The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-03-21
A Governor of Lepers,

The San Francisco Chronicle says
Our Honolulu exchanges announce in
brief the death of VIM. p. Ragsdale,
governor of the leper settlement on the
island of Molokai, Sandwich islands.
The decease of so noted and remarkable
a man in the prime of life deserves
more extended obituary. Bill Rags
dale, as he was popularly known, was q
Hawaiian by birth, his mother having
been native and his father an Ameri-
can. BY profession he was a lawyer,
speaking English as fiuently as Hawai-
ian, and the most noted orator of the
Hawaiian kingdom, whites and natives
included, and among the latter there are
many conspicuous orators. The manner
in which Ragsdale discovered that he
had the leprosy, as told by himself, is
most interesting, and especially from
scientific point of view. The deceased
resided for number of years ON the
Island of Hawaii, and had an office at
Hilo, capital of the island. One night
he was studying up law case in which
b was deeply interested, when the
chimney from hislamp fell on the table.
Although the chimney was hot as fire,
Bill, " in his excitement, picked it up
and set it in its place without ex-
periencing the least inconvenience, such
as would naturally result to really
sound person handling red hot lamp
chimney. He reflected for moment,
looked at his hand, but could not dis
cover the least sign that he had been
burned. He then took off and put on
the chimney repeatedly, and with the
same result. This experience convinced
him that he was among the afflicted,
and he lost no time in communicating
with the authorities. An examination
was made and medical authority declar-
ed that he was afflicted with leprosy.
Or. Irousseau, for years physician at
Honolulu but now a resident of the
island of Hawaii, made the principal ex-
animation. Up to this time no person
on the islands ever dreamed that Bill
Ragsdale had the leprosy, and some
doubted even after the examination if
he was so afflicted. Bill, however was
personally convinced that he was so
afflicted. The police did not arrest him,
however, owing to his exalted position,
as was common with those sus-
pected of being lepers so he voluntari-
ly delivered himself up as a victim of
the terrible disease. He was then sent
to Molokai and installed governor of the
leper settlement, which position he
held for a number OF years up to the
time of his death. Soon after his isola-
tion from the world and his friends the
disease made itself more apparent, and
there were none so incredulous rs to be-
lieve that he was not forever afflicted
with the leprosy. During his admins
tration Of affairs he was as successful as
he was popular. There were and are
about eight hundred lepers on the set
tlement, but by his tact and kindheart-
edness Ragsdale made the most extra
ordinary and saddest community on the
face of the earth as cheerful and as
happy as the unfortunates could be.
By his advice the government made
many reforms, and the lepers recognized
him as father. The leper settlement
is under the taboo that is, no human
being is permitted to enter the dreadful
locality without special permit from
the board of health at Honolulu. It is
very difficult to get this permit, SO that
not one foreigner in thousand can
visit the leper world of Molokai.