The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-09-12
FEvER-STRICKEN MEMPHIS.

FEvER.STRICKEN MEMPHIS.
A Deserted City-The Work OF tho
Howard AssociatlOn-NobleH 1erOism
Of Many Leading Citixcns - what
Wight He Told.
The Memphis correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune writes to that paper,
+ under date of Aug. Is, as follows:
Memphis is a city without q people, The
echo OF my music, as l whistle to keep up
my courage, comes back in q sort of wall
that jars on my car. 1t is almost as bad as
midnight stroll in graveyard, ones imagine
ton assisting to picture the hand OF death
reaching out from the corner of every bad
smelling alley. To have lived in Memphis for
tho past ten days is almost to have grown gray
With fright. The wild panic which seized the
city, the scramble for foothold on steamboat.
pictured everywhere, on evcryone's face,
were trying enough to the stOutest. More
trying, however, r has been to see the
death-rate gradually crawl up, to see
familiar names on the death-roll and in the
record of the smitten, to witness the mon
forth to grasp a wider hold on the doomed
city. Then the hearscs begin to go by on
trot, and a man automatically inclined
could sit down and figure on his chances, and
lFOuu Tile TSGlO Oh >-UcdtllS' 4" nCW CASES
learn that II attacked by fever he would hold
the chance of one out of two principals in y
duel where but one pistol was loaded with
ball, the space being over a handkerchief, and
he must choose his weapon blindfoldcd.
Ugh! am but human, and slliver myself at
the thought. No wonder, then, that SO few
arc left. held by necessity or a higher pur-
pose, noble and phianthrOpic. No wonder
that five physicians have turned patients
themselves, and on their own prescriptions
sought cooler cline.
The panic that made ours silent, sleeping
city, however, was a Go,iscnd. 1t snatchetl
from the monster the human lives upon
which he fceds. To increase the exodus has
been the aim of the benevolent societies.
You have read Of the Governments charity,
OF its thousands Of tents and its thousands OF
ratiOns, gratis presentation to our distressed
city. The tents are pitched on high hills in
rcgularly-governed camps about the city. The
bcnevOlcncc of a hundred cities is sending
food for their poor unemployed occupants,
and "leave the city or die" is the cry of the
strength this awful scOurgc. Strange to say,
many will not accept their offer of safety, but
cling to their hOvel homes, though death grins
upon them from every crack in the WALL
The work in this sad hour is divided between
care for the sick and dead and care for the
sufferers In health. The Howard Association
began the campaign with $500 in United
States bonds In hand, the amount of the .Oun-
try's contribution in 1873, with intcres' ac-
crued, less donations since to plague-strickcr.
cities over the South. Before tire first case
was announced this Association had their
stores of medicines, disinfectants and stimu-
lants laid in, their nurses located and register
ed, their district lines drawn, and their men in
readiness to start with ambulance and doctor
at moments notice, The plague came, and
bedside. 1t has been at the bedside of every
sick man, woman or child of all the great
number since. Their nurses have been in
every stricken family, their physicians have
been ready for any calls. The Association
takes the sick-roOm in hand, and, from its
treasury pays for doctor, nurse, drugs and, If
need be, coffin. At the head of the Associa-
ton are A. ID. Langstaff, hardware mcr-
chant, ex-Mayor John johnson, Gen. w. j.
Smith and Butler P. Anderson. The latter
two went into the Charnel-llousc City of Gren-
ada, and there, amid the foul air of disease,
worked as few men have worked before to
break the grip of death. 1t was a sad sight
which encountered a few nights ago. The
rumble of a vehicle over the c0bble-stones of
the deserted street surprised me. stepped
Towards. walking beside the dark ambulance,
for such it was.
"Who was it," I asked.
"Gen. Smith" was the reply.
/ looked within, where the moonlight fell
on the emaciatcd form stretched upon the
mattress, and was proud to shake the clammy
hand of the hero of Grenada-the General
brought home from the field of battle to die
Butler p. Anderson, Gen. Smiths co-laborer,
remains in Grenada, and to-day, two young
volunteers, Brogan and Coan, left to join him
there: They 90 as the 600 went to TIC charge
at Balaklava-" into the jaws of death, into
the mouth OF hell.'
The Towards are at an expense u over
81 1000 per diem, vet the benevolencc of the
people of our land has kept them from want.
As the wires have told you, new cases have
appeared in the last three days. and a scarcity
OF nurses has crippled the works of the Asso.
citation. TWENTY-FIVE new nurses are expected
from Mobile tomorrow, and with the help of
these it is hoped to give the sick all attention.
The Towards have not come out of the fever
district unscathed, SO far. John e. Forbes
volunteered to take charge of the branch
depot of supplies, in the heart of the plague
ravaged section. He was buried Friday.
William Finnie took his place. He was buried
Saturday. John Morton succeeded him and is
lying III. .Acting-President Langstatf has now
gone thither himself History contains no
grander illustrations of God-like self-sacrificc
than are found in this city every day and every
hour.
The care of the destitute is in the hands of
the Citizens Relief Committee, composed OF a
half-dozen business men, Att'y-Gen. Luke E.
Wright, the Rev. Dr.. Landrum, the Hon.
Southern Express Company, N. D. Menken,
c. Y. Fisher. Mayor Flippin and D. 7. Porter
They are the first men of the city, kept here
only by their convictions of duty. Two of
them are tossing on burning beds of fever to-
day, and the Others are hourly risking their
lives. They have ward organizations, which
report to the Central Committee. Their
storeroom is organized as Systematically as a
large business concern. Their books are kept
to nicely. Economy, care aud good sense
reigns through their whole organization, and
money is pouring in to them. Theirs is the
duty to feed the destitute, and the destitute
number thousands. The cessation of all bust.
ness has thrown them out of employment and
made them helpless objects of charity.
In addition to these organizations, all the
benevolent societies. such as Masons, Odd
committees at work day and night. Despite
all this, the plague increases in virulencc dai.
ly. II the new cases continue at the ratio OF
the past two days, in five weeks every white
man, woman and child will have been at
tackled by the dreadful scourge, for there can
upon whom it can prey. To depopulate the
city is the aim now, and force is being resort
cd to for making the exodus greater
The fever is of q violent form. 1t kills in
many instances within forty-eight hours. The
body's heat gets up to los deg: when the
mistakable sign OF yellow fever. Then the
skin turn pale-buff color, the eyes become
bloodshot and CLASSY; the flesh is pulled out
about the cheek bones, then black-vonit-
death. The comparatively low death rate
shows that many are getting well. The ply
sicians are divided as to treatment. The
method of the majority is q teacup Of castor
oil, mustard bath, blankets The leading
physician of the minority, and a very success
full one with this disease, gives his treatment
rs follows:
Wash the pate mt off we'll with tepid water and
soap; give thirty to fifty grains of calomel, with
\ grain of morp hine; three hours after. COM
mence giving five to twenty. grains quinine.
with 4 grain IF morphine. and give every three
or four hours. Keep the patient ON heavy
d @es of nitrate Of potash all the time, 80 As to
make the kidneys work; and in cases Of sick
stomach use mustard plaster on the stomach and
give limc-w water with milk in ternaIly; also small
portions of water, without ice. If the patient
has dark, indigO-vOmiting. give small doses of
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