The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-12-11
The Domain OF Death-Tbo Terrible
Two Months OF Life fn shreveport.

4 gentleman who has spent The past two
months IN Shreveport thus relates his yellow
fever experiences to . reporter Of the New
York Usnrld: The per centage OF deaths ut
the most violent period Of the pestiiencc
was 95 out Of every 100. Sixty per cent.
was about the average. but there were never
less than forty deaths 10 every hundred per
sons attacked The symptoms began with
a violent pain in the head and shoulders.
Heavy aches and numbness then attacked
the bones in the limbs The fever then set
in and the pulse rose to 100 TO 40 per min
ute. The crisis of the disease arrived in
about three days, when the fever left the
patient; then, II the kidneys could be kept
right, the case was a hopeful one. All Of
the deaths occurred either from black
yomit which is the complete putrefaction
/ of the stomach, or from the entire seques-
! tratiOn Of the urinary organs. There was
Ehardlv n case of the disease where the
/ catheta cid not have to be resorted to. The
period Of the disease was in each case ow-
/ ing to the constitution of the patient-the
/ strongest did not survive week
The treatmeut was simply hot mustard
/ bath, with castor oil as a cathartic. Gallo
mel the old speciic.in this disease, was en-
I tirely discarded. Fear killed a great many.
Recovery in the best cases was a matter Of
GOODNESS, constitution and good luck The
shortness Of the supply of nurses prompted
the organization of the Howard Association
in Shreveport, Mr.. L. r. Simmons being
elected president. The president Of the
association in New Orleans, Mr.. E F.
Schmidt, came at once to Shreveport with
nurses and physicians. The deaths among
the nurses did not exceed FIVE. The great
est mortality among any one sect was in the
ranks of the Catholic clergy. They were
very faithful in their ministrations On the
/ sick and dying. The Protestant ministers
were equally fearless of death, and just as
interchangeable in the discharge of their sa-
cred duty. The telegraph operators were
the next heaviest sufferers in proportion to
numbers, four out of six falling victims to
the terrible disease.
There was no such thing as funeral ser
vices at the churches or at the graves.
Every place of business was closed except
the drug stores and liquor saloons The
churches were closed. The formalities of
burial were very few The deaths were re-
ported to the Howard Association, which
at once detailed workmen TO dig graves.
The coffin was taken to the sidewalk in
front Of the house. The corpse was brought
from the house, put into the box, and after
being closed up, the casket was placed in a
wagon, and driven in gallop to the Gene
terry There it was deposited beside the
undug or only partially completed grave.
The grave-digger was left alone with the
corpse and his own thoughts. He got the
box into the grave as best he could. The
cemetery, and especially the Potters field,
looks like battle field with its newly made
graves.
There were no hearses to convey the
bodies with some show of decorum to their
last resting places No mouners followed
the corpse to the grave. Those who would
have wished to go to the funeral of friend
were required at the beds of dying wife or
child. The sick monopolized the attention
of the living; the dead were regarded as
beyond all the help Of love or affection.
High and low, rich and poor, were buried
alike Whole families were swept out of
existence-not a member left. There are
100 little orphans who have lost both father
and mother. They VIII be raised by the
State of Louisiana.
The fever virtually terminated on the
twenty-Sixth of October, when heavy frost
chilled the atmosphere, and by stiffening up
the ground stopped the formation of the
malaria. Regarding myself I can only say
that never had the fever, and prior to 60
ing to Shreveport as a volunteer, l had
never seen a case of the disease.