, 1878-09-07

CHICAGO, aug. EJ.-OPeclhlS lIom
southern cities paint the picture Of des-
olation there much more 6arkly than
the matter of fact statistical reports Of
the associated press. Scores of families
in the afflicted cities are lying unburied.
uncared for and alone. The epidemic
is of frightful power and rapidity in its
work, and battles what have been deem
ed the most skilIful physicians.
The Tribune's Memphis special says:
Visitor Mansford. of the Howards. en-
countercd scene of horror upon enter
ing house on Commerce street. Upon
bed lay the living and the dead. hus>
band cold and stiff; wife IN the agony
of dissolution. On the floor, tossing in
delirium, were two children Of this pair
and beside them their cousins. two
little girls. themselves sick. To COM
plete the sadness of the scene and give
it a touch of disgusting horrors drunk
en- man and women. parents of the fever
baked girls. were reeling and cursing
and stumbling over the dying and the
dead. Two hundred poor people were
given transportation from the city to-
day.
The Times New Orleans special says:
Startling cases of dcstitution are being
developed every day. This morning
the Office of the Howard Association
was SO densely packed by applicants for
relief that it was almost impossible to
gain admission. Several we'll authenti-
Gated cases will indicate the extreme
misery some have reached. The driver
of charity wagon. to-day, while pass
ing No. 290 Poydras street. heard
shreak of agony within. and entering
the premises. quickly ascended flight
of rickety stairs leading to side alley.
He harried into back bedroom. and
was startled to behold the yellow corpse
of a child lying upon a filthy bed.
Seated IN rocking chair and clutching
. palmetto fan in one hand and resting
heavily uponthe bed, sat woman, who
upon closer inspection; he was shocked
to see was stark and stiff. The cries
continued, and he hurried to the front
apartment into which the room opened.
There upon the floor lay mother and
daughter dead. The elder woman had
evidently thrown herself on the floor in
a frenzy of delirium. Upon the only
bed in the room. writhing with fever,
lay the man whose calls attracted al
,ention, and a child IS months old had
at the time crawled over her dead
mothers breast. The driver has hauled
twenty corpses from the same building
since the epidemic commenced. At No.
154 Bienville street. long morrow alley
SO narrow that one can penetrate it
only With difficulty. leads back to a
building once occupied as stable, now
q pest house. In the loft of this the
Howards discovered family of seven.
five of whom were delirious, one child
of two years, dead. and q mother pros"
trate upon q pallet with q newborn
babe. The mother with many tears
stated that, utterly unassisted and una
ble to move. che lay in the pangs of
child birth and saw her little daughter
die.
There 10 nothing but gloom to report
to-day. The fever is Of the most ma
lignant type. and it is here to stay uatil
freezing weather. about the middle Of
October, about six weeks away. The
sudden death of Q number Of prominent
citizens has caused additional depart
ures of merchants and others whe until
a day or two past had decided to stay
and see it through. More than three OF
four of our business houses are closed
and others preparing to follow. One
may pass through long streets and not
see white person. Only darkies are
left to care for household goods. Care
less lounsers standing about the cor
ners and few drsys and vehicles may
be seen on Main and Front street during
the middle hours of the day. Perhaps
two or three thousand business men
and clerks. including few physicians.
pass the nights few miles from the
city and come in late in the afternoon,
returning to the country two hours be-
fore sunset. Nearly all the drug stores
are closed. a. are all other places. Last
night President Lasgstaff searched for
two hours to find . doctor. and then
failed. Medicine could only be procur-
ed at the Howard's depot.
A number of bonfires in upper Main
street at noon to>day were made OF bed
ding and plunder in rooms where peo>
pie died Lac: night. A north wind car
ried the filthy smoke through the streets
in the lower end of tho city nearly Q
mile south from where the fires burned.
ho~t,ar vvao Torr6 1ocl eI:.