River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-09-05
A DESERTED CITY.

DESERTED CITY.
Memphis Correspondence Chicago Tribune.
have thought to supplement the wires by
the mailbag Tonight, promising that The MSS.
| shall, 90 itraugh reveu processes of disinfec-
20 before IT,. dc1l ,,,1 into the box. o. il
i 10 tFaup,l / asaace you. There are gallons
}, caron.ic acid lylrr about. and burning ia,
ana suipnurunA f6u,ts hcfoul the air under The
profession of purifying il. When look ont
| On the dark silent street, and these vapors are
waited through the open window, feel the
oppressiveness of the presence of death with
| that horrible odor Of carbolic acid which
| rises from the little ssucers beneath the coffin
| II is
cI1Y WITHOUT A PEOPLE,
this The echo of my music, as whistle t.
| keep my courage mp, comes back in sort OF
vail that jars ON my ear. 1t is almost as bad
az a midnight stroll in a graveyard, ones i'm
agination assisting TO picture the hand of death
reaching out from the corner of every pad
smelling alley. To have lived in Memphis foI
| the past ten DAYS is almost to have grown gray
with fright The wild panic which seized the
city the scramble for fnothold ON steamboat
deck or car-platform, the agony of fright pic
tured everywhere, on every ones face. were
trying enough to the stoutest. More trying,
however il 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 monster fingers OF
death relaxing aud stretching forth TO grasp a
wider hold on the doomed city. Then
THE uEARsEs BEGIN TO GO BY ON A TRoT
and a man fundamentally inclined could sii
down and figure ON his chances, and from the
ratio of deaths to new cases learn that il
attacked by fever he wonld hold the chance OF
one out of two principals in duel where but
one pistol was loaded with ball the space being
over a handkerchief, and be must choose ms
weapon blindfolded. Ugh, | am but human
| and shiver at the thought. No wonder. then
that SO few are left held by necessity or 8
higher purpose, noble and philanthropic- Nc
wonder that Eve physicians have turned pa
tieuts themselves, and on their own presclip
lions sought cooler cline.
The panic that made ours silent, sleeping
CITY, however. was a Godsend, 1t suatchec
from the monster the human lives upon which
he feeds. To increase the exodus has been the
aim of the benevolent societies.
You have read of the governments charity
of its thousands ofteuts and its thousands Of
| rations gratis presentation to our distressed
city. The tents are pitched on high hills II
regularly governed camps about the city.
THE BENENoLENCE OF A HUNDRED CITIES
is sending food for their poor unemployed oe'
cupants, and leave the city die Is the CRY
of the true men who are fighting with all OF
human strength this awful seourge. Strange
to say, many will not accept their offer of safe
ty but cling TO their howell homes though death
grins upon them from every crack in the wall.
Yesterday the negroes held naass-neetlug and
an effort was made by the mayor, our member
of Congress, and Others to get them - agree TO
go out into camp. play gentlemen OF elegant
leisure and refined ease there, and be well FED
free of charge. Do you think they
would consent; No, they wouldn't. Yen see
they remember the plague Of 1873. and tha'
then the saffron reaper jumped the black ears
in his harvest of death. IL IL useless to tell
them that negroes are falling like sheep in the
streets Of Grenada ana Nicksburg, for they
still cling to their theory and demand to be fed
in the city at their homes. Already dozen
negroes have been attacked by the pagne, ard
there is every evidence that il viii spread
among the race. The hearse will have fo
take many boxes from their homes before
their faith in their exemption can be
shaken. In the surrender of life and prop
erty into their hands however. by tie
exodus of white people, they are dischargins
their trust with a faithfulness that reminds
one of the dark days Of civil war when the
slave protected the home, protected the wife
and little ones, while the master was blvouack-
ing iaT away on Sbe heiA OF DAAAiS- Eoh V2it
first time in Memphis, they have been given a
place on the police force, and their department
has challenged the admiration Of all.
TIRE WORK IN THIS SAD BoCe
is divided between care for the sick nd dead,
and care for the sufferers in health. The How
ard association began the campaign with $50
900 in United States bonds in hand, the amount
of the cOuntry's contributions IN 1873, with
interest accrued less donations since to
-,1.o IL, 80 ha
the first case was announced this association
had their stores of medicines, dIslIfectants, and
stimulants laid in, their nHrses located and
registered, their district lines drawn, and their
men in readiness to start with ambulance and
docto r at a moments notice. The plague came,
and the yellow badge Of Howard was at the
first 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 sny calls. The association
takes the sick room in hand, ard from its
treasury pays for doctor, nurse, drugs, and, if
need be coffin. At the head Of the association
are A. -. I,angstaff hardware merchant ex-
Mayor John johnson, Gen. W j. Smith and
Butler P. Anderson. OF the heroism Of the
latter two gentlemen the whole world has read
during the past dark weeks Of pestilence.
They went into the oharpeihoase city Of Gre
NADIA, and there, amid the foul air of disease,
worked as few men have worked before the
grip Of death. 1t was
SAD SIGHT
which encountered few nights ago. The
rumble of vehicle over the cobble-stones OF
the deserted street surprised me- l stepped
out to it, and recognized Langstaff, OF the
Towards, walking beside the dark am bulance,
for sach il was.
Who was il z" I asked.
Sen. Smith was the reply.
looked Within where the moonlight fell on
the emaciated form stretched upon the mat
tress, and was proud to shake the clammy
hand of the hero Of Grenada--the general
brought home from the field of battle 10 die.
Gen. Smith Is surveyor of The port here an
appOintee under Grant first Sdmlnlstra-
tion-a man who had beer abused, maligned,
and ostracized for his political tenets
through long, long years. The temper Of the
changed feelings is found in the words OF Dr.
Saunders Bourbon of the Bourhons, who,
hurrying TO Gen. Smiths bedside, said: For
give. dear sir, for wr0nging yon, tor mlsludg-
ne you in the past. / know your true natnre
now and have come to give You NY medical
services without price"
Butler P. Anderson. Gen Smit s co-laborer
remains in Grenada, and to-day two Eopng
volunteers. Br0gan and Coan- left 20 JOIN him
there. They go the 500 went 20 the charge
at Balaklava-' into the jaws Of death into the
mouth of hell.
THE HowABDs
the benevolence ri the people Of our land has
kept them from want. As the wires have told
Won new cases have appeared in the last three
days, and scarcity Of nurses has crippled the
VI RI of the association. Twenty-hve new
nurses are expected from Mobile 20 morrow,
and with the help Of these II u hoped TO give
the sick all attention. The Towards have not
come ont of the fever district unscathed so far
John G. Forbes volunteered to take charge Oh
TIE branch depot of supplies IN the heart 81
the plague-vavscsd section. he WIS buried
Friday Wm Tjnn took his place. He was
buried Saturday Jnhn Morton succeeded him
and - living -. Acting-PFesident Langstatt
has now gone thiJher himself. History CON
tains no eiander illustrations of G4ns-iike self
sacrifice ghau ART found IN tins city every day
and every hour.
Chicago Produce Market
fTRAIN-whest Ia lair demand, a. lower rates; No.
red wintsr CSC: No. do a4o cash aDd September;
No. Chicago 90lsc: No. 2 do s. gs9C cash and
September; SOL bid October. Corn quiet and
veal S5ss bid cash Si3 September. 81 Sc 9cto-
Der: rejected Stia 8. Oars duil ana shade lever