Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-10-31
TIE DESOL.sTEO.v OF MEM
Pills.

4HE Dh5OLsG1EOV UT hbsN-
PHES.
In the following, which we copy from
special dispatch to New York Times, da-
ted on the 9th inst, We have a sad and i'm
pressve picture of the terrible desolation
and distress which the yellow fever scourge
has wrought in the stricken city of Mem
phis, Tenn, together vii h Il statement of The
manner in which the work of relief has
been carried on:-
Noae but those who have passed through
the fearful scourge now upon US can ever
know what suffering and restitution are.
The famine in Ireland, the plague of Mar
settles, the burning Of Atlanta and the his
tory OF Richmond after its fall are literally
nothing TO the scenes that have occurred in
this stricken city for the past i've weeks.
The situation to-day is more favorable
than for weeks past, and yet, out of a pop
ulation of 81, 900, IL, 900 OF which is large
estimate Tor tuOso Ivtn"iui"s, i,soo L--
died, l 200 are now sick, over 1000 families
are drawing rations from the Citizens Re-
lief Committee Commissary, and l 200 or
phans are in the different asylumS. Had
not our brethren from abroad assisted US so
literally, God only knows what might have
been the end. The average of the families
who are now objects of charity is three
souls eacl, and the numbers daily supplied
one ninth Of our entire population. At the
present time over half the entire families
have been swept away, and ii is a common
occurrence 10 hear of but one member of
a large family LETT TO let tho world know
what our history of 1873 may fail to chron-
zeal.
The Masonic Fraternity has taken care of
200 sick, and provided them with all that
love could dictate. They have lost fifty
members. The Odd-fellows have nursed
IT'S and lost forty-six members, besides six
nurses brought here from New Orleans and
Mobile. The Knights of Pythias, an or
ganization of not more than nifty, have lost
eight members out of about fifteen sick.
None of the above orders are in need Of
funds. The Police have lost ten members
of the force, and have fourteen sick, besides
families to support. and the city is guarded
by force of only fifteen, officers included
not enough to protect Main street alone.
The firemen have lost four active members,
several others not doing duty, and have
six members sick, besides the families of
those now sick TO care for. The German
Benevolent Society, combining the Turn
ers, Bruderbund, and all other organize
| tons Of the German people. have lost a
large number, and have tremendous sick
| list The Hebrews make no report, but
| the active members of their societies can
be seen at all hours of the night and day at
work. The mortality has been large
among tnclli, anu tHelr SICK ISL Is also eX-
tensive. The Irish have suffered more
than any other class of our citizens. The
disease made its appearance in district
entirely populated by them, and for two
weeks there was scarcely victim outside
of their portion of the city. The mortality
is still very great among them, and being
the principal sufferers, they draw more
heavily from the comlnissary.
The Howard Association composed of
| thirty-five members, mostly young men,
have borne the burden tn roughout the cpl
demic, and are continuing the good work
| with the same zeal, and are TO be found ev-
| erywhere. They have the city divided in
| to districts, and appointed visiting com
mittee for each district, whose business ii
| is to seek out rich and poor, black and
white, Jew and Gentle, and give UGH aid
and assistance as are required. They have a
regiment Of nurses, provide medical at
| tendance, medicines aud wines, and where
required provisions, but the Citizens Com
| mittee attend more particularly to the is
| sual of the necessarles for each day. They
have brought nurses from New Orleans and
Mobile, besides employing large number
| of others in that capacity at home. They
have drug store in the northern part OF
| the city, besides an open account at every
| drug establishment In the city. Their dali
| ly expenses are 81 1000.
The Catholic church has lost five mem
bers of the priesthood and an equal num-
| DCi VI oiSItlS vi uuNc dlSO
| died five Protestant ministers. The medi-
cal profession sustained a loss of six out OF
only twenty that remained here, and the
negro race, who have never before been at
tacked with yellow fever, have suffered
great loss. They have been cared for with
as much respect as their white neighbors,
and in no, instance have they failed to get ra-
| tiOns when actually needed.
Hundreds of business houses and resi-
dences are closed, and from Adams and
Central to Auction streets, in the northern
portion of the city, and on Main, a distance
| of at least one mile, not twenty houses are
open. This Is our principal thoroughfare
and compactly built. The same Is true OF
Front and Second streets. In fact, with
the exception of one or two leading streets
the city is one vast hospital.
Winter Is coming on, and will kill the
disease, but the m0rtuary report varies but
little, and when the disease gone the thous
ands OF poor and the hundreds of orphans
must be provided for. We haven't the
means at home, and must look to our sis
ter cities throughout the country for heir
In this, the greatest calamity that ever be-
fell us since the white men first look ed
over our bluffs to the grand river that un
ceasingly winds its way to the sea.