The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-14
ST. IA VI ES.
THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC HR
THAT PAREsH-CAsEs ARID DEATH.
The Disease Net Yet GOne-LittEe Interest
Taken I'm POlEtlcs-The Cane Crop.

The Disease Net Yet Gone-Lfttle Interest
Taken In PolItlcs-The Cane Crop.
ST. JAMES, November 12, 1873
To the Editor of the Democrat:
few items from St. James might not be
devoid of interest to your readers. During
| the prevalence Of
| THE YELLOW FEVER
! the press contained intelligence from all the
| stricken parishes, but as yet have seen or
read no Information from this parish But
| St James has not been spared by the monster
which has carried off some OF her best cti-
| zens and spread havoc among her children Of
| tender YOUTH the hope Of future generations
| From the best information which | can
gather, we have had about seven hundred
cases of the fever in this parish and about
| seventy deaths from the disease. making q
! death-rate of about 10 per cent
THE FIRST CASE
reported was that of Rev. Father Dure GU
| rate Of St. Michael's Church, who was stricken
| on September 8. and was followed by his as
sistant 81 few days later. The theory is that
they contracted it from the body of Miss
Mary Mather whose remains were brought
| from New Orleans for intermont in St. Mi
chaels Church Cemetery. The plague then
spread gradually on either side from the
church, when In the first days Of October, it
broke out almost spontaneously in every
eases wero OF a mild character, but thanks
| to our efficient physicians, Drs. Gauthraux
| Lambrement DePoorter, Gaudet and Mears,
and thanks, above all, to the assistance which
| they received from large number of jealous
and charitable volunteer nurses (all residents
of the PARISH, wo have to depIore the death
of q comparatively small number Of our peo-
pie In This connection too much praise can
not be given to the majority Of tho citizens Of
this parish, for their spirit OF charity and
benevolent assistance. AS an illustration
we have the family Of Mr.. +. 2. Poche, who
had eleven cases in his family, including q
| friend who had come to nurse him and fell ut
| his post, and that Of a colored servant in his
| employ.
For upwards of a week at time, there be-
| ing seven patients to attend to, it required
| fourteen nurses for the two watches every
night; and notwithstanding the fact that
many other families III the neighborhood were
| stricken at the StmN time more than the re-
| quired number of nuTsos volunteered every
| night. Mr.. Poche having been down twenty
wodays, several of the nurses took up q watch
| every night Of that time This spirit of self
sacrifice contrasts we'll with the panic which
prevailed in many Infected places of the
| South
But st. James is not free of that sort of sell
| fish cowal1ice, for in some neighborhoods no
| assistance was given to the sick by their
neighbors, and In some instances the victim
| had none but his wife to close his eyes. We
| know Of q case where a brother refused to as
sist in tho burial Of his brother, and went so
far as to refuse to lend q horse to a third
brother who wished to go and perform that
sacred duty we know Of several cnsos
their houses with their families, and locked
gates, and established a sort Of Japanese
blockade around their premises. fumigating
their mail matter before reading their papers,
and took other ridiculous and useless pre-
cautions, for none Of these families escaped q
visit Of Yellow Jack. But, thank God, these
were few, very few in number
Through the kindness Of tho sexton Of St.
MichaeIs Cemetery can furnish q list Of
THE VICTIMS OF YELLOW FEVER
buried in that graveyard from September u
to date:
September 12-Emile Sarrazin, years.
September 2t-AuguStin Chauvin. 3 years.
September 23-M Marie Rcaud years.
October 4-Cild of L. LeBruf, 6 months.
October II. M. Ricaud, so years.
October 10-Adophe Alderman, 3 years;
Ernest Andermann, 5 years; child Of TheO-
dulo Bourgeois, months; Camille BIouin,
Jr, years.
October 1.-Two children of Avilo Laiche:
Calvin Wallace, Jr., 3 years; colored child,
years.
October 13--Albert Braud, col, 3 years;
John Bourgeois, 5 years; Constantine Gra
vols, 10 years; Tecle Nicollo, .Jr., 33 years;
Mrs. Iheodule Bourgeois "a years.
October H-Eugene Matherne, years;
Edgar Bourgeois, "A years. son Of e. BOur-
geos, New Orleans Emile Leblanc
October 1C-Mrs Constant Gravois, Jr, %
years; her child Emma, Is months; Con
stance George, colored.
October 17-Rnphae Dupuis, G years; Ma
rie Thercnce, col, years; child Of J. NJ. Ri
caud, months.
October 1S-Ihomas Howard, years.
October I9-Cecie Poirier, II years; Mrs
Sylvanio Laiche so years.
October 20--Iulma Rousscl, 4 years.
October 21-MAre Bourgeois, IL years; CO.
lored child, months; Mrs. G. Wallace, Is
years: her child, 3 months,
October 22-Bertha LeBmuf. 5 years: Lu-
Glen Iherlot, 4G years; Ulysso Badaux, Is
months.
October 2}-Acxander Babin, 10 years; Flo
rian Mont2, do ypara.
October 25--ColOred child, 6 wears.
October ga child Of Thomas Howard,
October 27-Eliza, coIored woman; Lidia
Mre, 10 years.
October 28-Edouarl Jacob, q years.
November er3-EdWard Scannell, Jr., 1G years.
November IA child Of Anderson, 5 years
Calvin Wallace 25 years.
November 10 Lewis Bourgeois, 25 years
November 1t-Numa st. Pierre, 40 years;
child OF Marius Louvion, 5 years.
Total so.
AS you may see from this list
THE FEVER HAS NOT YET ENTIRELY SUBSIDIZED
in this parish. 7 am informed that ten cases
are yet under treatment.
DR.. 2: M. Lambremont is now in charge Of
his one hundred and iiftieth case. 1T is due to
him to state that he has thus far lost but
three cases.
Lewis Bourgeois whose death is above re-
ported, was q young man OF great promise.
lie was graduate and an eX-prOfessOr Of the
State University at Baton Rouge, and had
just begun the study Of law, in which profess
sion he would have become shining light.
III
POLITICS
nothing very exciting or encouraging to the
Democrats was effected at the last election.
Owing to the epidemic and to the grinding sea-
son, the white people took very little interest
in the elections, and polled but about half
their strength. OF 2G0O registered voters, the
vote pOlod was but 2O0O. Owing to a com
promise between tho Democrats and one Of
the Republican factions, but moro on ac-
count Of an attemptpf the Nationals to run a
local ticket the bulk Of Republican voters re-
fused to support Gardner and CuIlon and
voted blank for these two offices, by which
means our two candidates, Burke and Ellis,
obtained a majority over their Red Warrior
opponents.
Dickcrson defeated by Como for the House,