The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-10-03

lowing postal card editors Appeal,
Memphis- The fever is born of panic,
based on gormandiziug diseased animal
food-fish, eggs, butter. Meat is the
delirium tremens of flesh. All your
remedies only make matters worse.
Stop alcohol, tobacco, brandy, quinine,
drugs. But above all, keep in the
open air. Abolish hearses, funerals
and the graveyard horrors; they spread
the pestilence. Commence at once Gre
mating the dead. The disease is men
tai. IL is not the yellow fever that my
father, mother, three sisters, nurse,
doctor AMI five servants died of in New
Orleans in few days when / was but
four years old. 'Tis the Asiatic plague,
or consolidation of all the diseases
through mental action or fear of death.
Memphis knows me. If you have faith,
| will stop the pestilence. Telegraph
and will come by express. Mayor and
citizens committee must sign the dis
patch. My guarantee of good faith is
that you will see me moving among the
dying and dead"
On the fifth of this month there were
four operators doing double duty in
the Memphis telegraph Office, and these
were thus at work up to Wednesday
last. Then acting chief operator j.
w. Mcdonald was taken with the fe-
yer. Mcdonald was attacked while
sending message, and was lifted from
his chair with his hand on the key.
He was carried home, and the latest
heard from him he was improving.
Mcdonald was the last man of the
night force, all the rest having been
attacked. He has wife and three
children in Cincinnati. OF the whole
fifteen men, J. j. Fowler, whose wife
died OF the scourge; operator Milford,
whose family is Frustrated with it, and
G. r. Newell are yet on duty. Rich
ard Dryer wSs one of the first to die.
W. II. Myuatt died ON the thirteenth,
John ]. Connolly on the tenth and
Thomas Hood on the ninth. Hood
Was all Eugiishinan, who came to this
country during the great strike of the
telegraphers in 1869. He stood by the
"boys" to the end, and made himself
very popular in consequence. E. w.
Gibson Is at the point of death. This
Is all that IS known of the regular
force.
w. W. Redding was at one time one
of the last fodr white male residents
of Grenada remaining in it who were
not sick. He averaged twenty hours
labor daily, until he fell an easy vic
tim because Of his exhausted condi-
ton. All the while he was looked
nPon as the only hope Of the unfortu-
nate town, being the only means of
communicating to the world without,
all trains having been quarantined.
Trains passing through the town few
at the rate of fifty miles an hour, and
the mail was not allowed to be for.
warded. Redding was a native OF
Marshall county Mississippi, twenty
three years old. For five years he
was stationed at Grenada. He cores
pended for the New York Times. On
August 30 Redding was attacked
while at his instrument. Two DAYS
before John F. Heaberg, a volunteer
from Winona, Miss, came to his as
sistance, and the day after ReddIng
was attacked Heaberg was taken, leav-
ing Grenada without any communica.
ton with the world for several days,
When this condition of affairs was
known, David iNianrery, the veteran
superintendent at Richmond, Va, vol
untsered to open the Grenada, office.
He found thar Redding and Marshall
were both under the sod, and that |
Heaberg was dying. Redding and |
Marshall died on the same day, and |
were buried an hour and q half after |
death. The only attendant at their
graves was the negro who drove the |
cart containing the collins. Heaberg
Is convalescing.
In New Orleans, Vicksburg, Mem
phis, and smaller towns, telegraph ope.
rators have refused to go away, as they
might, and as 80 mapy others have
done. They determined to face the
danger-a very formidable one, since
very few of them had had the fever,
md large number were new to the
southland TO challenge death In order
10 rer der their service, which they
knew would be sadly needed. Scores
Of them have been down with the pes.
.ilence; many of them have diei, but
none Of them have fsltered or retreat.
ID. On some newspapers only
'ne or two journalists have been
eft, but the SURVIVOR or survivors
have kept religiously at their work.
Nor have they BY any means restricted
to their business; they have
supplies = many belong 70
the Howsrds-attended to the sick
and dying. and worked necessarily 70
relieve suffering, TO help humanity in
every way possible. They have seen
death steadily approaching; they have
looked him calmly in the face; they
have felt they must be victims. Bat
they have Tot blsBehed nor abated ef-
fort while they could lift voice or
hand and, as their fatal turn came,
they have shown remarkable fortituds,
Sighting disease 10 the last, and, when
forced to submit, yielding As dauntless
men overcome, nos as men conquered.
The Southern journalists deserve well
Il the nation. They have been fear
fully tried, and their trial has brought
,ut all their virtues. They have 4
proved themselves 20 be men not less
han journalists, and very manly men
they may have defects neither few nor {
mall, bat surely lack Of courage and
rant OF humanity are not among them.