The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-04-09

Town lB JUST recovering from one OF the
most disastrous epidemics, il all its
manifestations and details. that has
visited this immediate section since the
cholera OF twenty-five years ago. The
small-pox broke out here in the early
part of January, a4d. after raging with
extraordinary virulence for twelve weary
weeks. is now. happily. almost abated,
there being but little over dozen cases
many families mourn the loss OF men,
extinguished. In one household, with
five children about tho home hearth two
months ago. only the. father and. mother
are left. In almost every home visited
by the terrible disease, the loss OF one or
more children is mourned. ..,~.a.,I
The first coming OF the epidemic was
SO peculiar in the circumstances attend
ing It that their full detail will be OF in
tereet. While the disease was raging in
louisville, during tho latter part Of Do
oember, relative here OF one OF the vic
Tins received from your city aewing
machine and bundle Of clothing. pre-
sumably the effects of her dead relative.
However this may be-, as the story has
been told me, she vas attacked with
smallpox, .sd, believe, died. Thers
had beeh one case Of the disease in town
before, OF y negro who contracted it in
Louisville, but so carefully was he
isolated from the rest of the town. that
mono OF the after disastrous results are
traceable to the infection of bis bed.
side. The woman 7 have mentioned
was Intimate with the family cs q Ger
man baker in the town, who had num-
Der OF ohildren, the elder Of whom had
the disease before. A Ayounger child was
attacked with smallpox. The fact was
carefully concealed by the ignorant ad-
vice OF the attending physician-a Ger
man-snd the children of the family at
tended school as before, the shop also
being kept open and daily filed with
customers. In nine or ten days, the
fearful disease broke out all at once in
all parts OF the town. but particularly in
the classes and at the public school and
Sunday School attended by those chill
dren. Almost every one OF the earlier
cases is to be directly traced to this in.
footed house, as 7 am told, and to the
wretched ooncealment Of the fret case
the dreadful results of che epidemic
must in great measure be referred.
Thirty or moro cases were reported
among the Germans within the space of
two or three days. and the town was de.
livered over to fe.:.lful panic. At frst,
the authorities made no motion to arrest
it's progress, but in week or go, strin-
gent measures were adopted, board of
health appointed, and tho most effeotual
possible taken to prevent it's
spread. Every infected house was rigid
" quarantined, apd q fine of twenty
dollars. or perhaps more, imposed upou
any violation Of the regulations. Nurses
were employed by the town, and q
guard, whose duty it was to prevent
egress from houses in which were small.
pox patisnts, and to attend to the wants
of inmates.
But the disease spreads In spite Of all
precautions, and for weeks the town stf.
fered under mortal terror, suoh as can
hardly be imagined by one not having
pereonsl experience of it's manifestations.
On visit here during the worst stages
OF it's virolenoe, found the streets de.
serted. except by alhurried passenger or
80 called out by special lbusiness; the
stores we're empty. and the large cotton
mt ILL., into which the disease fortunately
did not enter, furnished almost the only
sign OF activity within it's limits. There
are s0me 2. 500 inhabitants in the town,
and hrst and last there has been about
six per cent. of the entire population
attacked. Nearly thirty-thr per cent.
OF the cases were fatal. an extraordinary
em informed.
have said that several families were
almost swept from the face of the earth.
In one, of q German-the pestilenoe
seems to have been almost entirely con.
fined to that element Of the population, |
which is here large-one child died in |
the morning before dsy-break, another
at noon, and another just at nightfall. |
The three were taken from the house
that night and hurried to a common !
grave. Another family lost Eve chill
dren; another six. In another, father |
and three children were buried within
four days Of each other. and the mother
was alone left behind.
II not for the painful thoughts sne.
gested, sight to be seen every day in |
The streets would have been most gro.
tesque. Tho guards, of whom I have
made mention, were selected of men who |
before had the disease. But as several
bases are reported Of patients who had |
recovered fro N the disease and after wards
we're attacked again, these men clothed
themselves in rubber from head to foot,
az O protection apainat infoction with