The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-10-03
THE HORRORS OF THE EPIDEMIC.

The brutality, barbarism and indiffer-
ence developed by this epidemic stand
out in marked contrast with the heroism
which has cost US so many lives. Scarce
ly a day passes that the community, bow
ed in sorrow for so many weeks, is not
shamed by one or another of these hid
eous phases of inhumanity. AS if it were
not enough that the experiences of the
times develop cases of total neglect,
which are brought to light when the suf-
ferers are past hope and beyond the
reach of human aid, we have creatures in
the semblance of men who terrorized out
| of all reason, surrender themselves to
demoniacal passions and express their
fears in acts that are disgrace to our
race and blood
The story which we copy from the
Jackson Tribune and Sun, to day, is a
case of this sort, and, perhaps, one of the
worst that has come under our notice.
A little boy, convalescent, sent to Milan,
from Grand junction, by his father, that
he might there breathe a purer atmos-
phere and be out of the way of the hor-
rible sights which an epidemic develops,
| took possession of q log cabin where,
during the night, he was beset by party
Of fiends who by firing upon the lonely
little chap. compelled him to evacuate
and take to the woods on the coldest
night of the season. Any thing more bru-
tai than this has not come under our
notice. Then there was the case of the
fever stricken man in a railroad car,
which was uncoupled and left on a side
track near the National cemetery, where,
but for the ministrations of brave friend
and timely assistance from Memphis, he
would have died, as the poor fellow did
who, left in box car near Stevenson
was beset by cowardly mob, possessed
of only one idea, that of self preservation
| Then we had the cases Of the negro men,
! poor fellows, driven forth by few inhu-
man persons, some Of whom have since
died of the fever they thus inhumanly
sought to fight off The three victims OF
their cowardice died miserably by the
wayside, giving evidence by the contor-
tions Of their bodies that they passed
away in nameless agonies Horrible to
think of such, an incident six week ago
would have been secuted as impossible
by the very persons who participated in
it. Then there is the case of poor ne
gro woman, who, dying of fever, was
rolled in blanket and unceremoniously
dumped into a hog hole by her terror
stricken husband and kinfolks. Bad
enough that those who died within the
limits so well served by the Howard As
sociation and Citizens Relief Committee
should some days ago, on account of the
want of laborers and coffins, have had to
lie for two or three days, poisoning the
air with nameless stencil and sending
forth countless billions Of spores to feed
on the vitals of the faithful few who have
done such noble service in battling with
the scourge. Bad enough that these hor
rors should exist to appal the living, anC
help to increase the awful mortality, bu
when to them we add the wanton inhu
manity of stoning and shooting at de
fenceless boy of only ten years, driving
helpless fever stricken patients from the
only shelter they have. and shaming ou
common humanity by leaving bodies il
hog holes, food for the hogs, we are over
come with shame for brave people,
generous and noble people who, afte
, enduring all the trials of great war, ant
attesting both their moral and physica
courage, should have their escutcheol
soiled by brutalism without parallel.
Hearing such things, one wonders
= our civilization is really failure, and W
are going back to the days of the Londo
plague, when all the bonds of societ
were loosened, and besides the disease
y which carried away so many thousand
the people of the great capital were tn