The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-04-17


scribed words, "Lord have mercie upon |
u.s." All ingress and egress were strictly |
prohibited, and to enforce this COM
mand Waterman was appointed to |
each infected dwelling. 1t was he who |
went upon all necessary errands for the |
family, and kept the key of the house,
which was never unlocked except by |
himself. In the morning he entered to |
lift on the end of his staff the market
basket left in the passage for him, and
which contained, written on paper, the
orders for the day, and money to pur-
chase what was wanted. On returning,
he placed the basket within the thres-
hold, and re-locked the door, and so he
continued to act till the day came when
he found the basket of provisions just
as he had left it, and then he knew that
all in the house were dead. Not I'M
frequently the Waterman himself died,
and his place was mt once filled by an
other. There was no lack of men for
such employment, for great number
of people were out of work, owing to
the utter stagnation of trade. The
manufactures were rejected by other
nations, and artisans, if they would not
Wtlc ODlRti DtCOllc btAIOuS.
To insist on shutting up each plague
stricken house proved to be great
hardship, but the authorities were in
exorable. If one of the maid servants
of city merchant sickened with the
fatal malady, her master was at once
prevented from going into business,
and became, with his family, and other
domestics, n prisoner in his own house.
Thus dozen or more persons might
be placed in confinement on account of
one, and confinement with the diseased
person involved almost certain death.
In many instances the law was evad-
ed. Watchmen were bribed to wink at
the escape of the family, or they were
deceived, and while they watched at the
front of the house, exit was made by
the inhabitants by back door or win
dow. Many persons, however, pro-
vided themselves with duplicate keys to
their house doors, that, in the event of
the plague visiting their homes, they
might not fear being locked up. FREE
quently the master of a house marked
by the terrible red cross, would send
the Waterman on an errand. and then
open the door with his duplicate key,
and hurriedly lead his family out,
leaving the stricken one alone to die
Many families sought refuge in the
ships on the river, where they were
much more safe than they would have
been anywhere else, for the crews of
the fleet remained free from the disease.
Some carried tents into the country.
and set them up in the fields others.
not knowing where to go when they had
quilted their homes, wandered in a pur-
poseless manner about the streets,
spreading contagion wherever they
went, till at length they dropped down,
and dying in the street, remained there
till the dead cart came round.
One most perplexing popularity OF
this frightful disease was, that its signs
were not always apparent. In very
many cases, it is true, its presence was
evident to the observers by spots, swell
ings and carbuncles, but in other in.
stances the patient suffered little, and
was to all appearance in good health
while consuming with the disease which
seemed to cut him off in a moment
The ignorance and credulity of the
times is curiously shown in the tests tc
which 1t was proposed men should bs
subjected, in order to prove whether
they were plague-stricken Some as
serted that If a diseased person were tC
breathe on glass, the glass being con
densed, living creatures would appear
which seen through II microscope woulc
be found to resemble snakes, dragons
monsters of hideous shape, and-devils
AS no microscopes were used for this
purpose, however, the truth of this as
sertion could never be ascertained
that the breath of a plague-infecteC
person would prove fatal to a bird, ever
one of the size of a cock or hen.
writer of that period observes that he
never saw the experiment made, bu
considers it very probable that the
breath of such persons would have haC
the effect ascribed to it.
1t is pleasant to be able TO RECORD
that Florence Nightingales existed TIVE
centuries ago. Brave ladies left thei
homes at the West End to tend the suf
ferers in the East, encountering fa
greater peril by so doing than that t,
which the sisters" of the present da,
have been exposed in the very worst OF
modern epidemics. In what name
these good women of the past entered
the red cross houses is not recorded
Did they bride the watchmen? Di,
they nimbly climb in by back windows
or perhaps become o noble kind o
housebreakers or did they obtain
special permission from the Lore
Mayor? No matter Enough tina
through the dark clouds which envel
oped the city some CLEANS of Heaven
light fell on the wretched inhabitants
: Toward the end of September TIN
pestilence began to abate, but when tn,
circumstances became known, strang
to say, the people became reckless, ant
went about freely among the plague
stricken, SO that the death-rate became
even greater than it had previousl,
been. OF one hundred thousand VIII,
sickened in three weeks thirty thousan,
died, and when the vast difference be
tween the population of London at tina
time and in the present day is consid
cred, it must be admitted that the NOR
tality was truly awful.
The Great Clock Of Eternity"