Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-10-16
FROM SHREVEPORT.

The following letter was written by a
lady in Shreveport to brother in this
city, and will doubtless be read with in
terest:
SHREVEPORT. La, October ., 1873.
DEAR BRoTHER-The last line | re-
ceived from you was on the day / was
taken down with the fever. The maya
zines have never received. The whole
force at the postoffice las been changed,
by sickness and death, two or three times
since the epidemic began, and now for
some time the whole force has consisted
of one mani The paper mail has not
been distributed for weeks, and to get a
letter out is matter of great difficulty.
| saw to-day. one of our friends from
the outskirts of the city. She told me
they had all been down-thirteen cases
at one time in one housed For the first
time in thirty-three days-last night
all the family lay down to sleep, and
then the mother lay on the side of the
bed where her youngest child lay sick.
This little fellow is the same age as your
Harry -four years old), aud had been
kept in just as closely; yet for three
weeks he was the only enc they had TO
send in town for medicine, ice, or what
ever was needed At first, the Howard
Association man who was nursing them,
would take the child to the street cars,
and, giving him in charge Of the driver,
dispatch him with note; afterwards he
had TO leave the house alone, get what
was wanted, and return with it. The
little fellow astonished everybody by the
weight OF ice or other things he would
bring in. / have related this because,
thinking of Harry, it touched me at the
time, and, besides, it helps to give some
slight idea OF the straits to which people
have been reduced in their want of.
assistance. 1t is the plain truth
that at the worst times, there were not
enough well people to nurse the sick,
bury the dead and carry on the little
business absolutely necessary. Lille
objects to my nursing any of my friends
OIL the suppesitiOn that a more expert |
enced nurse might be procured How
little she comprehended the time we
have had herel The very children that
had sense enough to sit by patients |
bedside and keep the cover on or give a |
little water occasionally, have made |
their services appreciated; and friends |
and strangers, everybody that didn't |
want to prove unworthy to wear human |
form. had to help nurse. Imagine in a
place like this, and almost depopulated |
too, a thousand people sick at oncel
Women to nurse have been much scarcer |
than men; for many of the last sent |
their families away and remained them !
selves. There have been here ladies and |
Young girls of nice families that have |
been able to get none but men to nurse |
them, having to call upon them for all |
the Offices OF nurse in sick room; and |
men have had to lay out the dead bodies |
of women. Tell Lille if she wants to |
hear one little paragraph OF a long |
chapter of horrors TO make X. s. write |
as she told to me the account of Mamie |
w. s funeral, or burial rather, for funer-
als we never have. The Towards here
have done nobly. Colonel Martin, one
Of their most active officers, is warm
friend of mine, and | am indebted
to the Association for much kind
ness and aid. During my coEya-
lescence they furnished me with
eggs, butter and wood-things
that otherwise could not be had for love
nor money. Twice week what they
call the "relief train"-the only ones
allowed to run-comesi from Marshall,
bringing such things, the gifts Of the
people along the way; and the
would distribute among the
sick. All our servants sick; bat kind
neighbor has herself cooked and sent
me my food.
Things are getting better now. Very
nearly everybody has had the fever; still
the gloom and deserted look of every
place makes it dreadful to be here. This
IS the first letter ] have written; you
have no idea how hard it is to concen-
trate thought and effort enough to write
even this rambling letter. G, r. ID.