The sun., 1879-02-23
THE BLACK PEST IN RUSSIA.
lFRIGHTFUL RATAGEs or THE PLIgUR
IN THE SOUTHERN PRO PJNCEs

Isuruine Corpaes and the Houses In wblch They
Die-Towns Laid Wnste-A shawl Causing
\ the Death of 100 Persons In Three Day..
A private lettor from st. Petersburg, JAZZ.
~, says.
have a sad story to tell You have proba-
bly, heard sonic reports about the epidemic pro.
vniling IN Russia. II is most fearful disense,
brought here by the soldiers from the llas. II
has spread in the southern provinces of Russia
at n rapid rate. Thousands upon thousands
have died with it within the last 1--WE days. Tho
victims. when taken. live only nbout two hours.
aud turn as black all over MS negro. All tho
physicians ordered to the care Of the sick hayo
died within twenty-four hours after their ar
rival. Tho corpses are burned and 80
are tho houses in which the people die.
Whole towns have boen laid waste during
tho past few days. The Government has
plnccd Gordon OF soldiers around tho
infected provinces. 50 that the poopo
cannot get out and spread the disease. Any
who attempt to leave aud break through tho
Gordon are shot dead on tho spot. The people
arc beginning TO feel unoasy ull over tho en-
pire. Tho Government OF course, does not
allow the news to get out. All reports are sup
pressed. But the worst OF all Is that nobody
can get out Of tho empire. The Austrian and
German Governments have placed n double
Gordon OF soldiers along all the frontiers pre-
venting oil persons from entering thoir terri
tory from Russia. All persons from Russia by
railroad are stopped mt the frontier aud do
tained twenty days in quarantine. their bag
gnge and clothing disinfected. and II they provo
all right after the lapse Of twenty days they arc
permitted to cross the border. During the
twenty days quarantine the people are housed
in large sheds and burns, without any uccom-
modatiOns or comforts. OF course. knowl-
There is no possibility Of clipping out any
whore.
IL much worse than the yellow fcvcr was in tho
South last summer II was brought by n fnrtnr
soldier month ago, who, on having the Turk
ish territory. pulled OIL from n dead Turk on
the battlefield a handsomclsilk shawl. which he
tied around his body On arriving in his ma
tive town he presented the shawl to his sweet
hcnrt. n girl Of 10 years. She tied II around her
body and danced about for Joy in room in
hours she died. and five hours after the intro
ductiOn OF the shawl into the room the whole
party of twenty-five had died. All turned black.
In three days the whole town. containing /. 100
three persons. who had fled in time. From this
town the, pest began spreading all over tho
country"
LoSDoN. Feb 29-The British Medical Journal
are favored by Dr. Idekauer. court physician to
the Gar. says that the plague Ia nearly extinct.
On the 1ith inst there remained only one case
at Se!itreno. Although the epidemic was purely
local and did not go beyond the villages Of Wet
liHnka. Sclitreno, and MichaclOwka. yet tho
mortality was over eighty per cent. The Gov
ernment feels, therefore. called upon to enforce
the strictest quarantine and other sanitary
measures"
The Times correspondent at Berlin says that
much alarm is felt nj statements in east Russian
papers to the effect that recruits from south AS
trakhan are boing placed ON tho Russo German.
frontier,