The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-05-26
THE PLAGUE.
It's Ravages in Bagdad in 1881.

!
city of Bagdad is the capital. 1t was
written by an eyewitness, the celebrated
Italian Doctor Antoinetto; and is, at the
present time, when the inhabitants of
that Inflated country are stricken down
again by thousands, of more than ordi-
nary interest:
At first, he writes, "the Black Death"
as the natives called it, appeared in
one of the suburbs inhabited by the
tribe of the Kurds. Two residents of
the city, English physicians, went to the
infected quarter, and found in few
hours no less than 400 sufferers. On
DR.. Antoinetto's remarking to them
that this must be the "pest," these gem
tlemen replied, "No; the pest never at
tacks the neck, whilst these sick people
are severely suffering in the neck from
kind of inflammation or Group" The
next day DIR. Antoinetto made the same
remark to the Governor-General, that it
was the "pest" that had broken out.
Dawud Pasha answered that it could
not be the plague, because the people
were all violently suffering from infiam-
nation of the neck. Besides, said he,
"When the pest breaks out, the storks
fly away and the jackals cease bowling.
Neither of these things has happened"
The Doctor met, little while after,
the "Mitachar Secretary of Dawnd
Pasha. The Secretary cried out,
"How will this end ?" Il do not
know" replied the Doctor; "but
would advise you to remove the
soldiers at once" At that time there
Was garrison of 5000 men in Bagdad.
Struggling his shoulders and true to his
creed, the Turk replied, "Why remove
the troops? What is to happen will
happen"
The plague soon embodied the entire
city in its deathly grasp. The sur
vivors refused to bury the dead. The
streets were deserted. The Governor
General promised the Arnauts jewellers
in the country 200 piastres for every
corpse dragged by them to the Tigris
and thrown into the water; and, when
they came for their pay, it was given
them on their own statement as to the
number they had thrown into the river,
the Pasha merely saying to them,
off thou hast lied to me, the sin be on
thy head"
Thieving Arabs rushed to the doomed
city, entered the deserted houses, and
took what was left. But few Of those
escaped with their plumber; the plague
overlook them. At that time, death
set in within three hours after the
attack. Those of the Arabs that
escaped carried the plague with them
to the desert, which was partly inun-
dated Fleeing before the waters, hun
dreds of these wretches huddled to-
gether on elevated places, to meet
death worse than drowning. Others
more desperate, pushed few miles
further on, only to perish from hunger
and exposure. OF the garrison, not q
soul escaped.
DR.. ADtonietto, with his family, had
locked themselves up in the Quarantine
building. After they had eaten all the
fresh provisions they had taken with
them, they had to live on rice. The
building was situated on a hill, and
they could overlook the scenes of hor-
ror which took place in the unhappy
city. One day the Doctor was called by
q messenger from the palace. The
Pasha had been stricken down by the
plague. Terror seized the Doctors
soul as he passed through the deserted
streets, gloomily echoing his solitary
steps. Nothing was to be seen but
corpses in every stage of decomposition,
too loathsome to describe, surrounded
by starving, bowling dogs.
In the palace reigned the silence Of
death. OF the women of the harem
and their slaves, not one had been left
| The servants of the Pasha had deserted
him,-one only remaining faithful, his
chief groom. The horses of the Pasha's
stable, unfed and uncared for, had
broken lose and rushed wildly through
! the city. Alone, in dark chamber lay
the once-powerful Governor. The ris-
ing floods had partly undermined the
castle-walls, which had fallen in, and,
in the remaining portions of the build
ing, the dead lay in heaps, spreading an
insuferable stencil. The Doctor found
in the part of the city inhabitated by
Christians an old woman who offered to
nurse the Pasha, and, with her help, the
| Doctor saved him.
The Tigris rose on sudden, sapping
the walls of the city, and engufng
many houses in its floods. Those who
had escaped the plague found a watery
grave. In 1849 the city walls had not
yet been repaired. During seven days
the waters rose. On the eighth day
they began to fall. DR.. Antonietto
thinks that some $4,000 people perish
ed. When the epidemic had wasted it's
strength, the Pahsha invited an Arab
tribe to take up their abode in the city,
IL l, IS, al,