The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-12-14

sold and distributed all over the town and vi
cinity for fence posts, kindling wood and other
uses. These posts, wet thick and slimy with
those sccumulations adhering to them, were
piled up here, there and everywhere, exposed of
course to the rays of July and August sun.
If there is poison in malaria at all, the vapors
arising from these piles Of drying logs must
necessarily have been freighted with it; these
uniting with those arising from our filthy
streets and fetid alleys might well have bred
the dreadful disease that SO thickly peopled
our little cemetery and draped in mourning 30
many happy homes. If the first cases, or the
seeds of the epidemic were brought here from
New Orleans, though in ever so mild form,
this mingling malaria, this lowering mist Of
death was here to receive the disease and give
to it vigor and mslignity unknown to it be-
fore" ...
The question has been asked me why 60
many Of the citizens remained heref First,
because the most of them had no place to 60
to, nor the means to take them, if they had.
Very many Of those who did 60, samped in the
woods and in deserted cabins and outhouses
throughout the country, during the whole cpl
demic. Second, the yellow fever was, in point
Of fact epidemic when our physicians first ad-
mitted and announced it yellow fever many
persons remained then, fearing there was more
danger in fleeing, at so late period, from Toe
and medical assistance, than in remaining here,
and so it proved with several who left too
late. I, with many others, greatly censure our
physicians for this, either for their failure to
recognize the disease they were dealing with !;
or for their dilatoriness in admitting and an
nouncing it yellow fever on its first appear
ance, and thus saving possibly the lives Of
some, if not many good citizens now in their
graves. The policy, and one which commercial
! newspapers almost invariably countensnce and
adopt of suppressing and concealing the fact
of tho existence and prevalence of'a conts-
gious or infectious disease for fear of injuring
tho " business" of the town, or, in other words,
placing dollars and cents in the scale against
| the lives Of the oitizons, is in my opinion .
false and perncious policy, involving RESPONSE
bilities little thought Of by those who adopt
it.
/ The incidents of grief and distress, Of pa
| tfent suffering and of heroism during the cpl
demic, are toe numerous to recount here in full
Picture young husband and wife in the vigor
of youth and health, living in their own little
| home, in love, hope and happiness, the former
stricken down with the fatal fever, the latter
| with the pangs of childbirth-the former dying
in one room, his last words o God! let me see
| my first born babe-my darling wife once
morew and she in her agony praying to kiss
his dying lips. Alas his babe was buried
beside him; and the poor, widowed, childl-ss
young mother is left to mourn.
Again, picture the father and mother and
| Ave little ones all down at once and dying
she children crying to their parents for water
| and for help-the father and mother side by
side aud claspipg each others hands in death,
| dying in tears that they cannot help their suf.
fering little ones.
Aud again, picture the young mother strick.
en- down 30 low she almost feelS tho icy breath
of-death upon her brow her beautiful and
idolized babe just able to lisp it's msma's Ame,
is taken from her for safety, but alas soou
sickene and dies the mother awakeus TO con.
seriousness, and believing her little darling il
| safe, soon RECEIVERS to oonvalescence she
| Graves to sec her babe again-the dreaded SO
cret can be kept no longer, yet each one fears
and hesitates TO tell her; at last the word
"dead SIS uttered to her, and that truth burstt
! upon q heart too weak to bear its agony
These are but some of the many scenes of sor.
row and distress during our late epidemic. The
death roll shows how often whole families
father, mother and children, three, four, five
and more, followed each other in quick suces
sion to the grave. ~.
The epidemic is over-the dreaded fever ID
here no moro, yet, a spirit Of gloom and de,
preston hovers over the homes of our people
Relatives and friends return and grasp each
others hands in tears of congratulation that
they escaped or were spared, and of sorrow fol
some loved ones gone. The garb of mourning
prevail on our streets, and tells how few there
are who have not some near relative to mourn
| I. -n. ,,,z inhnntinn tn dnrnte n nnrtion of thii