The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-10-10

4 DesOlate City.
The Memphis correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune writes as follows, un-
der date of Sept. %: ~-x-..
Whether one sits in his house or wanders
about the deserted streets. he sees death in
cape. The epidemic of 1878 was thought to
be visitation of unparalleled magnitude.
But those who bore the brunt of that strug-
gle speak of it as holiday in comparison
with the epidemic of 1878. There is only grief
apparent everywhere to-day; for those who
fled the city when the crisis came, as also those
who remained, have lost relatives and friends
promiscuOusly.
The horrors of the plague have invaded the
cottages of the poor and the palaces of the
rich In equal proportion. The poor have not
been called to bear the burden alone. Rich
men escaped contact with the pestilence by
fight, but they left an heritage of infamy
more to be dreaded than the narrow hole in
the ground which contains all that was left of
the victims of disease. One of the daily pa
pers struck a popular chord the other day
when it denounced as curse to Memphis
who have not contributed one dollar in money
or one word of sympathy to aid and encourage
the men fighting the greatest epidemic In the
history of the city. And it is true. One man.
whom hear of daily, is absept at an Eastern
watcring.place, ard from tine rents of squares
OF buildings on Main street contributed an in
significant sum. This, with the promise that
when the Howard Fund reached certain linn
tied amount, he would replenish the excheQuer
with further donation.
REPULslvE SCENES.
Latterly the mortality has been proportion
ately greater among the colored population
than with their Caucasian brethren, and in
these cases the repu.sive scenes which char
acterized the epidemic when at its height are
duplicated. During the past week physician.
while on his rounds, had his attention attract
ed to the Gayoso House by evidences of life
within this former celebrated caravansery,
and, visiting the premises, found it peopled
with nearly hundred African patients in all
stages Of disease. Age, sex and condition
were cOmmingled together, some in the last
stages OF dissolution, others mAnifesting the
initiatory symptoms Of the disease, and others
beyond recovery, without medical ATTENDANCE
or attention, and In a fair way to resolve the
establishment into charnel house. He, of
course, reported the condition of affairs at
once, ard measures were taken to remedy the
evils, which, IT permitted to continue, would
have resulted in resumption of the plague
with all its horrors.
Another physician was called to visit o fam
lily OF colored sufferers residing on the out
skirts of the city. The family was composed
OF tie parents and several children, ranging
In age from majority to infancy. They were
the poorest of the poor, with nothing to allie
viate their disease with which all Of them
were down. He did what he could for the ur-
fortunate family, who were penned up in a
narrow, close, unventilated apartment, and
while making his investigation, discovered
that one of the daughters, about twenty years
OF age, had been dead for several hours, and
was fast being resolved into mass of corrup-
ton, breeding q nuisance insuffcrable, and
filling the entire neighborhood with the seeds
OF disease. He was the only person present
who was free from the prevailing complaint,
and was obliged to canvass the neighborhood
through binding storm for help to effect a
removal OF the corpse. After a prolonged
aud almost fruitless effort, he procured
the services of neighbor, with whose assist
ance the body was rolled up in sheet, taken
to an clubhouse and left until the storm
ceased, when rough grave was prepared and
the body inferred without priestly benedic-
ton.
LACK OF BURIAL FACILITIES.
The difficulty experienced in procuring
prompt burial has by no means beer remedied,
and funerals are kept waiting for graves to be
opened. The coffin is removed from the
hearse in many instances to enable that NOR
tuary vehicle to fill another appointment, and
the relatives, often without a clergyman to
perform the sad rites OF the burial service, are
obliged to wait until the last resting place of
departed parent, son, daughter, brother, or
sister is prepared. The same rule applies in
regard to the services of an undertaken. His
engagements are SO in advance of his ability
to execute them that it is by no means unu-
sual for body to be kept forty-eight hours
before being cofiined. Last Thursday man
named McGregor, who possessed some local
fame as Spiritualist and necromancer, died
suddenly, and notwithstanding the efforts
made in that behalf, he remained unburied
until yesterday, decomposition meanwhile
howl toll
new cases in the vicinity of his residence. Az
heretofore stated, the paupers are buried by
the municipal authorities, and no time, by
reason of the cxigcncics of the case, is wasted
In getting them out of sight.
Many q mournful drama from real life ID
enacted among the worthy poor, and if ever
9 history OF the epidemic is written it will be
fruitful with touching "reminiscences of the
dark days that now hang about the City on
the Bluff. One came under my observation
yesterday. which is fair type of the kind,
and its recital to party of gentleman at the
dinner-table of the Peabody brought tears to
the eyes of more than one who heard it. A
very worthy widow lady, who had been sur.
rounded BY comfort, if not luxury, in better
days, had her family reduced by the disease
to a little daughter, whose turn came when
least expected, and. resulting fatally, left the
poor mother alone in the world, the sole sur.
yivor of what had until recently been a happy
AdHlAy' LII HcduS WcTc cAuauSCCu, anu
the thought of her daughters being
buried as pauper was too much
for her maternal heart to bear. When
the child was dead, the grief-stricken parent
detailed the condition of her affairs to rev.
erend gentleman, who has been one Of the
foremost in his labors for the afflicted, and
asked if something could not be done to spare
her this additional pang. She responded to
the demands of her Father in Heaven. she
eaid, in giving her last child to God, but II
she was to be laid away by strangers hands
and fill an unknown pauper's grave, her
mothers heart would be broken. The good
pastor, appreciating the depth of feeling
which prompted this last request, appropri-
ated money for the dead chiid's burial, and
Friday afternoon the innocent was laid away
in the shade of tree at ElmwOod.