disease but if she had would see that she was cared for, and 1 would have my family physician go to the hotel and make an examination of the
 
 went to the hotel, and he pronounced it @ case of smallpox, and advised that she be taken to the pest house. He left her prescription and then went and informed her physician of the nature of the case. When returned with the medicine Mrs. King informed me that her doctor was going to remove them to the pest house l that night. bade her be of good cour- age, and then went with'my doctor to in form the chairman of the Board of Health of the case, and what was being done, and he promised to go out to the pest house the next morning and attend to it. The next evening called to see him, to hear how they were getting along. He told me that they were then quite com fortable. asked him if there was any one there to take care Of them, and he said there was a woman from tho poor house that had had the smallpox that was caring for them. He gave me to un- derstand that everything was being done for them that was necessary. had been told by good authority that there had been six thousand dollars appropriated for this institution. I thought 1t must be at least comfortable place for the sick.
 On Saturday carried some fruit, with letter of cheer and encouragement to the poor-house to be given to her. then began to look for this institution for the sick. I thought surely if there had been six thousand dollars appropriated for such 8 place, it should have such surroundings l as to be distinguished from the out-build- ings of the poor-house. But what was my astonishnent when told that that lit tie shanty in the back yard was the place where our sick friend was carried The Wardens wife told me there was no wo- man caring for the sick at the pest-house, but there was man who carried the food and fuel to them. She said they had all they wanted; that this man would go down and see what they wanted and carry 1t to them. While there saw Dr. Gal lagaer and he told me they had all they needed, except woman to care for them, f- -es;stAla me to try and get one. That day =, nioSs iD sns s1lssi s sIsl ! me say to the pra1se of God and Humanity there was good Samaritan who went ont Sunday night and helped put her in, her coffin and saw her buried. May God re- ward her for her good deed to the help less. And in my opinion if we had few such intelligent, godly women as can be found ln this city as Q Board of Health and other executive officers we should have the sick and triendless cared for bet ter, and In thelr business transactions ws should n0t have exhibitions of the mulish stubbornneSS tnat-ras seen at a meeting oA puollc oIncers Ill tnls oasy on Saturday evening last. As to the treasmont of ina sick girl while there, and the feeIinss of the mother and the horrors of that S,tnr. day night with her dylng and dead grl. will let the mothers letter written tO me ot EoYl hpi1 I for itself Respectfully,
 D. R. LEIGHTON, No. s Henry St. MRS. KINGS LETTER.
 CAMBRIDGE, Dec. Il, 1872
 My Kind Friends;-I hardly know how to control my feelings to write, but wish to thank you for your kind remembrance of me and my dear sick child. She pass ed away Saturday evening somewhere near 12 o'clock. Oh! what a week of ago ny in that awful pest house-all alone with my darling-wIthout any comforts or necessities for @ sick room supplied me save what received through the Kind ness of you and Dr. Gallagher. God bless you both. The treatment we receiv- ed was not fit for dog-much less for those delicately reared and accustomed to comforts, mind l say comforts, not lnxu- ries. 1 asked for pint of milk 8 day, 1t was more thsn could be sPt.red.' Then - half pint and that was denled, and had not one drop sent after the first day. l asked for a plain boiled chicken to eat with my bread Was told could haveit, but it did not come. One loaf of bakers bread was all that was supplied me for that entire week, and oh! how welcome l was your loaf made by your own kind hands. It was like mama to me. Do the city authorities of New Haven think such place as we found suitable for the sick? dead mice on the floor and live mice running around! without any cellar and nearly every seam in the floor open; with out any bedding save that which had lain l over since the last patient left; with no 1 light save the primitive ''petticoat lamp" 1 inserted in block; neither wash bowl or towel, or any arrangements for keeping l the person in cleanly condition! And tben the horrors of that first night, wiN no fire, and my poor, sick child! 1fn1nk I that night fixed her fate. Had tae place been kept so as to be made rsSy m 2 lew moments for sick patieps ssa | 9ouos i;,i hos all eyants ber chap>6s for recovering wonld have beenMuch greater. From 1 Tuesday niobt I6en went, till Monday nicbt foIlowi1S, was entirely alone with my darlinoGxceptlng one nlgnt, and when T watch11her expiring breath and arrang- ad b for the grave, only one eye, and th the eye of the Almighty Father, L%atched me. And then the pig slaugh- tering on the outside! At-about 9 o'clock, as near as I could tell without clock, the cry would commence, and that of it. self was nearly enough to drive one in- sane.
 But will trouble you no longer with my grievances. I do hope, although 1t will not bring back my dear girl, that no | mortal will ever again be called upon through such culpable neglect to suner as have done, and am doing, for my ner- vous w system has received such shock ci, that that it is question: of time when may be well again, e U,--.
 Colonel Grosvenor emphatieally denieSy